What is it about diamonds?

[barbie86]

Ive asked myself the same question, why diamonds? Why do I prefer them over other types of jewelry? The way they sparkle in the sunlight always catches my eye and gives me such pleasure to watch! They can jazz up a casual outfit and bring sparkle to a dreary day. I’m just accepting that is how I was made!

The sparkle of a pretty thing

Yeah honestly ladies I think I was a magpie in a past life!

 

[ForteKitty]

Ok I need pics, do you have a thread? These all sound amazing!

I also love old cut diamonds. Really want a large OEC/OMC with baguette sidestones at some point.

I have some posted in my IG and random threads here and there, but not in one location. I'll do a thread when they're done!

Doesn't have as good a story.

@Karl_K you remember how moissanites looked when they first came out right? brown green and blurry. They spent a lot of time trying to overcome that reputation and the quality didn't get better until decades later. Can't have a good story if the product was playing catch-up for 20 years.

 

[Karl_K]

@Karl_K you remember how moissanites looked when they first came out right? brown green and blurry. They spent a lot of time trying to overcome that reputation and the quality didn't get better until decades later. Can't have a good story if the product was playing catch-up for 20 years.

Yes I recall.
True enough, that part of the story is hard to overcome.

 

[nala]

Take a historical perspective when diamonds were only owned by Royalty. As the world and society slowly evolved there was a period where the upper classes began to also own diamonds. Banking systems were not for the public and where to put your money had many limitations. Real estate, business inventory, commodities like useful metals and their mines all were important places to create and store wealth.

Things further progressed and more middle class people, copying their affluent role models also sought out possessions of value, too. If you had extra money, where did you store it? What was an intelligent and safe choice. Among several limited options, there were precious metal jewelry and gemstones.

People found that when wars, famine, and persecution happened, that tens of thousands became refugees. Fleeing your home and giving up your real estate was necessary. However, if you had jewelry and gems, you might escape with substantial wealth sewn into your clothes or otherwise concealed. This became very evident ion the 1800's and 1900's which were filled with wars, revolutions and persecutions of many groups.

The fairly recent history of the past 200+ years had given many generations of people the idea that having some high value and extremely portable wealth made common sense. Such is still the case for some remote places, but banking and credit cards along with nearly universal access to everything online, have reduced the reasons for hoarding diamonds and jewelry for that "just in case" horrible moment where it is flee or die.

Such times are not that long ago. Emigres from Europe fled wars and harsh policies in the past two centuries and it left long lasting impressions on their children and grandchildren. We have basically left that group of generations in our past, but the reasons for having some things of high value that could transfer over to another country on the spur of the moment still exist, but just are not so clear to us now as they were 50 or 100 years ago.

It is quite true you can buy white sparkly gemstones that are man-made or lab created now which are totally visual equals of mined diamonds. However, what you spend for such Lab created "gems" is 100% gone. There is no meaningful second hand market for them beyond scrap metal for their mountings, for the most part. I don't think any dealer is busy creating an inventory of second hand Moissanite and doubt there will ever be a market of that sort. If I was a wealthy person I might own some Lab and man made gems, but I'd be sure to have some high value, mined diamonds in my get away bag, too. They are much lighter than a bag of old US dimes and quarters. You can hit the road with a lot of buying power that won't weigh you down when you take a few select diamonds with you. You can also pass them along to children and grandchildren outside the prying eyes of the tax man should you wish to take the chance. It seems a very low risk thing. I suppose a few get caught, but not many.

This is a much longer story than what I've written here. It goes back hundreds of years, but we are creatures of the present and so very influenced by marketing forces today that looking back for reasons often seems of less importance. Maybe this short, or not so short, response will give you a moment of deeper reflection. A balanced approach is often a better one.

We should understand the reasons beyond marketing that helped diamonds become so very broadly popular. It is not just smart marketing in a vacuum. It was marketing to an audience that believed in the value underlying the product because of historical understanding and the impact made on close relatives who told their families of how they made their escape from places that are now thought of only in history lessons. Diamonds do remain a storehouse of considerable value. There is no shortage of them, but the supply of diamonds in the earth and in existing jewelry and inventories is finite. Lab created will have a market, but never have any rarity that has any meaning. If you are spending a good deal of money for something, you might consider the long term portion of value which diamonds historically hold in the second hand market. The very rich are well aware and all of us should appreciate the situation which is not just based on strong marketing.

1000 percent agree!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

I love rubies too, but honestly, the rubies I love are more expensive than diamonds, so I better stick to diamonds or I'll go broke!

In addition to a diamond's unparalleled sparkle, I also love the artistry that goes into the cut. So many different flavors of cuts, from historic to modern (and countless variations of each), that make for so many different flavors of sparkle. I love this human element in the craftsmanship of a diamond. Yes, artistry and effort go into cutting colored gemstones. But so many master cutters have focussed for centuries on diamonds that it seems like the level and intensity of cutting is different.

