Welcome to the Gilt Trips podcast. I'm your host, Kendra Lockhart. As a goldsmith and
gemologist, I'll be speaking 24 carat on all things jewelry, metals, and gems. Join
me plus a few friends to demystify both materials and designs as your private jeweler. Let's
tune in on these topics and get golden. A diamond is forever, one of advertising's most
recognized slogans. In 1947, a woman named Frances would pitch this to her associates
working on the De Beers campaign. What started as a scribble on the image of lovers on a
honeymoon would soon be linking rocks, romance, and relevance in a single marketing phrase.
What is it about this gem that has captivated cultures through the centuries around the
world? Why does it have premier status in both love and money? How is it superior to
other jewels, both objectively and in the eye of some beholders? In today's episode,
we will explore both fact and folklore of the most recognized crystal in the industry.
Out has changed its own industry as well as others, and of course, myth-busting the fine
line between scandal and scuttlebutt in the mundane and mythological realms. Chapters
will be time-stamped in the show notes. Let's start with the Greeks, since the word diamond
is derived from their language. The root for this is ademas, meaning unbreakable. Not only
is this the hardest substance in our known universe, but they were considered beautiful
even in their uncut form. Ancient folklore considered these jewels to be tears of the
gods and also guests to be splinters from the stars. But that cutting them was taboo,
a form of sacrilege that could anger the forces above us here on earth. Good thing we over
came that belief. However, the philosopher Plato suggested that there were celestial
beings trapped in these stones, so now we see the layer of assuming a mystique and a
power regarding diamonds. When Rome conquered their land, the culture continued the fables
and said that Cupid's aero tip must be from diamond, and soldiers were known to wear them
for protection purposes, which made them prized above gold. But wait, how did Greece and Rome
get diamonds? These are not the lands that they come from originally. In the fourth century
BC, a conqueror named Alexander the Great makes his way to India. In this region, diamonds
are found and marketed amongst the wealthy class because they equated rarity of these
gems with luxury. So Alexander, being a king back in Macedonia, claims these for himself
and his people and introduces them to that population. This would evolve into a trade
and he would have this with other parts of the European continent.
How diamonds were formed even before they were discovered as key? There are two ways,
washing up from river deposits and bursting up from former volcanoes. Let's get nerdy
for a bit and explain the ways that diamond material is formed first of all and secondly
the methods of getting it to where we could find it without mining. Made millions of years
ago in the earth mantle or crust, under profound temperature and pressure, diamonds would make
their way to the surface in alluvial deposits. That requires the agent of water to travel
with the clay, sand, gravel, or silt, which is fine soil. Raw diamonds get carried from
place A to place B with this sediment through river channels and end up near banks. This
matters because diamonds are not evenly distributed around the world and erosion or transportation
is required. The other way we commonly find diamonds is through the element of fire. Volcanic
eruptions would burst the raw diamonds up to our surface. The material that would surround
the crystals is called kimberlite. The difference between these two methods of finding diamonds
is that the kimberlite has to be removed to free the gem and is considered primary. Having
water erode the host material and relocate it from its original site is considered secondary.
Let's get into diamond structure, characteristics, and do a little myth busting. The crystals
commonly grow into a form known as octahedrons, which is like two pyramids joined at their
flat bases for a visual. Made primarily from carbon with a few other trace elements that
can contribute to certain properties, in addition to its inherent hardness, ability to refract
light, and having high thermal conductivity, each of these are strong markers of a diamond
versus imposter jewels. Once a diamond is determined to be worth cutting and converting into commercial
purposes, the next steps set the price and the composite caliber of the final product.
The characteristics or foresees of color, clarity, cut, and carrot change the pricing
and perceive beauty and therefore desire to the consumer. Color refers to the tone of
the overall jewel, which converts to a scale to quantify, which we will address next. Clarity
speaks to the presence or absence of internal and external flaws, blemishes, or inclusions
that can be identified under magnification of 10 power or a 10 times loop, eyepiece. Cut
is broken down into proportions, symmetry, polish, but also the style of the silhouette
and facet pattern, such as modified brilliant cushion cut. And last, carrot, how much weight
was salvaged from the original crystal? Too much lost leaves money on the table. Too little
results in a diamond with a lower price due to poorer overall quality. Learning more about
each of these characteristics sounds like this. Regarding the color of a diamond, the
clearness to whiteness to off whiteness of the material is determined by the amount of
nitrogen in the compound. Almost zero will yield a water like base tone, moving down
into a true white hue, then into a warmer shade and landing in the yellow and brownish
colors after certain percentages. The Gemological Institute of America, known as the GIA, was
an educational body that standardized the grading of color because everyone was making
up their own names and getting their exaggerations on. So we know we have an international and
universal scale from D to Z. Why start at D? To end associations with the former models
using A, B, C, 1, 2, 3, or location names. How do fancy diamonds get their colors? Yellow
and brown, more aesthetically known as champagne or cognac diamonds we just covered. Blue diamonds
have boron present. Green diamonds were irradiated at some point in development. Pink diamonds
have a deformation in their crystal structure and change the light play. Much like curly
hair has a different growth pattern than straight hair. Clarity is a fun one to discuss because
it shows the quote-unquote birthmarks of the diamond. External examples can be a crystal
knot, often called a natural, at the surface that is left in the cutting process. Other
external marks can be trigons, which is like the peel of an orange. Internally there can
be bubbles, needle-like formations, clear crystals, or darker ones that usually are a
different gem material that got swept up in the mix while forming, such as garnet or sapphire.
