DIAMOND information

Diamonds / Kimberly Process

Diamonds are formed about 200 km down in the earth’s interior over several million years. Carbon crystallizes under high pressure around 2000 degrees and is transformed into the world’s hardest natural material – the diamond. Even with meteorite impacts, perfect conditions can be created and diamonds formed.
Isn’t that amazing?
Diamonds are available as white, champagne/coffie (light yellow to brown), pink, blue, green and black.

In order to tackle corruption and civil strife, the so called Civil War was implemented. The Kimberly Process in 2006. It is a certification aimed at eliminating the risk of trafficking in so-called “piracy”. conflict diamonds, which are at the root of many civil wars, slave-like working conditions and wear and tear on nature. The vast majority of diamonds on the market are covered by the Kimberly Process today, over 90%, but much improvement work in the diamond industry needs to be done! Although ‘blood diamonds’ represent a small part of the market, many people are still being exploited.

ECO diamonds

ECOnatural™ diamonds for love all around! The diamonds are traceable to the exact mine from which the stone was mined. Certificates accompany all diamonds and larger stones over 0.30ct have a unique certificate. ECOnatural™ diamonds come from the Ekati and Diavik mines in a remote region near the Arctic Circle and are traced through scrutinized processes from origin to polished stones. The mines follow strict environmental agreements between indigenous peoples and federal governments. Since the discovery of diamonds in this area in the 1990s, the mines have a history of protecting the integrity of the land, water, workers and wildlife. Through this cooperation, we can guarantee the actual origin of the diamonds, maintain strict ethical standards and minimize the carbon footprint on nature.

Together with an external sustainability agency, they have analyzed how much carbon dioxide emissions a diamond from mine to jewellery generates. Everything from mining, the grinding process, possible intermediaries and shipping. All this is then offset via a Gold Standard certified tree planting project. We plant trees for the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the diamond. Carbon dioxide is absorbed and we reduce the impact on the climate.

Laboratorie diamonds

SO, WHICH diamond to choose?

Lab. diamonds, or ‘man made diamonds’, are industrially produced. Lab.diamonds are made using a high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) technique, which simply isolates a small natural diamond and carbon in a high pressure chamber heated to 1600 degrees. The carbon atoms will then be filtered and built on the diamond layer by layer until a larger diamond is created, just like in nature but over a couple of weeks.
Lab. diamonds are almost identical to natural diamonds and it is common for them to be separated by small tattoos inside the stone. Both are checked and graded/certified by a laboratory. An advantage of the lab. diamonds is that the price is lower than natural diamonds, about 1/3 cheaper. But you should be aware that in the future they will probably drop in price, so it should not be seen as an investment like diamonds in general. And it has become increasingly common for diamond dealers to sell lab diamonds without clearly informing the customer. So be careful when buying your own stone. Furthermore, it has been shown that Lab.diamonds are not as environmentally friendly as claimed and are more energy-intensive to produce than mining natural diamonds. All in all, lab diamonds are a good choice if the price of a natural diamond seems too high, but you don’t want to risk buying a conflict diamond, which can still be found cheaply on the market.

The answer to that is individual and the choice of which diamond to choose is entirely up to you as a customer. What makes a natural diamond worthwhile is the knowledge that you can enjoy the world’s hardest material, created by nature over millions of years. The diamond industry is also an important source of income for many countries. A natural diamond can also be seen as a good investment for the future. However, it is important to buy from a trained goldsmith who can guarantee a safe history and good quality! It happens, for example, that cheap diamonds online eg. has many larger inclusions, but that these have been drilled out and filled with plastic and look very nice. Problems can arise during size adjustment when the ring is heated to about 900-1000 degrees. Then these fillings can crack the stone. So don’t shop cheaply online, both from an ethical and quality perspective!

Choosing an Eco-diamond is the absolute best. The ethical diamond industry works for economic justice and ecological sustainability.
Many people are against lab diamonds as there are already scams where lab diamonds are used. diamonds are sold as natural diamonds, as it is impossible to distinguish them without special equipment.
You should also consider the risk that the value may decrease in the future as these stones become more common on the market, but they are still an affordable solution.

Metals

Recycled 18k WHITE GOLD

I use white gold with 14 or 16% palladium, which gives a nice color to the white gold. White gold itself is light gray, not white like silver. White gold is often rhodium-plated for a whiter color. Rhodium plating is like a gilding and lasts for a few years, then has to be redone. Many people who choose white gold like its natural gray color and leave the rings unrhodium-plated, which does not change the color. White gold is stamped 18k or 750. I use 18k as standard, but can produce in 14k if you wish.

