Diamonds are naturally occurring gems which happen to be the strongest substances in nature. Not only are they shiny and pretty, they are also very valuable. There are many reasons why many people love diamonds. Some people love them for their bling factor, some people like them for the price-tags attached to them and others just cannot resist the romantic lure of the concept of diamond rings. And just as there are many different reasons for liking diamonds, there are different types, forms, shapes and colors of diamonds. Some diamonds even have a naturally occurring feature known as a trigon.
WHERE DO DIAMONDS COME FROM?
A diamond in its raw form is a set of pale glasses which appear rough. The rougher they look, the better they will be when polished; rougher uncut diamonds usually yield higher quality polished diamonds. Unlike its raw, unpolished form, polished diamond shines and this only happens after the raw form has been put through a rather strenuous polishing or cutting process which is required to increase its value exponentially.
Diamonds occur naturally under the Earth’s crust after pure carbon has been subjected to pressure. The process of diamond creation in nature often takes millions of years to occur in some cases, and usually, these diamonds are only unearthed in the event of volcanic eruptions; after which they are exposed to the surface from beneath the earth’s crust. However, this explanation stems from a purely scientific standpoint, which was formed not too long ago. Before then, there were other explanations about where diamonds originate from. And even now, despite science, many of those views remain.
Different people around the world have their own myths and beliefs about where diamonds come from. Folktales from ancient Hindu cultures claim that diamonds are created when lightning strikes a rock and similar claims exist in other cultures in other parts of the world. In addition, there are many claims that diamonds have magical powers and can ward against attacks and poisons. Asides these kinds of myths, there are also many indigenous claims about exactly what a diamond is. The ancient Greeks, in particular, have always been fascinated with the concept of “adamas” or the hardest substance existing in nature, even before they discovered the properties of diamonds. Before diamonds were proved to be the hardest substances present in nature, the ancient Greeks regarded corundum as “adamas”.
TYPES OF DIAMONDS
Diamonds are formed naturally in nature (usually) and they exist in many different forms. Many of these forms do not have any perfectly defined shapes until they have been cut or polished. However, the differences between naturally occurring diamonds extends far beyond their shapes. They also exist in different colors.
Diamonds of the highest quality are usually clear and without color. Colors in diamonds occur due to the action of mineral deposits and other elements aside from carbon. Thus, clear diamonds are usually thought to be closer to perfection than colored ones.
Different colors of diamonds which can exist in nature include orange, yellow, red, blue, green, pink, purple, steel gray, black and brown. They are all quite rare and valuable in their own right. However, red diamonds are the rarest.
Asides from their differences in shape and color, naturally occurring diamonds may also differ on the basis of their unique features. Sometimes these features could be unique lines and patterns which exist naturally in the diamonds. One example of these unique features is a trigon.
WHAT IS A DIAMOND TRIGON?
A diamond trigon is a term which is used for a series of triangular shaped patterns which occur in some types of naturally formed diamonds. These series of triangular patterns may also resemble pyramids in certain cases. Some people have described diamond trigons as triangles that are formed within triangles and they are phenomena that have long fascinated jewelers and diamond enthusiasts.
They are formed in raw and uncut diamonds as they are being formed beneath the earth’s surface. The patterns are imbued within the diamonds as they “grow” or as they are formed. This only occurs with diamonds and not with other mineral substances which are often formed under the earth’s crust. Hence, the most practical application of diamond trigons occurs in the process of detecting diamonds or rather, differentiating diamonds from other naturally occurring substances such as mineral rocks and stones (because only diamonds have diamond trigons). This is understandable because raw, uncut diamonds can be quite hard to distinguish from other substances such as mineral rocks. The reason for this is the peculiar characteristics of raw diamonds compared to the cut or polished types; raw diamonds do not come in any definite shape and, more importantly, they do not shine.
WHY ARE DIAMOND TRIGONS RARE?
While diamond trigons are usually seen in uncut and unpolished diamonds in their raw form, they are not usually found for polished diamond reasons. And this is why many people may have never heard about them. Reasons for this rarity of diamond trigons in polished diamonds – which are usually sold in jewelry stores – include the fact that raw, uncut diamonds are usually subjected to many harsh processes during the polishing stages and while this happens the jeweler’s main focus is to get high quality diamonds which does not necessarily include preserving the diamond trigons.
So, what this means is that if you happen to find a diamond trigon in any polished diamond (e.g. on a diamond ring), the jeweler who was responsible for polishing the diamond must have preserved the raw diamond in places where the trigon can be seen. While this act is somewhat unconventional, it does not necessarily result in a reduction of the value of the said polished diamond. As a matter of fact, diamond enthusiasts may even find that particular polished stone – with trigons or hints of trigons – much more fascinating than other polished diamond pieces. This is because the polished diamond now has a different type of unique characteristic that sets it apart from other pieces.