A diamond. How could it possibly be that such a small thing can mesmerize millions of people around the world, every day? Why do we desire it so much? And how come it is so expensive? Well, the answer to that is made up of a few different factors:

a diamond is actually a hard mineral made only of carbon. The diamond crystals are arranged in a special atomic order which grants the diamond with the title the hardest known natural material, at the top of the hardness chart with the rank of 10 out of 10. The crystals are formed in the depths of the earth, at about 150-250 kilometers deep, and in high temperatures. The diamonds can be mined after magmatic eruptions, when the crystals resurface. This occurs quite rarely, and that is one of the main reasons that diamonds are so expensive. Since the diamond is the hardest material in the world, it can only be cut or polished by another diamond. Therefore, a real diamond, set in a piece of jewelry, can never be scratched! Nowadays there are synthetic diamonds, which are created in laboratories. Their qualities resemble those of a natural diamond, but their prices are extremely lower. 
 
Diamonds are graded by what is known as the "Four C's": Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. Today, the 4Cs of Diamond Quality is the universal method for assessing the quality of any diamond, anywhere in the world.

The cleanest, most precious diamond Color is actually colorless, i.e., totally transparent. This color is marked with the letter D, and all the letters coming after this stand for less white diamonds and yellow ones. The color of the diamond is affected by the other minerals that had penetrated the crystal while it was being created. The diamonds that we pick for our jewelry designs, will always be with a color grade of D, E, F, G and not under. (see chart below)

The Clarity of a diamond marks the number of inclusions and defects that are found inside of it. The highest clarity level is very rare and can hardly be found today. The jewelry that we design are set with VS or SI levels, which are excellent grades, where the diamonds are very beautiful. (see chart below)

The weight of a diamond is measured in Carats, but, as opposed to gold karats, the Carat marks a weight unit of 0.2 grams. One carat is divided into 100 points, and that is how you determine its weight. For example, a half carat diamond's size is actually 50 points, or 0.50 carats. The larger the diamond- the higher the price. An interesting fact is that the ancient carat unit, the one that is still used today, has been determined by the weight of carob seeds. That's due to the fact that every seed, from every carob tree, will always weigh 0.2 grams!

The diamond's Cut is what sets the amount of light reflection. There are specific cutting proportions that provide the diamond with the most luminous light reflection, and that is what mesmerizes us and catches our eyes. Today you can purchase a diamond with a grading report by different gemological institutions, that confirms the diamonds grade by those levels. However, it is important to note that the reports do not necessarily indicate the diamond's quality, and that there are many beautiful, high quality diamonds that do not come with a report. The best and most reliable reports are by the gemological institute of America- the GIA. 

We use various diamonds in our designs and they each have different origins.  We use only conflict-free diamonds for all of our pieces (no blood diamonds).