Recycled 18k RED GOLD

I work in 18k red gold, but if you want rose gold, just let me know. 18k is the standard in Sweden. Pure gold, 24k, is very soft, but when alloyed to 18k it becomes hard and durable. In southern Europe, a yellower alloy is common, while the redder tone is most common in Scandinavia. Gold is a heavy metal, with a density of 16, and suits rough and matte styles as well as shiny ones. Stamped 18k or 750.

Recycled PLATINA

Platinum is a very heavy metal, with a density of 20. It is hard, durable and relatively difficult to work with. Platinum has a cooler gray color than white gold and is slightly lighter. Platinum is not rhodium-plated; it is light enough in itself. Best when polished, but if a rough filed finish is desired, some shine is recommended to bring out the best in the metal. Stamped 950. Platinum has long been more expensive than gold, but is now lower. If you take into account the higher density, i.e. that a platinum ring weighs more (= it takes more grams), and that the working time is longer, you end up around the gold price anyway.

SILVER 925

Silver stamped 925 is what we call sterling silver. Silver is a light metal with a density of 10. Silver can be black oxidized, but over time the oxidation will need to be redone as it wears away. Earrings and necklaces can hold an oxidation for a long time, but on rings it wears off relatively quickly. Wedding rings are not made in silver, as the metal is too soft to stay nice for many years with daily wear and tear.
Silver reacts with oxygen, oxidizes, and darkens with time. You need to clean silver regularly with silver polish. Do not store silver in bathrooms or damp environments, as it will oxidize quickly.

CLASSIFICATION OF DIAMONDS

Diamantens 4C: Clarity, Color, Cut, Carat

Quality assessment of diamonds is based on the so-called four Cs, which stand for Clarity, Color, Cut and Carat. Diamond quality assessment systems include GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and Scan DN (Scandinavian Diamond Nomenclature).

Clarity / Purity

The clarity grade indicates how free of inclusions the diamond is. The inclusions usually consist of foreign mineral crystals and small cracks or fractures.
The inclusions are localized and identified with a microscope. The degree of purity is determined with a magnifying glass at 10 times magnification. Most people have probably heard the word ‘luppren’, but what does luppren mean? The fact that a stone is lucid means that an experienced observer cannot see any internal inclusions with a magnifying glass of 10 times the size. However, the term luppren has become obsolete and today the purity of a diamond is graded as follows. The website offers VS and SI. I avoid Pique due to too many inclusions, but can bring home higher qualities like VVS and IF on request.

Int. foreshortening	Int. designations	Description / Clarity
FL	Flawless	Completely free from inclusions and surface defects, rare (Luppren)
IF	Internally flawless	No inclusions can be found at 10 times magnification.
VVS	Very very small inclusions	Very small inclusions that are difficult to distinguish at 10 times magnification.
VS	Very small inclusions	Very small inclusions, visible at 10 times magnification to an experienced observer.
SI	Small inclusions	Numerous small inclusions easily distinguishable at 10 times magnification.
P	Piqué	Clear inclusions (visible to the naked eye).
P1	piqué1	Inclusions that are discernible at 10x magnification (does not affect light output).
P2	piqué 2	Enclosures that slightly reduce light output. Visible to the naked eye.
P3	piqué 3	Large and/or numerous inclusions, which significantly reduce light transmission.

Color/ paint

The diamond’s color, or rather lack of color, is assessed by comparing it to diamonds of known color, known as master stones. Most commonly, diamonds have a faint yellow tone, but faint brown and gray tones also occur. Higher grades are colorless and are referred to as white. We work with Wesselton (W) and Top Wesselton (TW) but can bring River home on request. Coffin diamonds are naturally golden brown diamonds, and range from very light, called champagne diamonds, to very dark brown, cognac-colored diamonds. Naturally occurring black diamonds are very rare on the market, and very expensive. The black diamonds used in jewelry are lower grades of “white”, often with lots of inclusions. They are exposed to high pressure and then fade to a black color. Therefore, black diamonds are significantly cheaper than white ones, but super nice for that!

