Custom Designed and Crafted Jewellery | Kim Bartlett Master Jewellers | Townsville Jeweller

A Brief History

For the last 3000 to 4000 years, diamonds have held special magic for royalty and their subjects. The Greeks and Romans considered diamonds to be tears of the Gods and splinters from falling stars. It was said that cupids' arrows were tipped with diamonds that have unequalled magic.

Until the 15th century kings wore diamonds as a symbol of strength, courage, and invincibility. It wasn't until 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, that the diamond engagement ring was introduced. Placing the ring on the third finger of the left hand dates back to the early Egyptian belief that the vena amoris (vein of love) runs directly from the heart to the tip of the third finger. Throughout time, diamonds have been an expression of love beyond words.

Buying A Quality Diamond

Purchasing a diamond should be a memorable and pleasant experience. Your jeweller should help you feel comfortable making this important purchase. A reputable jeweller is the first step to an intelligent diamond purchase. Ensure the jeweller is experienced, knowledgeable and has the qualifications to give you advice on your diamond. Most jewellers will have their credentials proudly on display.

Always insist on a diamond with a grading certificate from an independent and recognised grading laboratory. A diamond grading report is an objective expert opinion and should include all significant characteristics including cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. The report will also describe the diamond’s shape, exact measurements, proportions and percentages as well as grade the overall proportions, symmetry and polish. A good laboratory will also determine whether the diamond has been treated. Treatments to enhance the colour and purity of the diamond significantly reduce the value of the diamond. By international standards, these treatments should be disclosed. Certification of a diamond is a safeguard for the consumer as it is verification of your diamond’s authenticity and specific characteristics. Read the certificate carefully to ensure you make an informed decision, however your diamond purchase should not be based solely on this document. It cannot replace a visual inspection of the diamond you are considering. Diamond certification allows you to compare prices without unknowingly sacrificing quality or natural origin.

The internet has become the perfect marketplace for selling poor-quality diamonds that are impossible to sell for the asking price through traditional diamond retailers. It’s always recommended to purchase your diamond locally. This ensures you have recourse if anything is wrong. Diamonds are priced the same way worldwide, so it’s important not to shop for your diamond based on price alone. This usually results in a lower quality diamond, not a better deal. Generally speaking, you will get what you pay for.

Price comparison is only possible if you are comparing certified diamonds of the same characteristics. The 4C’s provide a way to objectively compare and evaluate diamonds, but numbers alone can’t describe a diamond’s mysterious and captivating beauty – for that, you’ll have to visit to see one for yourself.

Diamonds of Excellence

For Excellence in Polish, Symmetry and Proportion.

Diamonds of Excellence have a magnificent display of three attributes.

BRIGHTNESS
The intensity of the internal and external reflections of white light returned to the eye through the crown of a diamond.

FIRE
The flares of colour emitted from a diamond. The breakup or separation of white light into spectral colours, each having its own wavelength and frequency. Fire is synonymous with “dispersion.”

SCINTILLATION
The flashes of reflective light radiating from a diamond’s polished facets observed when either the diamond or light source is moved. Scintillation is often referred to as “sparkle.”

A polished diamond's proportions affect its light performance, which in turn affects its beauty and overall appeal.

Diamonds of excellent proportions, symmetry, and polish optimise their interaction with light, and have increased brightness, fire, and scintillation.

All Diamonds of Excellence® diamonds have been certified by independent and accredited diamond laboratories verifying the diamond's characteristics to internationally recognised standards. Diamond certification, backed by a comprehensive diamond guarantee, certifies the authenticity and integrity of your diamond for a lifetime.

To learn more about Diamonds of Excellence visit www.diamondsofexcellence.com.au

Hearts & Arrows

Only one diamond per million can be called a true Hearts and Arrows Diamond. Hearts & Arrows Diamonds are at the pinnacle of diamond cutting technology.

From the finest of all rough diamonds and in the hands of Master Diamond Cutters, Hearts & Arrows Diamonds are cut to the most impeccable standards. The result is a diamond so spectacular and fiery that it reflects nearly 100% of the available light back towards the viewer.

