The Golden Empress

Published by Chantelle on

Reading Time: 7 minutes

The latest yellow diamond stealing the hearts of men and women worldwide is The Golden Empress. As its name suggests, the gem’s regal nature cannot be brought to justice through pictures alone. This yellow beauty has been engineered to reflect light off each facet at the perfect angle giving a better brilliance to the overall appearance. Her unmatched beauty has been enhanced by the 4th C – Cut, which must have taken months of planning coupled with lots of decision-making. Something as small as a misguided facet could lead to a loss in carat weight and eventually a drop in Her incomparable value.

The unrivalled Golden Empress

The unrivalled Golden Empress

This cushion cut diamond has been assigned the Fancy Intense yellow colour grade, which falls on a scale, dedicated to coloured diamonds. This scale as you can see below, ranges from Fancy Light to Fancy Vivid where The Golden Empress lies second to the most vibrant yellow colour.

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Perfect for the warmth of summer that is engulfing countries in the west, the incomparable Golden Empress comes from the Letseng Diamond mine, in Lesotho, a country in the Southern part of Africa. Africa is know to be a very rich mineral bearing country, where one can find some of the most rare stones like Tanzanite, Diamonds and even Emeralds. Cut from a piece of huge diamond rough weighing 299 carats, this “miracle stone” as you can perhaps refer to as, is a rare sighting on planet earth. Stones of this size and colour are so rare it’s almost like looking for a needle in a haystack! It has been noted that one in every 10,000 diamonds is coloured. With a statistic like this it is no surprise why this diamond is stealing all the limelight.

This magnificent canary coloured diamond after its cutting and polishing now weighs an outstanding 132.55 carats and is to be auctioned by the house of Graff along with a collection of golden hued stones all cut from the 299 ct rough rock. The 6 other pear shaped Fancy Yellows along with two round brilliants are all yields of the same rough after much planning and fantastic execution.

The range of diamonds being auctioned by Graff

The range of diamonds being auctioned by Graff

At KuberBox we are so passionate about jewellery and the diamonds we are selling, that we find it almost imperative to transfer this same knowledge to you, our treasured clients. We understand the importance in knowing where your product comes from which is why at KuberBox we track all of our stones from the stone dealers and where they acquire their stones all the way to how they are selected to best compliment each piece of jewellery they are set in. With a certificate accompanying each piece determining the natural origin of these diamonds, you have nothing to worry about.

 KuberBox’s customised third party certification


KuberBox’s customised third party certification

Through the Kuberbox blog we have covered other fancy coloured diamonds that have been auctioned by Graff, some of which were also spectacular yellow diamonds. For more on those stones do visit our KuberBox blog post

Yellow Diamonds just like their transparent relatives are similar in more ways than one. First being their exceptional hardness at the 10-point mark on the Moh’s scale. These stones are also composed entirely of Carbon atoms that are tightly packed together; this is what makes Diamonds the hardest mineral on earth.

Covalent bonding of Carbon atoms in Diamond

Covalent bonding of Carbon atoms in Diamond

For a brief into Diamond and its atomic structure, each carbon atom is bonded by a covalent bond with each other. The carbon atoms make hexagons and extend in the same way in all directions. These diamond crystals would grow constantly if all conditions during their growth were ideal. This bond is so strong it is almost unbreakable other than in its cleavage direction. The cleavage direction in a diamond is the direction in which the carbon atoms have the weakest link. This is also justifiably the easiest direction to cut the stone giving it its shape, which will further be used to determine its cutting style. Diamonds are almost like a miracle stone for the simple reason; their atomic bonds are so different from carbon’s counterpart Graphite, which is so weak you can use it to write with in pencil lead.

Cleavage in a Diamond

Cleavage in a Diamond

Yellow diamonds as you perhaps have read through the KuberBox blogs, is the result of the addition of Nitrogen atoms in the diamond crystals structure. Nitrogen an element in its true sense is just like that of Carbon and is the element giving these gems its yellow tint or its highly prized Fancy Vivid hues.

Different shades of Yellow in diamonds

Different shades of Yellow in diamonds

We have been following the in-depth study of yellow diamonds to come to the realization of so many interesting facts; we though it would only be unjust not to share the same with you. From what we have learnt, Diamonds have a variety of types on the basis of the presence of Nitrogen or the presence of Boron in its crystal structure. Type 1 has the presence of Nitrogen and Type 2 has the presence of Boron with an unidentifiable amount of Nitrogen. This classification helps us determine the origin colour in diamond as diamonds can also be irradiated and heated to alter their colour to something more desirable.

The yellow that you see is in The Golden Empress and other stones with strong yellow colours, is because of the lower concentration of Nitrogen atoms in the diamond’s crystal structure. This means there are fewer atoms grouped together and has been recorded to be at around the 25 to 50 parts per million making up the Type-1b range of diamonds. These Type-1b stones are the most rare of all yellow diamonds found on earth, which justifies its astounding price ranges and niche market clientele.

