Composed of a single element—carbon –and formed under extreme temperature and pressure, diamond’ remains one of the world’s most coveted gems – and the birthstone for those lucky enough to be born in April.

GIA’s Diamond Buying Guide provides you with the insights you need to buy wisely. Use the guide to learn about the GIA 4Cs: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight, get caring and cleaning tips, and even watch a video on how to choose a diamond. We hope you like it!

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Fall brings the turning of leaves, the golden glow of pumpkins, and the warmth of fires in the fireplace. While yellow is often associated with the sunny skies of summer, its warm tone is a natural autumn hue, and this fall’s auctions have a number of spectacular yellow diamonds that are fitting for the season.

At Sotheby’s September 24 auction in New York is a 7.02 carat Fancy Intense yellow diamond ring, with an estimated sale price of $140,000 to $160,000. The cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond has a GIA report verifying that it is a Natural Color Fancy Intense yellow. (Update: final sale price was $173,000)

The geological conditions that create colored diamonds is very rare, which makes naturally occurring shades, like this yellow stone, scarce and highly prized. Read more about how GIA grades natural colored diamonds here (link).

Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond and Diamond Ring. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.

GIA quality analysis: Fancy Intense yellow, Natural Color, VVS1 clarity (GIA report 15330995)

A 5.13 carat square-cut Fancy Vivid yellow diamond is one of a trio of colored diamonds that will be highly anticipated at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on October 15. Alongside a 8.77 carat Fancy Intense Pink and 3.81 carat Fancy Vivid Blue, this Fancy Vivid Yellow is expected to fetch $200,000 to $300,000 at auction. With the rising popularity of colored diamond celebrity engagement rings—Kelly Clarkson was engaged in last December with a fancy yellow diamond like this one—perhaps we’ll see this unmounted stone make another appearance on the finger of a famous celebrity!

5.13 carat square-cut fancy vivid yellow diamond. Image courtesy of Christie’s Images LTD. 2013.

GIA quality analysis: 5.13 carat Fancy Vivid yellow diamond, natural color, VVS1 clarity (GIA report 1152355720)

As mentioned earlier, a naturally occurring yellow diamond is quite rare, and of course, large sizes are even more rare. Also at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction is a commanding 20.04 carat pear-shaped Fancy yellow diamond, mounted in gold and platinum and suspended from a 16-inch fine link chain. This stunning necklace has an anticipated sale price of $500,000 to $600,000.

Colored Diamond Pendant Necklace. Image courtesy of Christie’s Images LTD. 2013.

GIA quality analysis: 20.04 carat Fancy yellow, natural color, VS1 clarity (GIA report 1152481097)

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As seen on the runways, head-to-toe Winter White is one of the hottest trends for this fall. The jewelry appearing at auction houses this fall seems to follow this trend, as a number of spectacular colorless pieces are coming up for auction.

One of the many important coloress diamond rings being shown at Sotheby’s New York is a 19.51- carat Harry Winston diamond ring. This ring, chosen to lead Sotheby’s Important Jewels auction on September 24, features an E color, VVS2 clarity, 19.51-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by two triangle-shaped diamonds weighing 2.92 carats. It is expected to sell for between $1.2 and $1.8 million. (Update: final sale price was $2,105,000)

Platinum and Diamond Ring, Harry Winston. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.

GIA quality analysis: 19.51- carat emerald-cut center stone diamond, E VVS2 (GIA report 152551320)

Sotheby’s Hong Kong is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Asia with a special auction on October 7. One of the premier offerings is what it calls “the greatest white diamond ever to appear at auction,” a 118.28-carat, D-Flawless oval diamond.

The diamond, described as an egg in both size and shape, is the largest D color Flawless diamond ever to appear at auction. It was discovered in Southern Africa in 2011, and the winning bidder will receive naming rights. This magnificent diamond is estimated to sell for $28 to $35 million, which would be the highest price paid for a white diamond at auction. The current record is held by the 101.73 carat D-Flawless Winston Legacy, which sold for $26.7 million in May. (Update: final sale price was $30,600,000. A new record.)

118.28 carat Magnificent Oval Diamond. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.

While the oval diamond is likely to break the sale price record, a diamond necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels is also making history as one of the noteworthy offerings in Christie’s first Shanghai auction. The auction is being described as a “celebration of the great artistic traditions of both East and West,” and includes jewelry, watches, wine, and fine art.

Created in 1950, this platinum bib-style necklace was designed to complement the silk, lace, and brocade evening gowns of post-war couture fashion. Featuring a line of baguette-cut diamonds suspending a graduated fringe with baguette, brilliant, and marquise-cut diamonds, Van Cleef & Arpels considered the necklace so unique that they patented the design.  The estimated sale price for the rare piece is between $750,000 and $1 million. (Update: final sale price was $836,768)

A Diamond Necklace, By Van Cleef & Arpels. Image courtesy of Christie’s Images LTD. 2013.

GIA quality analysis: 1.71-carat F color VS2, 1.58-carat E color VS1, 1.28-carat F color  VS2 (GIA reports 2131442420, 6137442415, 2131442411)

Are you anxious to see if the egg-shaped diamond breaks the record? There are still more significant jewels coming up in this fall’s auction season, which will be covered in upcoming posts on yellow and blue diamonds.

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Think of every passing year as an opportunity to celebrate with your birthstone. In fact, people have been wearing birthstone jewelry since the 15^th century in Poland, when they were encouraged to own all 12. And while birthstone secrets and lore can be found right here on our blog, today we share what makes YOUR birthstone a powerful statement of your finest qualities.

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April babies are lucky enough to have the most celebrated gemstone on Earth for a birthstone. So brilliant they were once thought to be fallen stars, diamonds are considered the hardest natural substance.

