My Favorite: Diamonds!

[PinkDiamond]

Going GaGa for Green

"Any fancy color green diamond is a rare treat to behold. Natural large green diamonds are almost unheard of. So attendees at Sotheby's November 17th auction in Geneva are in for a once in a lifetime glimpse. Up for bidding will be a 2.52 carat cushion shaped natural green diamond so rare no one can calculate what the market will bring for this beauty. Pre-auction estimates call for a price range between $3.1 to $5.1 million dollars..."

http://color-n-ice.blogspot.com/2009/11 ... eeing.html

[PinkDiamond]

This article appeared in the June 2000 issue of JCK:

Color Bind

The colored diamond market is beset by treatments and synthetics. People aren’t worried, but some think they should be.
By Rob Bates, Senior Editor

"For a low-key business, the colored diamond market has seen a lot of action lately—though not necessarily the kind of action it would wish..."

http://www.1-cultured-diamonds.com/arti ... _bind.html

[PinkDiamond]

Diamonds on Demand
Lab-grown gemstones are now practically indistinguishable from mined diamonds. Scientists and engineers see a world of possibilities; jewelers are less enthusiastic

"I'm sitting in a fast-food restaurant outside Boston that, because of a nondisclosure agreement I had to sign, I am not allowed to name. I'm waiting to visit Apollo Diamond, a company about as secretive as a Soviet-era spy agency. Its address isn't published. The public relations staff wouldn't give me directions. Instead, an Apollo representative picks me up at this exurban strip mall and drives me in her black luxury car whose make I am not allowed to name along roads that I am not allowed to describe as twisty, not that they necessarily were.

"This is a virtual diamond mine," says Apollo CEO Bryant Linares when I arrive at the company's secret location, where diamonds are made..."

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-n ... emand.html

[PinkDiamond]

Now this is cool!

Nanocut Plasma-Etched Diamonds: A New Technique to Enhance Fire

http://gemaddicts.com/?p=390

[PinkDiamond]

RESPONSIBLE DIAMONDS POSITION STATEMENT

"Jewelers of America advocates high ethical, social and environmental standards in the diamond and jewelry trade and among its members.

Jewelers of America members must adhere to our Code of Professional Practices, which includes human rights, social and environmental responsible business practices.

We believe a commitment to responsible diamonds must include suppliers, to ensure that responsible practices are addressed at every point in the supply chain. Without the engagement of all segments of our industry, retailers’ individual pledges to source responsibly will not be meaningful. With that in mind, we are working closely with a wide range of both industry and non-industry stakeholders (including the Responsible Jewellery Council* (RJC), the World Diamond Council (WDC), the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), the U.S. Department of State and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)) to support good practices at every level of the diamond jewelry supply chain.

Jewelers of America was a founding member of the RJC, which recently launched its certification scheme. Jewelers of America also participates in, and supports, initiatives such as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), the United Nations-mandated system that regulates rough diamonds in order to stop the trade in conflict diamonds. Jewelers of America also serves on the board of the DDI, which is working to develop standards for the artisanal mining sector.

Diamonds from Zimbabwe..."

http://www.jewelers.org/about/j_whatwes ... amonds.php

[PinkDiamond]

Plasma etching diamonds: Tucson Technology Recap

"The experiments centered on modifying diamond refraction and reflection properties to improve light dispersion, commonly referred to by the trade as “fire”.

Using mirco-lithography by plasma etching, the process creates a series of grating lines ( 5000 / cm ) on specific areas of the pavilion which can significantly change the perceived appearance of a stone

The process works by first applying a resist coating to mask most of the pavilion surface...."

http://a3dm.ganoksin.com/blogs/2010/02/ ... feedburner

And this one that's not new, but will be new information to many:

New Coating Treatment on Diamond
GAAJ Research Laboratory: Hiroshi KITAWAKI (FGA, CGJ)

"Coated diamonds with new process have been marketed since November 2006 in Japan. These stones show colours* that would be graded as fancy pink to fancy vivid pink if they were natural, but detection of the treatment at a first sight is difficult and requires attention.