The Hearts & Arrows name is derived from the optical effect achieved when a diamond is cut to the highest level of perfection. When such an ideal cut diamond is viewed through a Symmetry Viewer, it displays eight perfect hearts and eight perfect arrows.

Hearts & Arrows Diamonds have three distinguishing features - perfection in polish, symmetry and proportion. And of course, each Hearts & Arrows Diamond is guaranteed by certification.

When the diamond you choose must be perfection, Hearts & Arrows is the perfect choice.

Argyle Pink Diamonds

Grand passion reaches in to your soul and rouses profound emotion, it touches your heart deep within and leaves you delightfully breathless. Such passion can only be expressed by means that are beyond compare; like the bestowing of a rare Argyle pink diamond - an eternal expression of grand passion. The Argyle pink diamond is born of the ancient land of Australia's east Kimberley, delivered by forces of nature, and bearing an unrivalled natural beauty and rarity that transcends time itself.

Argyle pink diamonds are rare; in fact they are beyond rare. With just an estimated decade of supply remaining in the mine, as time passes the Argyle pink diamond becomes ever more precious.

Exactly what gives a pink diamond its colour is largely unknown and the subject of ongoing debate, but it's this intrigue that adds a delightful inimitability to each stone. It is thought that pink diamonds obtain their colour as a result of pressure beneath the Earth's surface. As pressure raises the diamond closer to the surface, it is believed that its structure becomes altered, thus absorbing light and producing colour.

What is known is that from one hundred miles deep within the Earth's surface comes the treasure that is the pink diamond. It is so remarkable that nothing compares to its colour and brilliance, and it is substantially more valuable than its white diamond equivalent.

Although the Argyle mine supplies approximately ninety percent of the worlds pink diamonds, astonishingly, a whole year's worth of production of stones over half a carat would fit in the palm of your hand. The larger rare violet diamonds would barely fill a teaspoon.

They are highly sought after by investors, jewellers and their customers, celebrities, and diamond aficionados. They are prized by all who possess them and revered for their unique provenance, intrinsic beauty and extreme rarity.

Argyle pink diamonds are unique to the point that a dedicated grading system has been developed by Argyle Pink Diamonds. The system grades each stone predominately by colour. For example, as shown on this chart, a 1P is an intense pink, with graduations in colour through to 9P. Colours range from Red to Pink, Purplish Pink, to Pink Rosé, Pink Champagne and Violet.

The 4 C's

Diamonds are graded internationally to a set of standards commonly known as the 4C's. The 4C's consist of Carat Weight, Colour, Clarity and Cut. Typically, an untrained eye sees only carat weight and cut.

Kim Bartlett Master Jewellers have added a further two C's being Confidence and Certification to ensure that you have absolute confidence and satisfaction when making an informed diamond purchase.

The 4C's provide a way to objectively compare and evaluate diamonds, but numbers alone can't describe a diamond's mysterious and captivating beauty - for that, you'll have to visit to see one for yourself.

CARAT WEIGHT

Carat, abbreviated ‘ct,’ is a measure of weight, not size. One carat is equal to one fifth of a gram, and is based on the weight of a carob bean from ancient Egypt. Each carat is divided into 100 parts (points). For example, a .75 carat diamond is the same as a 75-point diamond or a 3/4-carat stone.

While larger stones are relatively rare, cut, colour, and clarity will affect the quality of a diamond even more than weight. A perfectly cut, near flawless smaller stone is more valuable than a poorly cut, coloured, or flawed larger one. However, because a large stone offers more surfaces to reflect and refract light, a large well-cut and near colourless stone is highly prized.

COLOUR

Many people consider diamonds to be colourless. In fact, diamonds come in every colour of the rainbow, as well as black. There are varying degrees of intensity of each colour. However, the closer to colourless, the more rare and therefore more valuable the diamond.

