General Information

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The Cut \|\| Color \|\| \|\| Clarity \|\| \|\| Carat-Weight \|\| \|\| Diamond Trivia \|\| \|\| Famous Diamonds \|\| \|\| Top \|\|		The Cut There are many shapes and sizes of diamonds. But whatever the shape or size, the cut is the only human element. A diamond cut to good proportions will have more value than one which is not. When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light is internally reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed through the crown, or top, of the diamond. If the cut is too deep, then some light will escape through the opposite side of the pavilion, or bottom, of the diamond. If the cut is too shallow, then some light will escape through the pavilion, or bottom, before it can be reflected.

The Color for demonstration purposes only \|\| Cut \|\| \|\| Clarity \|\| \|\| Carat-Weight \|\| \|\| Diamond Trivia \|\| \|\| Famous Diamonds \|\| \|\| Top \|\|		The Color Most diamonds of gem quality vary in shade from colorless to yellow. The alphabet (from D to Z) is used to rate the gem colour. The three top colors (D, E, F) are known as blue-white or colorless. However, all of the first seven colors (D to J) are at the top range level.

The Clarity \|\| Cut \|\| \|\| Color \|\| \|\| Carat-Weight \|\| \|\| Diamond Trivia \|\| \|\| Famous Diamonds \|\| \|\| Top \|\|		Clarity To determine a diamond's clarity, it is viewed under 10-power magnification by a trained eye. Most diamonds contain very tiny inclusions. However, the fewer and smaller the inclusions are, the less likely it is that they will interfere with the passage of light through the diamond. A diamond that is free of both inclusions and surface blemishes is very rare and therefore very valuable.

Carat-Weight for demonstration purposes only \|\| Cut \|\| \|\| Color \|\| \|\| Clarity \|\| \|\| Diamond Trivia \|\| \|\| Famous Diamonds \|\| \|\| Top \|\|		Carat-Weight Carat-weight is the easiest of the 4C's to determine. This is the weight of the diamond measured in carats. One carat is divided into 100 "points", so that a diamond of 75 points weighs .75 carats. But two diamonds of equal weight can have very different price value, depending on their cut, color and clarity. Fine quality can be found in diamonds of all shapes and sizes.

Diamond Trivia

A diamond can only be cut by another diamond.

Diamonds with strong colours such as red, pink and blue are called "Fancies" and are very rare.

It takes approximately 250 tons of ore to be mined and processed to produce a single 1 carat polished, gem quality diamond.

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The Worlds 12 Most Famous Diamonds

#12 HORTENSIA	This peach colored stone of 20 carats was named after Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland, who was the daughter of Josephine and step-daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Hortensia had been part of the French Crown Jewels since Louis XIV bought it. It is now on display in the Louvre.
#11 TAYLOR- BURTON	This 69.42 carat, pear-shaped diamond was sold at auction in 1969 with the understanding that it could be named by the buyer. Cartier of New York successfully bid for it and immediately christened it "Cartier". However, the next day Richard Burton bought the stone for Elizabeth Taylor for an undisclosed sum, renaming it the "Taylor-Burton". In 1978, Ms.Taylor announced that she was putting it up for sale and part of the proceeds would be used to build a hospital in Botswana. Just to inspect the diamond, prospective buyers had to pay $2,500 to cover the cost of showing it. In June 1979 it was sold for nearly $3 million and was last reported to be in Saudi Arabia.
#10 THE SANCY	It weighed 55 carats and was cut in a pear shape. It was first owned by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who lost it in battle in 1477. The stone was named after a later owner, Seigneur de Sancy, a French Ambassador to Turkey in the late 16th century. It was sold in 1664 to James I of England. In 1688, James II, last of the Stuart kings of England, fled with it to Paris. It disappeared during the French revolution.
#09 THE BLUE HOPE	More notorious than any other diamond, The Hope was once owned by Louis XIV and was officially designated 'the blue diamond of the crown'. Stolen during the French revolution, it turned up in London in 1830 and was bought by Henry Phillip Hope after whom it is currently named. It was while the diamond was in the possession of the Hope family that it aquired its gruesome reputation for bad luck. All his family died in poverty. A similar misfortune befell a later owner, Mr. Edward Mclean. It is now in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.
#08 THE REGENT	A truly historic diamond discovered in 1701 by an Indian slave near Golconda, it weighed 410 carats in the rough. Once owned by William Pitt, the English Prime Minister, it was cut into a cushion shaped brilliant of 140.50 carats, and until it was sold to the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France when Louis XV wore at his coronation. After the French revolution, it was owned by Napoleon Bonaparte who set it in the hilt of his sword. It is now on display in the Louvre.
#07 THE IDOL'S EYE	A flattened pear shaped stone the size of a bantam's egg, its polished size is 70.20 carats. Another famous diamond that was once set in the eye of an idol before it was stolen. Legend also has it that it was given as ransom for Princess Rasheetah by the Sheik of Kashmir to the Sultan of Turkey who had abducted her.
#06 THE ORLOFF	The Orloff is thought to have weighed about 300 carats when it was found. At one time it was confused with the Great Mogul, and it is now held in the Diamond Treasury of the USSR in Moscow. One tale told, is that The Orloff was set as the eye of God in the temple of Sri Rangen and was stolen by a French soldier disguised as a Hindu.
#05 THE GREAT MOGUL	The Great Mogul, was discovered in the 17th century. The stone was named after Shah Jehan who built the Taj Mahal. The rough is said to have weighed 793 carats. It has now disappeared.
#04 THE EXCELSIOR	The second largest stone ever found is the Excelsior, which was 995.2 carats in the rough. Some claim that the Braganza is the second largest stone ever found, but there are no records of its existence and many believe it is mythical or not even a diamond.
#03 THE STAR OF AFRICA	The largest stone cut from the Cullinan and now among the British Crown Jewels. It weighs 530.20 carats and has 74 facets and is still the largest cut diamond in the world.
#02 THE CULLINAN	The largest diamond ever found, it was 3,106 carats in the rough and originally weighed just under one and a half pounds. The Cullinan was cut into 9 major stones and 96 smaller stones.
#01 THE KOH-1-NOOR	First mentioned in 1304, it weighed 186 carats and was an oval cut stone. It is believed to have been once set in the famous peacock throne of Shah Jehan as one of the peacock's eyes. Recut in the reign of Queen Victoria, it is amongst the British Crown Jewels and now weighs 108.93 carats.