1.
Diamonds are forever because they are indestructible.
The word 'diamond' comes from the Greek 'adamas' which literally means indestructible.
It is the only gem known to man that is made entirely from one element: carbon, and is the hardest natural material on earth.
It is also the oldest - the youngest diamond is 45 million years old and the oldest is 2.
5 billion years old.
2.
40% discount when you buy online.
As with all things in life, you get what you pay for, but that shouldn't include paying towards the upkeep of a high street store or chain.
Buying online can save you at least 40% off the price of a diamond - an important consideration in these straitened times! 3.
How do you know the seller is telling you the truth? Make sure the diamonds you are buying are certified by one of the big diamond laboratories, such as the International Gemmological Institute (IGI), the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) or the Antwerp Gemmological Institute (AGI).
Each will issue a certificate for every diamond, which guarantees the diamond you have purchased is the weight, quality and type that was advertised.
4.
You can't recognise a conflict diamond by looking at it.
Conflict Diamonds, or Blood Diamonds, are stones that have been used to fund military action by rebel groups that control areas of South Africa.
In 2002 governments around the world implemented the Kimberly Process; an agreement that controls the trade of rough diamonds to ensure they are not used in areas of conflict.
These controls ensure that every shipment contains only certified diamonds, is numbered and sealed.
In the UK members of the British Jewellery Association (BJA) are committed to eliminating the trade in conflict diamonds and have an auditable means by which they can prove that all the diamonds they sell comply with the Kimberley Process.
5.
The Four Cs - Colour.
Diamonds are graded by their lack of colour using an alphabetical system which starts at 'D' (colourless and extremely rare) all the way through to 'Z' (tinted and relatively more common).
A very rare pink diamond recently sold for £29million.
6.
The Four Cs - Cut.
The cut of a diamond is the only element of this natural product which can be affected by man.
A skilled diamond cutter is able to turn the raw diamond (a rough nugget) into a stunning gem by carefully working on its shape, style, proportions, symmetry and polish.
It is the cut that gives the diamond its sparkle or 'brilliance', and fire - the rainbow-like colours you can see in a diamond.
7.
The Four Cs - Clarity.
Clarity refers to the number, position and size of any naturally occurring inclusions (flaws) within the diamond and is key to its market value; the fewer and less obvious the inclusions, the more valuable the diamond.
When considering investing in a diamond bear in mind that inclusions should not be visible to the naked eye.
8.
The Four Cs - Carat.
Diamonds are weighed in carats which is equal to 0.
2 grams.
This is divided into 100 points meaning a 25 point diamond is equal to a 1/4 (or 0.
25) carat.
The term carat is derived from carob seeds that were originally used to measure the weight of diamonds due to their remarkably uniform weight of 0.
2 grams.
Two diamonds can be of equal carat-weight, but their value can differ greatly due to their cut, colour, and clarity.
9.
Less than 10% of wedding costs goes on the ring.
UK Wedding Industry is worth £4.
9 billion a year.
Couples in London and the South East spend, on average, £23,932 on their special day and only £2,090 on the engagement ring.
10.
...
unless you're Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Actually the engagement ring was only a 33 carat Krupp diamond.
The one everyone talked about was the 69.
42-carat diamond which Burton bought for Taylor, and eventually became known as the Taylor-Burton diamond.
Following on, but much later in 2002, was the Bennifer affair.
Ben Affleck bought a 6.
1 carat pink diamond for Jennifer Lopez, but it was returned to jeweller Harry Winston when the romance and the wedding plans fell apart two years later.
Diamonds weren't quite forever for them.