Diamonds are an (April birthday) girl’s best friend

If your birthday’s in April, you’ve hit the birthstone jackpot—the diamond. Love for this sparkly gemstone isn’t new; in first century Rome, Pliny wrote, “Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world.”

If you’ve ever bought a diamond, I’m sure you’ve heard about the 4Cs: clarity, color, cut, and carat weight. You can read about these in previous blogs.

But here’s what you may not know about this beautiful gemstone, courtesy of the GIA:

1. With a Mohs scale rating of 10, it’s the hardest material on earth: 58 times harder than anything else in nature.
2. You can only scratch a diamond with another diamond
3. It’s the official stone for 60^th and 75^th wedding anniversaries.
4. It’s the only gemstone made up of a single element: carbon.
5. Most diamonds are over a billion years old.
6. “Fancy” diamonds—very popular right now—are colored gemstones: pink, blue, purple, red, orange, or any color. Their coloring comes from impurities in the crystal.
7. If you want to clean your diamond, stay away from steaming and ultrasonic jewelry cleaners—a soft cloth should work just fine. Or ask your jeweler to do it professionally.

April birthday girls and boys, enjoy your beautiful diamond birthstone. It’s not so much an investment as a beautiful adornment to be worn and cherished every day.

But one important thing you need to remember: as diamond values continue to rise, make sure your insurance is up to date. And if it’s been a while since you had your jewelry appraised, this is the time to do it—I can help!

Sparklingly yours, Aimee