Working for clients around the Globe
Diamonds
Did you know ?
Diamond is the hardest substance known to man that occurs in nature. It is 10 times harder than the second hardest – corundum ( sapphire and ruby ). The word ‘diamond’ originates from the Greek word ‘adamas’ meaning unconquerable. This has given us the word ‘diamond’ through an old French translation but also ‘adamant’ and curiously enough the word ‘Dame’.
While studying for his honours degree Alan became fascinated by diamonds and assisted by two visits to the DeBeers sorting offices in London completed his final year thesis written on diamonds.
After graduating Alan was fortunate to be trained in the buying, grading, and sorting of cut gems by reputedly one of the top diamond specialists in Scotland. With his knowledge and understanding of diamonds Alan is widely revered within the diamond industry.
We hear today so much about the 4Cs of diamonds, but do you fully understand what the 4Cs stand for and the impact each has on the look of the stones.
When buying a diamond or diamonds from Alan P. Fulton, Alan will personally explain to you some of the finer details relating to the 4Cs. This we hope you will find both fun and educational.
Did you know ?
The first people to know and use diamonds were the Dravidians who lived in India around 700 – 800 B.C. It is from these people that we get the unit of weight – the CARAT – as apparently they thought diamonds grew in the ground like turnips and weighed them on their balance scales against the seeds of the carob tree which they called ‘cattie’ or ‘carat’.
The size of a diamond is regulated, not so much by its dimensions in millimetres, but by its weight. The carat weight of a diamond is the unit used and this unit of 1 carat is broken into 100 smaller units called points, hence 100 points makes 1 carat. As a unit of weight you will comprehend, 1 carat is equal to 0.2 grams.
Did you know ?
It has been scientifically proven that on the colour scale of diamond that the top colour ‘D’ is the same colour as Gordon’s Gin and the seventh colour down ‘J’ is the same colour as Beefeater Gin.
As there is a very small difference between the colour grades it is difficult to determine a colour accurately without using a comparison. This is something Alan will do with you.Did you know ?
The Indian name for diamonds is ‘Vajra’ – the same word they use for a thunderbolt or lightning.
The cut of a diamond not only relates to the shape of the stone but also the uniformity and number of the facets. A correctly proportioned modern round brilliant cut will reflect 100% of the light that goes into the stone back out. Not many of the other cuts, if any, do this !
Did you know ?
A good percentage of small black marks that occur in diamonds are not, as commonly believed, ‘carbon’ marks but actually small crystals of the semi-precious stone garnet.
The clarity of a diamond is determined by the size, the number, and the position of the mark or marks within the stone. These marks are determined by use of a 10x loop or a lens with a 10x magnification. When purchasing diamonds from Alan P Fulton Alan will give you a lens to let you see the clarity for yourself.
With Alan’s knowledge, experience, and expertise, you will be left in no doubt that the diamond or diamonds you purchase are the correct stones for you and will be mounted in a way to suit your requirements and maximise their brilliance.