The word diamond comes from "adamas", a Greek/Macedonian term meaning "like ice." A diamond's colorless, or near-colorless appearance justifies that name. The word "adamantine" means having the hardness or luster of a diamond.

A diamond has the unique ability to separate white light into its spectral hues. This is called dispersion or fire. These are the rainbow colors you see when looking at a gem quality diamond. This is explained more under the cut section.

A diamonds brilliance is the total amount of light returned to the eye by reflections from within the stone & from its surface. Cutters try to fashion diamonds to maximize this effect. This is explained more under the cut section.

Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth, & one of the toughest. Keep in mind that hardness & toughness are two very different things.

The hardness of a diamond is a 10, the highest ranking on Mohs hardness scale. This means that no other natural substance on earth can scratch a diamond, except another diamond. Subsequently, this means that only a diamond can be used to polish a diamond. Diamonds are polished by a flat rotating wheel which has been impregnated with diamond dust. If examined closely, you would find that the dust becomes finer as you move from the outer edge to the inner circle of the wheel. This is the same principle as sand paper. The dust puts fine scratches on the surface of the diamond until they are so fine that they become invisible & the diamond appears completely smooth. A diamond has directional hardness & toughness. Similar to the grain in wood. A skilled diamond cutter must determine which direction is the best to polish in. If not polished in the right direction, the diamond to be polished will actually start polishing the wheel.

Diamonds toughness refers to its resistance to breaking, chipping, & cracking; basically how well it can survive impact from a fall or blow. Toughness is rated in the terms exceptional, excellent, good, fair, & poor. Because a diamond has a cleavage direction, similar to splitting wood with the grain, a diamond is less tough than jade, although jade is considerably lower in hardness. In a diamonds cleavage direction, it is rated as good, in all other directions it is exceptional. Keep in mind, any stone will fracture if hit hard enough.

Carat Weight	Cut
Clarity	Color

Diamonds are priced in terms of rarity. If having a high clarity diamond is rare, then having a diamond with a high clarity & color is even more rare. Add size & weight to the equation & a diamond becomes much rarer & much more expensive. For example, if a 1/2 carat diamond of a certain quality cost $1500.00, then it would seem logical that a 1 carat diamond of the same quality would cost twice as much since that is what it weighs, right? Wrong. That same one-carat diamond would most likely cost between $4500.00 & $5000.00. Over three times as much! This is the rarity factor.

Now since most everyone has a budget, & therefore has to make a choice between the four C's on the diamond they will purchase, Jalin Jewelers would suggest the following in going about buying a diamond:

The first C to begin with is CUT. We start here because this is the sunshine of your diamond. This is what makes your diamond beautiful & worth the money you pay for it. ALWAYS purchase a nicely cut diamond, DO NOT sacrifice cut to lower the cost. The next step is decide what is important to you. Is there a certain size that you must have? If so then you juggle the clarity & color until you find a diamond that is within your budget & one that is enjoyable to own. Basically, the buying decision comes down to finding a balance between weight (size), color, & clarity that is the most pleasing for you. No one can tell you what you should have, you must decide for yourself. Some people will always sacrifice weight for quality, getting a smaller but better stone, & others want the biggest diamond that they can afford, throwing quality to the wind. You must find that balance that is right for you. Does that diamond make you smile? If so, then you have made the right choice.

Feel free to stop by or you can contact us by phone or email. We will do our best to answer any questions you might have.