So those are often generalized as dark or light inclusions. There is a scalar system
for this assessment of a diamond as well. Flawless, internally flawless, very, very
small, very small, small inclusions, and then the rest that no longer require that 10 times
magnification, called included. And all these terms are abbreviated on receipts, appraisals,
and lab reports as the one to two letters just like the color codes. Cut is a lot like a
figure-skitting performance. The term implies the artistic shape and facet pattern, but
also the technical execution of the cutting. Since the verb comes first in the process,
speak to proportions, symmetry, and polish. Does a round diamond look round? Does a pear
shape have one shoulder higher than the other, causing asymmetry? Were there drag lines from
a polishing that wasn't clean, just like when we leave streaks behind on glassware?
These tasks are the art and execution of the hands behind the shaping of the diamond. What
comes out of it are the styles of the final product. While there are many modified layouts
for stones today, the bulk can be categorized as brilliant cuts, where the facets are triangular
and break the light into color or step cuts, layered rectangular planes that reflect white
light more than bend and refract. The outer silhouettes that we see commonly are round,
emerald, pear, heart, cushion, and some of the patterns that get commercial names instead
of practical ones would be princess cut, marquee, asher, radiant, a shaka. Those are all cuts
that are trademark styles. And let's not forget the older ones like rondelle, bréalette,
rose cut that are still in demand with today's wearers. And finally, carrot with a C for gems,
not a K for metals. In the world of jewels, the weight version came before the purity
classifications. A carrot is equal to 0.2 grams, which is about a quarter of a whole
raisin. When it comes time to pulling all four C's together and establishing a price,
the diamond industry turns to the Rappaport report, or RAP for short, for costs by carrot,
color, clarity, and cut, plus the quality. Let's have some fun around the myths that
I've had to bust for my clients and a few colleagues who did not specialize in gemology
or have never been on a jeweler's bench. One, diamonds can't break. While diamonds
are hard and can only be polished and scratched by other diamonds, that does not mean they
are tough when it comes to trauma, force, or abuse. When you find the right line of weakness
on a diamond, a striker blow will cleave that crystal. And when you are a jeweler making
a piece, it's impossible not to nick an edge or crack a corner while setting a stone.
Number two, inclusions are bad. First, let's stop calling them carbon spots because the
diamond itself is carbon. And inclusions not only help gemologists identify the diamond
as natural, but they help the consumer see the difference between two identical looking
stones, yet the flawless one is ten times the cost. Rarely is an inclusion place so
that it weakens the diamond when it comes to cutting, setting, or wearing the gem in
forceful situations. Three, speaking of carbon, diamonds are not compressed coal. That type
of carbon is from dirt over plants getting pressed and hardened in a wet environment
over millions of years. Now, the millions of years is the same for the diamond crystals.
Four, diamonds aren't rare. Diamond material is somewhat common, but jewelry-grade diamonds
are rare. Only 20% of found gems are eligible for our industry. The rest go to industrial
purposes such as dental drill bits, automotives, or for use with mining. And fifth, fluorescence
lowers the value of a diamond. The presence of phosphorescence, which is the afterglow
of a diamond from exposure to UV lighting, in a clear diamond this can be unappealing.
In a gem with a less desirable body color, it can improve the perceived tone. And 30%
of diamonds have a degree of fluorescence. A trio of important events that shape the diamond
industry and consumerism starts with that first engagement ring. In 1477, Emperor Max
Million of Austria commissions a diamond ring to betroth Mary of Burgundy. This is where
we correlate all the meanings to the method. A diamond is unbreakable, so is true love.
Material beauty expressing the non-physical emotion. Now, do we know if they were soulmates?
Not really. And the engagement ring wouldn't become popular until the 1900s, thanks to
the six-pronged solitaire from Tiffany and Company. We can't talk about diamonds without
the business conglomerate De Beers. The company was founded in 1888 by British businessman
Cecil Rhodes, who finances diamond mining at a large scale in the coasts and alluvial
deposits of South Africa. De Beers is named for two Dutch settler brothers who discovered
diamonds on their farm and England pushed them to sell their land in South Africa by
1871. It becomes a mine. Back to Cecil, who is renting water pumps for this diamond rush,
and he starts putting his profits into buying up all of the claims. He would get money in
backing from the Rothschild family and crafts the deal where he supplies fixed amounts at
fixed prices or a monopoly that would be threatened by new supply or lack thereof.