Color scale on diamonds:

GIA (USA)	Scan. D.N.	Shortening	Descriptive terms
D-E	River	R	Very rare white. The highest color quality available on the diamond.
F-G	Top Wesselton	TW	rare white
H	Wesselton	W	White
I (Com)	Top Crystal	TCr	Very lightly tinted white/rare white
J (Com)	Crystal	Cr	Lightly tinted white
K (Com)-L	Top Cape	TCa	Tinted white
M-N	Cape	Ca	Slightly yellowish
O-R	Light Yellow	LY	Light yellow
S-Z	Yellow	Y	Yellow

In addition to the above color classifications, there are also the so-called. fantasy colors such as: brown, black, green, pink, yellow.

Cut / Sanding

The proportions and symmetry of the diamond are the most important factors in the brilliance of the stone. The brilliance is the play of light resulting from internal reflection in the diamond. Dispersion is the stone’s ability to break up light into the colors of the rainbow.
Here the proportions of the upper part are most important. The ‘ideal’ proportions vary between countries depending on which factor is prioritized. For example, the US prefers a stone with more color play while Europe prefers a colorless brilliance, so the ideal proportions differ. The ability to reflect light differs depending on the shape of the abrasive.

The path of light in different grindings:

1 – Too Shallow: Too shallow cut diamond. The light does not reflect back everything. only part of the light is reflected.
2 – Ideal: sharpened with the right proportions. All incident light is reflected back.
3 – Too Deep: Too deeply cut diamond. The light does not reflect back everything. only part of the light is reflected.

Cut grading of brilliant cut diamonds:

Titel	Description
Mycket god (very good)	Extraordinary brilliance. Few and insignificant external marks
God (good)	Good brilliance. Some external marks
Average (medium)	Reduced brilliance. Several major external marks
bad (poor)	Brilliance significantly reduced. Large and/or numerous external marks.

A brilliant cut diamond has 57 facets, 33 on the upper side including the table facet and 24 on the lower side.

Carat /Weight

Carat weight is a unit of weight where 1 carat = 0.2 gr and is divided into 100 hundredths, e.g. 10 hundredths = 0.10 ct. The reason for using the carat has historical origins, dating back to the beginning of the New Age when the Arabs used the seeds of the carob tree (kharrub) as counterweights for their balance scales. These always had a very consistent weight of 0.195 grams and were used for more accurate weighing.
However, in the early 20th century, it was decided that 1 carat would be equal to 0.2 grams. In addition, 1 carat is divided into 100 points, e.g. 35 points=0.35 carat. The diamond price scale is progressive, meaning that a diamond weighing 1 ct costs much more than 10 diamonds weighing 1 ct. Two diamonds of the same weight can have different values, depending on their cut, color and clarity. Do not confuse carat with ‘c’ and karat with ‘k’, which denotes gold content!

Dimensions of brilliant cut diamonds (round):			Dimensions of princess cut diamonds (square)::
Diameter	Height	Carat	Size in mm*	Ca. weight in carats
1,3 mm	0,78 mm	0,01 ct	1,5 x 1,5 mm	0.02 ct
1,7 mm	1,02 mm	0,02 ct	2,0 x 2,0 mm	0.05 ct
2,0 mm	1,20 mm	0,03 ct	2,5 x 2,5 mm	0.09 ct
2,2 mm	1,32 mm	0,04 ct	3,0 x 3,0 mm	0.17 ct
2,6 mm	1,56 mm	0,06 ct	3,2 x 3,2 mm	0.22 ct
2,8 mm	1,68 mm	0,08 ct	3,3 x 3,3 mm	0.24 ct
3,0 mm	1,80 mm	0,10 ct	3,5 x 3,5 mm	0.32 ct
3,5 mm	2,10 mm	0,17 ct	4,0 x 4,0 mm	0.42 ct
3,8 mm	2,28 mm	0,20 ct	4,4 x 4,4 mm	0.50 ct
4,0 mm	2,40 mm	0,23 ct	5,0 x 5,0 mm	0.70 ct
4,5 mm	2,70 mm	0,33 ct
5,2 mm	3,00 mm	0,50 ct
5,5 mm	3,30 mm	0,67 ct
6,0 mm	3,60 mm	0,80 ct
6,5 mm	3,90 mm	1,00 ct
7,0 mm	4,20 mm	1,25 ct
7,4 mm	4,50 mm	1,50 ct
8,2 mm	4,80 mm	2,00 ct
8,5 mm	5,10 mm	2,30 ct
9,0 mm	5,40 mm	2,50 ct
9,5 mm	5,70 mm	3,00 ct
10,0 mm	6,00 mm	3,45 ct

*The depth of a brilliant cut diamond is about 60% of the diameter.