The Golden Empress on a necklace

The Golden Empress on a necklace

Another interesting fact is the way in which diamonds absorb colour. The term selective absorption might not seem like much, but all that we see is dependent on it. Selective absorption is the process in which light, which is made up of Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red is absorbed by an object or in our case, a gem. It reflects the other colours, which merge on reflection establishing the colour we end up seeing.
For example in this intense yellow diamond seen below, all the violet and blue light has been absorbed leaving behind all the warm colours that mingle giving a vivid yellow that is reflected. Type-1b diamonds behave in the same way, absorbing the blues and violets leaving a strong yellow body colour to be seen making it the less than 0.1% of diamonds uncovered on earth.

Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamonds reflecting a strong yellow

Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamonds reflecting a strong yellow

In the same way we see colour in a gemstone, Fluorescence is another key factor used to determine gemstones by gemologists. It is the visible light seen when atoms are subjected to some form of excitement. In the case of gemstones, UV rays are what cause this excitement giving what we commonly know to be fluorescence.

Different strengths of Blue colour fluorescence seen in a Diamond


Different strengths of Blue colour fluorescence seen in a Diamond

Just as in the process of selective absorption that gives colour to a gem along with everything we see, fluorescence is the exact opposite. Chemically when selective absorption takes place electrons are charged moving to a higher energy level, giving off the colour we see. On the other hand when we see a colour in fluorescence it is the energy given off when electrons come back to their original state of being. This energy is what is absorbed again and we see as a fluorescent colour. The two are the exact opposite of each other, which is why we see two completely different colour ranges.

When you are looking to buy diamonds and come to the perplexing task of the 2nd C – Colour, look out for these helpful points and you will perhaps find something that suites the occasion and your budget perfectly.

Colour in a diamond

Colour in a diamond

Colour of a diamond must always be determined face down at an angle like in the image above. This gives the viewer the opportunity to view the colour through the entire stone. Colour in a diamond must also always be determined with a colour free background, as a colourful background tends to reflect off the stone affecting the colour you end up seeing.

Diamonds have been truly created perfectly in every sense by Mother Nature. Complex yet delightfully beautiful. The next time you see a diamond or any other gemstone for that matter you will now know what gemmologists are talking about when they examine your gems, both technically as well as visually.

Follow the KuberBox blog for more on Diamonds and other Gemstones and their interesting properties. We love gemstones just as much as you do and we think by learning a little about them you will be able to make both informed purchases as well as get value for the money your spending! Something KuberBox strongly believes in.

http://en.vogue.fr/jewelry/jewelry-collection/diaporama/the-golden-empress-yellow-diamond-by-graff/21366/carrousel#le-diamant-jaune-de-graff
http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2015/06/17/graff-unveils-132-carat-golden-empress-fancy-intense-yellow-diamond/
http://www.thejewelleryeditor.com/jewellery/graffs-spectacular-golden-empress-diamond/
http://www.gia.edu/fancycoloreddiamond-quality-factor
http://www.primestyle.com/news/how-diamonds-are-formed-the-journey-from-common-compound-to-precious-gem/
http://www.leibish.com/about-fancy-yellow-diamonds-article-347
http://www.langerman-diamonds.com/encyclopedia/1-2/the-origin-of-color.html
http://4csblog.gia.edu/2012/understanding-diamond-fluorescence
http://www.4cs.gia.edu/en-us/diamond-color.htm

The Golden Empress by Chantelle

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Chantelle

Chantelle Lobo grew up in Mumbai, a city bursting with color, culture and creativity, and while exploring its many hidden gems her curiosity drew her towards the fascinating world of diamonds and gemstones. At the age of seventeen, her keen eye for detail quickly fell in love with the detailed story of each gem’s inclusions and individuality and that is where her career journey with these timeless beauties began. Trained with the best at the Gemological Institute of America, Chantelle is both an Accredited Jewelry Professional and a Graduate Gemologist. She has experience with all varieties of gemstones and has professionally undertaken assignments to grade diamonds and color grade gems. This has given her a strong foundation in this niche field and allows her to make key observations on the value or quality of each gemstone. Her passion is undeniable and in order to broaden her horizons, she travels to many countries, visiting jewelry shows, jewelers, and gem traders, picking up some of the best-guarded trade secrets. From Spinels on the busy streets in Myanmar to the best Sapphires in Sri Lanka and even rare Jades from China, she continues to fuel her deep-rooted interest for these special stones by seeking out precious one-of-a-kind gems around the world. She now lives in Jaipur, one of the largest gemstone hubs of the world marvelling at the gems that pass through her on a daily basis. Through her blog “The Gemstone Queen”, Chantelle explores & documents her trysts with gems and jewellery.

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