April’s Birthstone Is Still A Girl’s Best Friend
Diamonds have been a girl’s best friend since the fourth century BCE. Quite honestly, they are also a man’s best friend as they serve as a symbolic conduit towards a “YES!”. The diamond was actually established as the April birthstone during Biblical times. In the book of Exodus in the Bible, the high priest Aaron wore a breastplate adorned with twelve gemstones—one being the diamond. In 1912, the list of birthstones was standardized, officially making diamonds the prominent April birthstone.
Formed over billions of years beneath the Earth’s surface, diamonds are the most durable gemstone, ranking 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
Diamonds are considered one of the top choices for April birthstone buyers. Diamonds offer incredible beauty and brilliance. They can be cut into many diamond shapes for rings, earrings, and other fine jewelry. Diamonds are associated with love and passion and can be gifted for any celebration – engagements being top of the list.
The diamond has become a symbol of pure love for many couples around the world. Though engagement rings take the form of various different gemstones, the diamond is still the number one choice for symbolizing a couple’s love. Its durability inspires couples to hold the diamond as a symbol of eternal commitment and unbroken bonds between lovers. This symbolism has garnered the diamond a spiritual touch as well. Today, the diamond is an integral element of astrology, representing love, luck, and prosperity.
Diamond color
Diamonds are composed of pure carbon and actually come in a variety of colors. They are not just colorless as commonly believed – in fact completely colorless would be a very rare gemstone. They can appear white or black, and even in various shades of red, purple, pink, blue, yellow, and green.
The word diamond comes from the ancient Greek adamas, which variously means unbreakable or unconquerable. The diamond is the only gem on the Mohs scale to rate a 10 in hardness.
The Moh’s Scale is a scale of hardness that is typically used to classify mineral types.
Diamond Lore
People tend to gravitate toward a love of birthstones because it provides them with a beautiful and very personal gift that they can give to someone. Birthstones once were thought to possess a kind of magical energy that the recipient could use as a form of protection.
Today, of course, they are given as a very thoughtful gift usually in the form of jewelry like rings, necklaces, and earrings. Doing so provides the recipient with much good fortune. A very common way to gift birthstones is in a Mother’s Rings. Mother’s day is right around the corner…
A diamond symbolized purity, love, and faith and went from essentially being a dark lump of coal, turned into something so beautiful and amazing because of the force of nature. The dispersion of light is what allows us to see the beautiful sparkle and all the colors of the rainbow when the white light gets split in just the right way.
Diamonds have also been referred to as the stone of immortality which is why a famous slogan states that diamonds are forever. Also due to this extreme strength and durability, diamond birthstone jewelry can be worn regularly as everyday jewelry.
Diamonds are also the gift of choice for 60th and 75th wedding anniversaries and are a very popular choice when choosing engagement and wedding rings. They are commonly known as everlasting symbols of both love and marriage.
Diamond birthstone qualities to look for
When choosing the perfect April birthstone diamond, you will want to take a closer look at the diamond’s color, clarity, cut, and carat. The less color you find within the stone, the more desirable it will be. However, you need to look closely because each diamond will have very subtle differences between them that can easily and significantly impact the overall value and quality of the diamond.
Diamond color
Color refers to the natural tint inherent in white diamonds. In their natural setting, most white diamonds have a slight tint of yellow to them. The closer to being “colorless” a diamond is, the rarer it is. The industry standard for grading color is to evaluate each stone against a master set and assign a letter grade from “D” (colorless) to “Z” (light yellow).
Diamond clarity
Diamond clarity is a measure of the purity and rarity of the stone, graded by the visibility of these characteristics under 10-power magnification. A stone is graded as flawless if, under 10-power magnification, no inclusions (internal flaws) and no blemishes (external imperfections) are visible. At Gittelson Jewelers, we try to find the clearest diamonds possible for our customers.
Diamond cut
The most important of the 4Cs—cut—refers to how a diamond’s facets interact with light. It is determined by symmetry, polish, and proportion. More than any other factor in diamond cut determines the beauty of the stone. Gittelson diamonds, from the smallest to the largest of stones, are sourced to exacting standards.
Read more from our last article “Are Halo Engagement Rings Still Popular?“
Diamond carat
Carat denotes the weight of a diamond, not the size. There is a misperception that larger carat weight is always better than smaller carat weight. While it’s true that a big rock can be a status symbol for some, carat weight is not related to sparkle. Beautiful sparkle is the result of a well-crafted cut. In fact, a high-carat weight diamond with a poor cut may look smaller than a diamond with a smaller-carat weight and a very good cut.
Fun facts about diamonds
- King Louis IX of France established a law in the 13th century that restricted diamond ownership to the court. The world’s most valuable gem would remain the province of royalty until the 1870s when production driven by South Africa exceeded 1 million carats for the first time.
- The world’s largest diamond is the Golden Jubilee, with a weight of 545.65 carats. It is part of the crown jewels of Thailand.
- After the fall of Emperor Napoleon III in 1871, many of the French crown jewels were sent to auction. Tiffany and Co. of New York spent nearly $500,000 to buy most of the collection. One coveted piece they did not get was the empress’ diamond bow brooch, purchased by New York’s Astor family. Today the diamond-draped antique is valued at between $4 million and $6 million.
- The term “diamonds are forever” is based on the belief that a diamond makes the bond between a couple hard to break.
- It is the traditional wedding anniversary stone for the 10th and 60th celebrations.
Contact Gittelson Jewelers for April’s Birthstone
Gittelson Jewelers is entering in its 38th year in business. We have fit many diamonds on the fingers of brides-to-be. Not to mention, special gifts, mother’s rings, watches, pendants, and more. We are your definitive source for a family-operated jewelry business that works to find the right diamond for you.
Contact us today or schedule an appointment to visit, call or have a virtual meeting with us about your April birthstone or other fine jewelry needs.