The only gem made of a single element (carbon diamonds were formed billions of years ago through a combination of tremendous pressure and temperatures of 2000-3000 degrees Fahrenheit). Formed deep in the earth’s mantle, they were brought closer to the Earth’s surface through volcanic activity. They range from colorless to yellow, brown, gray, orange, green, blue, black, purple, pink and in rare instances, red.

Image courtesy of collector Dr. Pericles John Lentz

Even though diamonds have a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, they require special care to maintain their radiant sparkle. Diamonds look their best when cleaned regularly with an ammonia-based household cleaner such as Windex. A soft, clean toothbrush will gently remove any excess dirt. It is always advisable to have your diamond cleaned periodically by a professionally trained jeweler. For more tips on caring for a diamond check out this blog post.

Here are some fun diamond facts that might give you an edge in your next game of Trivial Pursuit:

• The name diamond is derived from the Greek word adamas, meaning unconquerable.
• Only a diamond can cut a diamond: diamonds are polished on wheels coated with diamond dust.
• A diamond’s crystal structure is isometric, which means the carbon atoms are bonded in essentially the same way in all directions.
• Less than 20 percent of the diamonds mined worldwide are true gem-quality.
• The earliest written account of diamonds dates back to around 500 B.C.
• Diamonds are virtually fireproof. To burn one, it must be heated to 1292°F.
• Only one polished diamond out of a thousand weighs more than a carat.
• The word carat comes from the Mediterranean tree whose seed was used for centuries as the standard for weighing precious stones. 1 carat = .2 grams, or .007 ounces.
• The largest rough diamond, discovered in 1905, is the Cullinan diamond, weighing in at 3,106 carats (2.8 lbs).
• Mary of Burgundy received the first recorded diamond engagement ring from Archduke Maximilian in 1477.

The post Caring Tips and Fun Facts for April’s Birthstone: Diamond appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

First
Choose a jeweler as you would a doctor, lawyer or other trusted advisor. Your jeweler should be armed with expert training, open to questions and able to provide answers in clear, simple language. One measure of a jeweler’s knowledge is whether he or she is professionally trained. Preferably, his or her training comes from a highly-recognized and internationally accredited program, such as GIA’s Graduate Gemologist (G.G) or Accredited Jewelry Professional (A.J.P.) diploma programs. An educated jeweler will explain the 4Cs of diamond quality to you as well as be able to demonstrate the differences between apparently similar gems. They will also encourage you to compare a number of diamonds that fall in your budget.

Second
Familiarize yourself with the 4Cs of diamond quality in order to understand a diamond’s value and price.

Color − in most diamonds, the term actually refers to the absence of color. The less color in the diamond, the more desirable and valuable it is.

Clarity − measures the number, size and placement of internal ‘inclusions’ and external ‘blemishes.’

Cut − does not refer to a diamond’s shape, but to the proportion and arrangement of its facets and the quality of workmanship. The amount of brilliance, sparkle and fire in a diamond is determined by cut.

Carat − refers to a diamond’s weight. Generally speaking, the higher the carat weight, the more expensive the stone.

We will explore more about the 4Cs here tomorrow so you are prepared to ask important questions.

Third
Ask for a diamond grading report from an unbiased, scientific source like GIA. The differences in diamonds can be so subtle, even a trained jeweler can’t recognize them without lab verification. Insist that any diamond you buy come with verification of its quality.

Fourth
Protect your purchase by having your diamond appraised and insured. Appraisers and insurers rely on diamond grading reports (another good reason to ask for a grading report) to accurately evaluate the value of gems. There are several appraisal associations to assist you with finding one in your area. As an additional measure, consider having your diamond laser-inscribed with its GIA report number, to provide verification if it is ever lost or stolen.

Be sure not to miss our follow-up post tomorrow for more detailed information on the 4Cs, so you can make your diamond purchase with confidence. We’d love to help, so please ask any questions in the comment section below.

The post Diamond Buying Guide – Part 1 appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

The color blue has inspired poets, songwriters and mankind for centuries. This season, it’s also inspiring plenty of fashion statements, as seen in Vogue, Elle and Los Angeles Times to name a few. It’s no surprise then that blue gemstones are some of the most coveted in the colored gemstone spectrum.

Sapphire, aquamarine and tanzanite are just a few of the popular blue gemstones that can be used to liven up your wardrobe by capitalizing on this season’s trend of bold, beautiful colors.

Sapphire 

Blue sapphire and diamond bracelet set in platinum.

Sapphire (as seen in this bracelet) comes from the mineral corundum and is considered one of the hardest gemstones available, making it extremely durable. The sapphire’s rich blue is one of the leading jewelry trends this year, and has been spotted all over the pages of top fashion magazines as well as the fingers of blushing brides-to-be.

Aquamarine 

Aquamarine and diamond ring set in white gold. Designed and manufactured by Greenwich Jewelers.

Aquamarine is the blue to green-blue variety of beryl. Aquamarine, as seen in this Regal Radiant™ cut aquamarine and white gold ring, evokes the enchanting qualities of a balmy sea.

Photo courtesy of Greenwich Jewelers 

Tanzanite

Winner of the 2006 Tanzanite Celebration of Life Jewelry Design Awards

Tanzanite is a relative newcomer to the precious gemstone scene, having been discovered in 1967 in Northern Tanzania. Tanzanite, like the lovely cobalt shade of this 6.99-ct pendant, is a variety of the mineral zoisite. While it can appear very similar to a sapphire, tanzanite is typically a more violet shade of blue, and due to its soft nature needs to be treated with more care.  Tanzania remains the world’s only known source of this stone.

Photo courtesy of the Tanzanite Foundation

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