Related stories

K-gold Hits Beijing Stores Beauty Really Is More than Skin Deep Appointment With Heaven Bazaar Beliefs: The Dao of the Beijing Antiquarian Sense the Oasis!

Diamonds are Forever

A diamond is forever, so the saying goes.

What is beyond doubt is that these highly valued gems, the world's hardest naturally occurring substance, have long been regarded as a symbol of elegance and the ultimate token of love. Little wonder that they have also been called girl's best friend. Highly skilled experts can tell at a glance whether they are holding the purest of jewels or a flawed gem. With the aid of special magnification equipment, it is possible to tell into which of several internationally accepted grades of clarity diamonds fall, and hence to determine their value.

The grades range from FL (Flawless), VVS (Very Very Slight Inclusions) VS (Very Slight Inclusions), VS (Very Slight Inclusions), SI (Slight Inclusions) to I (Imperfect).

The carat, a unit of weight for precious stones, is equivalent to 200 milligrams. A milligram is one-thousandth of a gram.

Arguably the world's biggest diamond weighed in at an incredible 621.2 grams, and was found in South Africa in 1905. Cullinan, as the gem was named, was cut into nine large diamonds, each of which passed into the ownership of the British royal family. Two of the nine were inlaid into the crown of Queen Mary in 1911.

Coloured diamonds are considered much more precious than ordinary white ones. In the film Titanic, Jack gives Rose a priceless dazzling blue diamond called The Heart of the Ocean. It is a replica of the world-famous Hope Diamond that weighed 45.52 carats. In fact it was believed to bring bad luck to anyone wearing it.

The largest diamond found in China weighed 157.77 carats and was found by a woman in a village in Shandong Province in 1977. Its light yellow hue and high level of purity established it as a true wonder.

There are four renowned diamond-cutting centres in the world: Antwerp in Belgium, Tel Aviv in Israel, New York in the United States and Mumbai, formerly Bombay, in India.

Experts advise anyone seeking out the perfect diamond to consider the "Four Cs" when assessing their value: Carat, Colour, Cut, Clarity.

Beijing Jewellery Import & Export Corporation
北京市首饰进出口公司
Add: 22 Fuchengmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District
西城区阜成门外大街22号
Tel: 6803-4686

Wangfujing MARO POLO Jewellery Store
王府井懋隆首饰店
Add: 229 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区王府井大街229号
Tel: 6513-5871

New World Shopping Mall MARCO POLO Jewellery Store
新世界商场懋隆珠宝首饰专柜
Add: 3 Chongwenmenwai Dajie, Chongwen District
崇文区崇文门外大街3号
Tel: 6803-3340