 

[LLJsmom]

Sparkle. Colored stones are beautiful, for the color. But with diamonds, it's the sparkle. And as someone mentioned, it's neutral. I feel like it brightens up the wearer. I guess that's not very profound...

 

[Malha777]

Talking about clear stones, I love diamonds for many reasons. The rarity of the extremely good quality pieces and how every stone can be unique due to cut/inclusions position/colour/transparency etc.

I love the way a well cut diamond sparkles and I’m so fascinated by how nature+science/math+manual ability can create such a spectacular product.

I would never compare it with cz or moissanite. Even if I admit, some well cut/created moissanite stones can be amazing. Lab diamonds are also ok, as melee especially. They are more available and cost effective. For a centre stone I’d stick with a natural diamond though. I really appreciate how it feel special and one of a kind.

 

[LIGemzGal]

For me it's really all about the sparkle, fire and scintillation that is produced by an extremely well cut diamond. I don't know how many people are fans of H&A cut stones but I am. I have come to truly appreciate the difference that cutting a diamond to precise proportions has on it's brilliance. And I love seeing those flashes of fire appear when that diamond is ever so slightly moved around amid perfect lighting conditions. It just sends chills down my spine because it's a very mesmerizing thing to see. Over the past few years, however, I've become much more entranced with natural, untreated colored gemstones. But if I had my way I'd have all of my gemstone jewelry flanked, in whatever way, by very well cut and very white diamonds. The contrast of the colored stones and the fierce scintillation of well cut diamonds, however small, just blow me away every time. Yellow and pink sapphires are my favorite gemstones by far and I recently remade my e-ring with a yellow sapphire flanked by very white H&A diamonds. Honestly, I haven't been able to stop looking at my hand since the ring was completed over a week ago because of the sparkle and fire that those diamonds emit. I do eventually want to get a larger diamond for a future RHR project, and because I want to have a larger, well cut stone in my collection (and for investment purposes). Even if a diamond isn't the centerpiece in a ring or pendant or other piece of jewelry, there's no denying the allure that they have and the brilliance they add to any jewelry creation.

 

[Big Fat Facets]

i love the colored flash and sparkle of a bright white diamond. to me there's nothing quite like it. i do also love pearls and fancy sapphires and rubies and emeralds, too

white diamonds go with everything and really enhance the beauty of color gemstones by offering contrast

diamonds are also hardest of the gems and can take the rigors of daily wear without too much care or concern. its a low maintenance gem

that OR ...

ive been conditioned and bamboozled by marketing

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

I'm greedy, I'm an avid collector of everything! For diamonds, I prefer old cuts and I like them to match, so it's been a hobby the past 10 years to put together sets that match in size, pattern, color, and performance. Not only do they need to match when they're flat in a case, they need to scintillate the same when they move. I've gone through a LOT of diamonds to get these matched sets, because you know I'm cheap and won't pay retail so I pay with my time. Currently waiting for one last diamond to return from GIA and I will be able to start my bangle project. It'll have 7-9 stones between 0.8-1.26ct, all GIA J-K. Once bangle is completed, I'll start the cluster with a 1.84ct H VS1 oec and 4mm H/I oecs. Then reset my big oec and I'll be more or less done with diamonds.

My diamond pieces aren't even that out of control, the gems are so much worse. When I see a well priced gem with good saturation, it's added to the cart. I have 5 spess between 3-9.99ct, because I cannot control myself when there are orange gems dangling in front of me. For over 1.5ct, there are about 10 tsavs and mints, ~10 mahenge spinels, ~20 tourmalines in various colors, ~15 zircons. Lost count of all the ones under 1ct. I have 6-7 rounds spinels and garnets cut by Barry between 6-7mm in pink/lavender/violet, and they're all going to go into a big mosaic type pendant in RG with 2-4.5mm oecs filling the space. Also working on another pendant project with a 3.5ct merelani trillion, 3.3ct spessartite trillion, 1.8ct mahenge spinel trillion and one of the zircons. That one's giving me a headache, the design hasn't inspired me yet, but maybe round/oval blue in center, orange and green trillion on sides, hot pink trillion on bottom, kinda reverse lotus? Oh and the 9.99 spess is going into a collet type ring, it's 11.5x11.25 so a halo would be overkill.

I blame my mom for giving me a diamond for high school graduation. Didn't get to play with it till way after college. Learning about that one diamond led me to Pricescope in 2004. She created a monster.

Okay @ForteKitty, now you’ve got me curious! Can you make a thread with all your gorgeous loose stones waiting to be set?! I need to see this!!

 

[missy]

Diamonds symbolize of purity and love. They evoke strong emotions. They are beautiful. They shine brightly. They mesmerize like nothing else. Often they are given as a pledge of love and worn as a symbol of commitment.

My style is simple. I wear diamonds. They go with everything.

 

[ForteKitty]

Okay @ForteKitty, now you’ve got me curious! Can you make a thread with all your gorgeous loose stones waiting to be set?! I need to see this!!

I don’t have have any of them with me, but these were on my phone. Most of the bangle stones are in that box. I need to set that fancy intense yellow old moval too at some point.