By: D.Rhadika
Emerald, the birthstone for May, is one of the world's most valued gems. Mined by the Egyptians more than 3,500 years ago for the Pharaohs, this precious green stone also has been worshipped by the ancient Incas and Aztecs, the Indian Maharajas and Maharanis, and kings, queens and other royals all over the world throughout history.

The stone is prized for its shades of green, which represent the color of life and the eternally returning spring. For this reason, emerald has held a special religious position in many cultures.
The Gachala Emerald, an uncut 5-cm stone weight 858 carats, was found in Colombia in 1967. It was given to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., by famous New York jeweler Harry Winston.
Another huge, rare emerald is the Sacred Emerald Buddha. It resides on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. This venerable image was, according to historic legend, accidentally uncovered after a lightning strike on a Chedi in Northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai district in AD 1434. The temple’s resident abbot discovered stucco flaking off the image exposing a hidden green colored Buddha statute. The remaining stucco was duly removed reveling what the world now refers to as the “Emerald Buddha.”
The Mogul Emerald is one of the largest emeralds in the world. The rectangular cut tablet, which dates back to 1695, weighs 217.80 carats and is about 10 cm high. One side is inscribed with Islamic prayers and the other is engraved with opulent flower ornaments. The emerald is thought to have come from the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb --the last of the great Mogul rulers, who controlled much of India. It was discovered in Colombia by the Spanish conquistadors and most likely arrived in India through trade during the Mogul dynasty, according to experts. The emerald was auctioned off at Christie's of London for $2.2 million to an anonymous buyer in 2001.

Labels: Gachala emerald, lucy in the sky with diamonds, neil diamond discography

By: D.Rhadika

Diamond clarity is one the 4Cs of diamond qualities. It refers to any flaws, or inclusions in the diamond, and how visible or detectable they are. Inclusions can be foreign substances, or minute cracks or flaws. It also refers to the appearance of any surface flaws or scratches. As with the color grading scales, clarity also has a grading scale, with FL used to denote a flawless diamond. What FL means is that there are no flaws or inclusions that can be seen when the stone is examined under 10X magnification, the standard for examining for flaws.

Other clarity designations are:

IF stands for internally flawless. This means there are no internal flaws or inclusions, although there may be small surface flaws.

VVS1 and VVS2 stand for Very Very Slight inclusions that are difficult to see under magnification. VS1 and VS2 indicate Very Slight inclusions that can be seen under magnification but are invisible to the naked eye.

SI1 and SI2 denote Slight Inclusions that may or may not be visible to the naked eye.

I1, I2 and I3 are "imperfect", with inclusions clearly visible to the naked eye. For I3, the inclusions impact the brilliance of the diamond and are large and obvious.

In most cases, there is nothing that can be done about flaws or inclusions, although in recent years lasers have been used to enhance some inclusions or fractures in diamonds by filling them in, much the way small dings in a windshield are filled in.

Certainly the most highly valued diamonds are those that are flawless – FL - or internally flawless – IF. But excellent values can be obtained at the VVS and VS grades, as these are flaws not visible to the naked eye, but only to an experienced grader under magnification.

Labels: Clarity, diamonds pearls prince, neil diamond discography