A diamond is a gesture so unique, that once you have presented it to someone, it holds on to the heart for all eternity.

Every diamond has an interesting story to tell. Each is the result of a remarkable natural voyage which has turned an ancient element into the world's most desired jewel. The journey began billions of years ago when they were crystallized at tremendously high temperatures, deep beneath the earth's crust.

After years, the fury of nature in the form of winds, water, heat and cold reworked landscapes while these gems stayed intact and hidden, awaiting for their radiance to sparkle to the world unknown.

Just a few managed to survive, out of which a small amount with an appropriate size and good quality were cut and polished to be renowned as some of the finest pieces of jewelry. Diamonds are rare and are found only in a few secluded sites, spread among the oldest parts of the continents. For years, the only source known to man was one remote area in India, where diamonds were first appreciated for their capacity to disperse light.

New discoveries were made in Borneo in the 7th century and in Brazil in the 18th century. Despite its insignificant size, the Brazilian finding was so popular that the ruling Portuguese marked the occasion with great joy. Festivals were staged in Lisbon, with special masses said and messages of congratulations were sent by the Pope and European monarchs.

More celebrations came in 1866 when, at last, a truly significant source of diamonds was discovered in South Africa. Strangely, it owed nothing to the art or energy of the world's eager prospectors. A farmers' child was playing with some brightly colored stones found beside a river, one of which was recognized as a diamond.

The gem cut from it was appropriately named "Eureka" and it marked the start of a remarkable new episode in the story of the emergence of diamonds.

At present, in spite of modern technologies, diamonds are still difficult to discover. Geologists search relentlessly for these precious gems, usually in very remote places, like the frozen tundra of Siberia and Canada to the parched deserts and ocean floors of Africa.

Diamonds have been sought after the world over. They have preserved a special magic and a sense of belonging which captured royal families since ages. It was believed that diamonds were fragments of stars and the teardrops of the Gods. Until the 15th century only Kings wore diamonds as a symbol of strength, courage and invincibility.

Since their creation, they were associated with romance and legend. Later they gained the character of the ultimate gift of love. It was even believed that cupid's arrows were tipped with diamonds. The Greeks thought that the fire in the diamond reflected the constant flame of love.

It wasn't until 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, that the diamond engagement ring was introduced. Placing the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back to the early Egyptian belief that the Vena Amors, vein of love, runs directly from the heart to the tip of the fourth finger.

In the 19th century, Napoleon gave his wife Marie Louise an exquisite diamond necklace on the birth of their son and more recently, producer / director Bruce Paltrow confirmed his pride in daughter Gwyneth when, after winning the Best Actress award at the 1999 Oscars, he bought her the stunning 40 carat diamond necklace she had borrowed to wear at the ceremony.

No doubt people want to wear their diamond engagement ring all the time, it's at times necessary to take it off the finger especially while traveling and doing the home chores. It's usually important to concentrate and pay attention to the ring. We provide you with guidelines to protect your diamond ring and handle it with utmost care.

Here are some tips:
Chlorine can harm and discolor the mounting on your diamond jewelry. Keep your diamond away from chlorine bleach or other household chemicals. You should also remove your diamond jewelry before entering a chlorinated pool or hot tub.

Avoid touching your clean diamonds with your fingers. Handle clean jewelry by its edges.

Special treatment for your diamonds
Quick-Dip Method
Buy one of the branded liquid jewelry cleaners, Read the label carefully while choosing the one that is best for the kind of stones and metals in your jewelry and follow the instructions. Do not touch your clean diamonds with your fingers, as the oils from your hands will leave a film on the stone.

Cold Water Soak
Make a solution of 4 parts cold-water and 1 part very mild dishwashing detergent. Soak the pieces for a while. Lift out and tap gently around all sides of the mounting with a soft brush. Rinse the pieces in the solution once more and drain on a tissue paper.

Detergent Bath
Arrange a small bowl of warm foam using any mild household liquid detergent (Note-Be sure not to use any cleaners containing chlorine). Dip the jewelry into the solution and use a soft brush to dislodge dust or dirt from under the setting .With the jewelry on a plastic or metal strainer, rinse off with warm water and pat your jewelry dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Blemish: A flaw on a diamond's surface that may or may not be recognizable.