A new mine gets formed in 1905 but doesn't join the De Beers cartel. It sells to the
Oppenheimers and uh-oh, one of them becomes mayor down in Kimberly, South Africa, a major
location for raw diamonds. He's the guy who says, let's use scarcity and reduced production
to make them more valuable. And during World War I, he allows absorption of his mine into
De Beers but not before he's on the London board and that our CIA claims that the holding
company restricted US access for war efforts. So the son of Oppenheimers now head and De
Beers does about 90% of the diamond business globally. It tried a few shady ideas to dominate
the international market. One, coerce independence to join. Two, flood the market and bankrupt
the little guys. Three, constrict supply and stockpile. But America wasn't having it.
In the 1960s and 70s, we forced them to divest and break up due to our antitrust laws. Oppenheimers
steps down in 1982. In 2000, the business model gets changed a second time again due
to outside defenses. The blood diamond publicity and the opportunity for conflict free countries
simultaneously flares up. Now we know a rumor makes its way around the world faster than
truth can put its shoes on. And a tiny area known as Sierra Leone was funding an uprising
versus terrorism, meaning organized crime could get these on black markets. But remember,
De Beers owned 90% of the trade and no names had to run syndicates to get a sale. But Canada
is now on the books, which made the odds of a blood diamond being a commercial purchase
less than 1.5% possibility. Yet this would cause a giant ripple in reaction that I will
get into in a later section. You have a glimpse into global trade. Let's look at the art
of the deal. When I last talked to my importer friends, there was a time it took 1 million
in cash to secure a seat at the diamond exchange in Israel, which is also a nation known for
master cutters and located in Ramat Gan. When prices are agreed upon, that is sealed with
a handshake and mutual parties honors. Mazel is said to wish luck in the selling and closes
the transaction. Breaking Mazel puts family reputations on the line and you can get banned
from the industry with your photos circulated to all outlets. It's fascinating that a physical
gesture and a word is treated as seriously as a legal merger without all the contracts
and red tape. This is the strict culture of all diamond districts.
Socio-economically, it's been interesting to watch the waves of money and ownership
around diamonds. What began with India's elite, then a Macedonian king conqueror, Roman
military, European monarchies, American wealth, our socialite culture, and finally the riches
of Hollywood, the celebrity clientele, which I will be devoting an entire episode to master
collector Elizabeth Taylor. But meanwhile, let's take a look at how culturally prevalent
the diamond became in films since the turn of the 20th century and our advancement of
making movies. First, Marie Antoinette. Starring Kirsten Dunst, the main character owns some
elaborate pieces as a royal before the French Revolution and confiscation of the crown's
jewelry assets. Her husband was an owner of the Hope Diamond, and you can hear more about
that in the Harry Winston episode. The Great Gatsby, the jazz age opulence and new affluence
in America was perfectly costumed in Bas Lerman's film where the main characters love
interest and eventual downfall was exquisitely dressed in real pieces from Tiffany's, including
the headband and engagement ring on Carrie Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan.
Titanic. A supporting role was played by a necklace on Kate Winslet. It was supposed
to be a blue diamond called, quote, Heart of the Ocean, unquote, but it was a prop item.
This then has been recreated by jewelers Asprey and Gerard, a British jewelry house, with
a sapphire after the film's success. That real deal was worn by Celine Dionne, who sang
the title song before it was sold at $1.4 million.
Oceans 8. Anne Hathaway is the victim of a jewelry theft by a crew of female carnars.
While she wore the prop version of the Cartier-Touissant necklace, interior shots of the New York
Cartier showroom were used in this movie.
Finally, Moulin Rouge. Nicole Kidman plays a courtesan who stars in a cabaret and wears
the satine necklace given to her by the Duke, named for her character. Made by Australian
design house Centauri, it was a stunning interpretation of the Edwardian style of the turn of the
century in Europe and is one of the most expensive necklaces used on a set, weighing in at $5
million.
Now did you think I was going to omit the film Blood Diamonds? Hardly. Like I said, this
tiny area of Africa that was in turmoil politically would end up breaking a Titan-like to beers
and scare away buyers for several years unless it could be proven to be a clean diamond.
This territory had been having a civil war for some time, with a conflict between loyalists
to the existing regime and the insurgents. Hollywood wrote a dark fairy tale of sorts
where a fisherman is captured and put into a work camp to get diamonds to fund the war.
Hands are cut off of rebels to discourage voting the wrong way. Smugglers, refugees,
mercenaries, journalists, and stolen goods all wrap up in a conference on amnesty and
a standing ovation.
This movie did two things. The Kimberly process, which I simplify into a passport for the origin
and channel of the original material to its distribution and its final resulting consumer
sale. It caused an organic unification of many countries and it debirs rebranding instead
of coercion while also allowing coexisting with independent nations. And this brings
us to today's enhancements and inventions in the diamond industry. Technology has done
so much in the last 25 years. We have created clarity enhanced diamonds, where imperfections
are drilled out and sometimes filled with a refractive substance to perform along with
the diamond. Body color has been raised up a greater to with HPHT, which is high pressure,
high temperature treatments. And lastly, the technique of CVD or carbon vapor deposits
has given us the lab grown diamonds movement, which will be explored in a future talk.
Thank you for listening and learning with me. I would love you to share this project with
people finding rare beauty in today's world and throughout our times. Until the next episode,
your own story is sparkling.