EGL USA announced emergency alert on a new type of surface treatment on diamonds on 14 November 2006. Rapaport News also released similar report five days later and on the 1st December GIA Insider distributed reports on the “New” coated diamonds..."

http://www.gaaj-zenhokyo.co.jp/research ... -01en.html

[PinkDiamond]

Blue Diamond Seeks To Dazzle At Sotheby's
by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) Mar 3rd 2010

Blue diamonds aren't the rarest of the colored diamonds but they tend to do well at auction, larger stones often command top prices (a 7.03 carat stone sold for $9.49 million last year). Sotheby's Hong Kong is hoping to get a big result for a 5.16 carat blue dimaond being auctioned off at the Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Spring Sale on April 7. The pear-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond is internally flawless and is the first blue diamond from the De Beers Millennium Jewels Collection to appear at auction...

http://www.luxist.com/2010/03/03/blue-d ... -sothebys/

That's a lovely shade of blue.

[PinkDiamond]

Ohhh, pretty...

Christie's NY to Present Two Exceptional Jewels
By Jeff Miller

"RAPAPORT... Christie's New York will present two exceptional jewels – the Emperor Maximilian Diamond and the Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Brooch -- to highlight the first major jewelry sale of the year on April 22, 2010. Both pieces have fascinating histories..."

http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.a ... leID=30243

[Gemjunkie]

If I get there first, should I hold a seat for you?

[PinkDiamond]

Yes, definitely. And I want to talk to you about that money you owe me.

[PinkDiamond]

Taking a Close Look at Unique Diamonds

*Pics at link below*

The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond (31.06 ct, left) and the Hope diamond (45.52 ct, right) apparently were not cut from the same crystal, even though they share several similarities, such as strong red phosphorescence (bottom). Courtesy of Chip Clark, Smithsonian
The song says that "diamonds are a girl's best friend," but scientists are finding that diamonds are a researcher's best friend too. Many of the properties of diamond necessary for technology are impacted by defects and impurities present in the lattice. In collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has recently begun studying unique and historic natural-colored diamonds to understand and characterize the defects and impurities that cause the color.

NRL has been involved in pioneering work involving chemical vapor deposition of diamond and the use of diamond materials in advanced technologies relevant to the Department of Defense since 1987, and has been complementing its studies of the defects and impurities in chemical vapor deposition diamond materials with its studies of natural diamonds at the Smithsonian.

Since late 2005, a team of NRL researchers led by James Butler of the Chemistry Division, has been examining unusual natural-colored diamonds. These include many of the diamonds in the Smithsonian Collection, such at the "Hope" and the "Blue Heart," as well as a collection of 240 fancy-colored diamonds in the Aurora Butterfly collection on loan to the Smithsonian.

"Understanding these unique colored natural diamonds provides knowledge useful to both technologists and gemologists," Butler explains. "A better understanding of these defects and impurities (dopants) allow us to tailor the materials properties of diamond materials: from electrically insulating to semiconducting; from optically transparent to a variety of colors; or to provide the isolated quantum states for quantum cryptography or quantum computing."...

http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news ... 32910.aspx

[PinkDiamond]

This is a little too 'busy' for my taste, but that red diamond is GORGEOUS!

Sotheby's to Auction Rare Red Diamond in Sydney
By Jeff Miller Posted: 04/01/10 12:26

RAPAPORT... "Sotheby’s Australia will hold its first jewelry sale on April 12, 2010 in Sydney. The company will auction a collection comprised of more than 250 lots of antique and contemporary jewelry that has a total presales estimate ranging between $3.5 million and $4.7 million. The highlight of this sale will be a fancy purplish-red Argyle diamond ring with a presale estimate range of $642,000 to $916,000."...

http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.a ... leID=30415

[PinkDiamond]

Uh ohhh....

Auction takes shine off red diamond

"The first auction of a red diamond in Australia was tipped to set a record price, but the extremely rare gem remains unsold.

The platinum ring holds a rare fancy purple-red diamond which weighs 82 points and is set between two blue diamonds, surrounded by a cluster of white diamonds.

Before the sale last night, Sotheby's Australia took calls from interested buyers in North America and throughout Asia.

The auction house was hoping the dazzling stone would fetch between $700,000 and $1 million, but the bidding started at $480,000 and only climbed to $490,000..."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... ion=justin

[Gemjunkie]

Ugly ring, or at least a terrible photo.

[PinkDiamond]

Yeah, as I said when I first posted pre-auction, it's too 'busy' for me with all that mess around the main stone, but I think the red diamond is a lovely shade. Diamonds are my favorites, but I must confess I'm only enamored with the colored ones, since they are indeed rare.