Brilliance: The total of white light reflected that radiates from the diamond's surface. The properly balanced cut equals a more brilliant diamond.

Brilliant Cut: A round diamond that measures 58 facets.

Carat: Measurement used for scaling the weight of a diamond. One carat is equal to one fifth of a gram.

Clarity: A graded scale that measures the quantity of imperfections within a diamond. It ranges from flawless (FL) to severely included (I3).

Cloud: A minor inclusion within a diamond.

Color: Color tones of a diamond that is graded on a scale of D (colorless) to Z (yellow brown).

Culet: The point at the bottom of the diamond. If the culet is faceted then the certificate indicates the size of the facet relative to the size of the diamond.

Cut: The proportions and finish of the diamond. With proper proportions, most of the light that enters a diamond is returned reveling the diamond's brilliance and fire. Any deviation of these proportions will compromise the beauty of the stone.

Cut and Shape: Shapes other than the standard round brilliant are called fancy shapes and fancy cuts. Their names are based on the Shape. The best known are the Heart, Marquise, Pear, Emerald, Oval, Radiant and Princess.

Crown Height%: The crown is the upper portion of the diamond.

Date: The date the report was issued.

Depth: A diamond's height from culet to table.

Depth%: The depth of the diamond divided by the average diameter for rounds, or the depth divided by the width of the diamond for other shapes.

Eye-clean: When viewing with the naked eye, a diamond with no visible inclusions or imperfections.

Fair Cut: While still capturing some sparkle, this cut is made to maximize the diamond's carat weight.

Facet: A diamond's flat, polished surfaces.

Fire: Reflected color light that radiates from the inside, out.

Finish: Finish grades represent the quality of the diamonds surface condition (Polish), and the size and shape and placement of the facets, including the evenness of the outline (Symmetry)

Fluorescence: When exposed to ultraviolet light, an illuminating bluish color that glows from the diamond surface, which usually doesn't affect appearance or quality.

Girdle: A diamond's narrow band that encircles the width.

Good Cut: An acceptable and more reasonably priced cut with decent proportions.

Graining: Graining and grain lines reflect irregularities in the crystal structure. Colorless graining usually does not affect the clarity grade: but white, colored, or reflective graining does.

Ideal Cut: A round diamond that is perfectly proportioned.

Inclusion: An imperfection within a diamond that typically manifests in the crystal. May or may not be visible to the naked eye but noticeable when magnified.

Make: The diamond's cut proportions. The better the make, the better the diamond.

Measurements: The measurements of the diamond are stated as "smallest diameter - the largest diameter x depth" for round shapes and "length x width x depth" for other shapes.

Poor Cut: A clearly dull and lifeless diamond that sacrifices proportion and quality.

Pavilion: A diamond's bottom portion.

Pavilion Depth%: The distance from the bottom of the girdle to the culet is the pavilion depth. A pavilion depth that is too shallow or too deep will allow light to escape from the side of the diamond, or leak out the bottom. A well-cut diamond will direct more light through the crown.

Point: One hundredth of a carat.

Polish: The external finish of a stone, which ranges from excellent to poor.

Proportions: Proportion refers to the angles and the relative measurements of the polished diamond. More than any other feature, proportions determine a diamond's optical properties. Table size, crown angle, and pavilion depth have a dramatic effect on the diamonds appearance.

Stone ID: A unique number representing the diamond. This number is registered in a global database.

Sparkle: The amount of reflected light that radiates from a diamond's surface and combines both fire and brilliance.

Symmetry: A Diamond's symmetry is the arrangement of the facets and finished angles, created by the diamond cutter. Excellent symmetry of a well-cut and well-proportioned diamond can have a great effect on the diamond's brilliance and fire. Grading reports will often state the diamond's symmetry in terms of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor.

Table: The top of the diamond that carries the largest facet of the diamond.

Table %: The total diameter of the diamond that divides the width of the table and is critical in determining the sparkle of the stone.

Very Good Cut (Premium): A proportioned cut that maximizes brilliance, reflection and fire. It meets the highest standards and dimensions for a quality diamond.