While many diamonds appear colourless, they may actually have subtle yellow or brown tones. A colour grading scale is used to measure the amount of tint in the stone. The colour grading scale quantifies the subtle differences in colour with a letter value - D through the rest of the alphabet. Diamonds rated “D” on the colour scale are the most colourless.

The exception to the colourless standard is the ‘fancy colour diamonds,’ which comes in well-defined colours including yellow, green, red, pink and blue. These are extremely rare and often highly prized.

CLARITY

Virtually all diamonds possess natural imperfections. These natural phenomena, called inclusions, can usually only be seen under the power of 10x magnification. They may look like tiny crystals, clouds, or feathers. Inclusions may be internal or external and they can affect the brilliance of the stone, interfering with light refraction and lessening the diamond’s brilliance. Clarity grades range from flawless to inclusions visible by the naked eye. The greater the clarity the more valuable the diamond. Diamonds rated IF are rare and highly prized for their purity.

CUT

While nature determines a diamond's clarity and colour, cut is determined by the artistry and skill of the craftsman. Cut more than any other characteristic, gives the diamond its sparkle. The better the cut, the more sparkle a diamond will have.

Don’t confuse cut with the diamond’s shape, but rather the Cut refers to how the diamond is proportioned. When a gem is cut to good proportions, light reflects from one mirror-like facet to another, creating the refraction and reflection that gives a well-cut diamond brilliance and fire.

Diamonds that are cut too deep or too shallow will be less brilliant and appear life less in comparison to a well-cut diamonds. All other characteristics being equal, the difference in value between well-cut and poorly cut diamonds is drastic, up to 30% or 40%.

CONFIDENCE

Purchasing a diamond should be a memorable and pleasant experience. Kim Bartlett Master Jewellers have introduced the 5th C - Confidence, which we consider to be the most important to YOU. The 5th C - Confidence provides you with the assurance you need, to make an informed diamond purchase.

With Kim Bartlett Master Jewellers you have the confidence on knowing you are dealing with:

• A quality product
• A reputable dealer
• Knowledgeable and qualified staff
• Quality guaranteed by Certification
• Internationally competitive diamonds

CERTIFICATION

It is crucial when choosing a diamond to review the Diamond Certificate, also known as a Diamond Grading Report. This report documents the internationally recognised characteristics of a diamond, its carat weight, colour, clarity and cut. Diamond Certificates or Diamond Grading Reports verify that a diamond is genuine and is your guarantee of diamond quality.

In addition to the 4C’s, the reports can detail: A unique certificate number, diamond measurements, table size, total depth, crown angle, crown height, pavilion angle, pavilion depth, culet, girdle thickness, cut proportion, cut symmetry, polish rating and fluorescence.

We recommend diamonds that are graded by the following internationally recognised and independent Laboratories:

• GIA (Gemmological Institute of America)
• DCLA (Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia)
• HRD (Hoge Raad Voor Diamant; Antwerp Diamond High Council)
• AGS (American Gem Society)

These Diamond Grading Laboratories are renowned for their cutting edge technology, the most advanced testing equipment and for having the strictest grading and testing standards.

A Diamond Certificate or Diamond Grading Report is essential when purchasing a diamond.

Conflict Free

Conflict Diamonds or Blood Diamonds as they are some times known, are diamonds that are sold to fund the unlawful and illegal operations of rebel, military and terrorist groups.

The trade in these illicit stones has contributed to devastating conflicts in countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. The proceeds from the sale of conflict diamonds are also said to fund terrorist activity through out the world.

In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, unanimously, a resolution on the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict, breaking the link between the illicit transaction of rough diamonds and armed conflict, as a contribution to prevention and settlement of conflicts.

Within the diamond community some South African countries with a legitimate diamond trade began a campaign to track the origins of all rough diamonds, attempting to halt the sales of stones from conflict areas. Their efforts eventually resulted in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which began in January 2003. The diamond industry has been implementing the system of warranties in an international effort to rid the world of conflict diamonds forever.

For more information, please visit www.kimberleyprocess.com