OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WHEN PICKING A DIAMOND

Diamonds are the hardest, most imperishable, and the most brilliant of the gemstones. The beauty of a diamond comes from the light that passes through it, or that is reflected from it. As a ray of light enters the diamond, it changes direction according to the refractive index. This means the ray of light will strike and bounces off every facet within the diamond. The unique beauty of a diamond is due to the combination of three separate elements:

Brilliance

The brilliance of a diamond is simply the intensity of white light that is reflected by the gem. Due to the fact that diamonds have a great power of refraction, a diamond will always seem to attract light.

Dispersion of fire

Dispersion of fire is manner in which a diamond breaks up a ray of white light into the colours of the spectrum. When a ray of light leaves the top surface of a diamond, it is separated into many colours. When we see this, it is easy to understand why this effect is called the ‘dispersion of fire’.

Scintillation

The flashing and twinkling sparkle of a diamond is called ‘scintillation’. A diamond will always be more beautiful in motion, because its scintillation depends upon the number of facets visible to the eye when the diamond moves.