Monthly Archives: April 2022

J. Lo’s Green Diamond

Photo of a green diamond and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez’s love don’t cost a thing, but she still got a pretty solid engagement ring from Ben Affleck! J. Lo’s newest engagement ring features an 8.5-carat ultra-rare green diamond with white diamonds. Affleck and Lopez were previously engaged in the early 2000s, so this is technically their second engagement and second engagement ring. The celebrity ring is worth a whopping $5-$7 million! If you’re like us, you might want to learn more about green diamonds and how they come to be. Read on to learn more about this beautiful phenomenon! About Green Diamonds The most common diamond colors are clear, black, and brown. Other colors are much rarer; Bennifer’s first engagement ring was a pink diamond, even more rare than the green one she dawns now. Another rare and highly sought-after color of a diamond includes blue. You may have heard of quite a famous blue diamond: The Hope Diamond. Green diamonds result from specific imperfections in the diamond’s structure, most commonly caused by radiation damage. In a clear diamond, every color gets reflected. However, in a green diamond, radiation from nearby uranium or thorium ore can hit a diamond’s carbon structure and cause light to bounce off it differently, creating a green hue.    There are reports of green diamonds in nearly every country that produces diamonds. However, according to GIA, some localities consistently dig up more of these valuable stones. These countries include Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and India. The largest green diamond is the 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond. From the Golconda mines in India, it has a clarity of VS1 and potentially internally flawless, if slightly recut.  While every diamond is unique, we love the imperfections that create a specialty color diamond. In fact, we think this imperfect diamond is the perfect choice for the rekindled Bennifer romance! What do you think?

4 Diamond Shapes You May Not Know About

4 Diamond Shapes You May Not Know About

If you’re a diamond enthusiast like me, you know all about the 4 C’s and basic shapes. But the diamond industry is complex with a rich history – so, of course you’ll find some diamond cuts that are unique to your rounds, pears, and ovals. Here are x diamond cuts you might not know about: Diamond Shapes 101 A diamonds shape (not to be confused with cut), refers to the general silhouette of the stone, according to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Each diamond shape has their own defining attributes that match different styles and personalities. We’ve covered the basic shapes in another blog post. You can find that blog post here. Ashoka® The Ashoka® diamond is the brand name for a round-cornered rectangular modified brilliant cut. Designed by William Goldberg diamonds in 1999, and patented by the same company in 2000, this unique shape has 62 facets. The selection process for this shape is strict: only 10% of diamonds make the cut (get it?) since the rough diamond needs to be larger and longer than other typical shapes. It can even take up to six months to cut an Ashoka diamond! This shape is truly one-of-a-kind.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by ASHOKA® By William Goldberg (@williamgoldbergdiamonds) Asprey Inspired by the cushion cut popularized in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, world-renowned diamond-cutter Gabi Tolkowsky designs the Asprey diamond. The Asprey shape has the same overall silhouette of the cushion, however there are some distinct differences to note. Asprey cuts are entirely cut by hand, making it even more unique. Other common shapes are the results of machine diamond-cutters. Also, this diamond has exactly 61 facets compared to the 58-64 in a cushion cut. Additionally, an “A” in engraved on the edge of the Asprey, making this shape unmistakable. The Crown Jubilee® A truly unique shape, the Crown Jubilee® diamond is a rare find. This shape lacks a flat table and has 8 facets on the top (totaling 88 facets). As its name suggests, it was created in the early 20th century to celebrate Queen Victoria’s 50th anniversary as queen. We’re big fans of recommerce, so we enjoy this fun fact: The Crown Jubilee® is the first branded proprietary diamond cut that is recut from post-consumer diamonds. So, they are never cut from raw materials, as mining for diamonds is hard on the environment. Lily The Lily shape is reminiscent of a flower or a 4-leaf clover. The unique shape was designed and patented by Lili Diamonds in 2007. If you’re a high fashion fan, you’ll notice that this diamond shape is similar to shapes found in Louis Vuitton print. In fact, the massive designer brand has used Lily cut diamonds in their own jewelry collections in partnership with Lili Diamonds. This shape features around 65 facets and can display round petals or pointed petals. However, cutting a diamond into this shape will cost a significant amount of raw diamond. The loss of raw diamonds ranges from 25-50%, so, much like LV, the cost is much higher than the other diamonds of the same carat weight.   Whether you’re looking for a round diamond, or one of the rare shapes listed above, Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange has a huge selection of diamonds priced for every budget.