science

Did you know whatever device you’re using to read this post – mobile, tablet or desktop – wouldn’t exist without lab-grown diamonds? Did you know diamonds are being used for medical imaging, quantum entanglement and (you read it right) teleportation? Read on.

Nature never stops providing the extraordinary, unexpected and unique. This adamantine oddity was unearthed at an open-pit mine 200 miles north of Nyurba, Russia last October. Specialists immediately passed it to ALROSA’s Research and Development Geological Enterprise.

Did you know that the sparkle of candlelight is actually created by millions of tiny, brightly burning nano-diamonds? In fact, around 1.5 million microscopic diamonds are created per second in the flame of a candle as it burns.

When someone says “Cat’s-Eye” reference to a colored gemstone they are referencing a specific variety of chrysoberyl. Cat’s-Eye chrysoberyl and its cousin Alexandrite, also known as Color-Change chrysoberyl are gemstones which can display the following phenomenal optical properties.

Last weekend I was asked to provide guidance for a quarantined self-gifter buying a diamond online. In order to make this online purchase she wanted a no-fail combination of weight, color, clarity and (drum roll, please) cut-quality.

The oldest earth-born object known to man, this tiny item is a part of our planet’s crust which crystallized an astounding 4.4-billion-years ago. Older than our planet’s diamonds. Older, even, than extraterrestrial iron and crystal that fell to earth from the sky.

Believe it or not, there are people who like to presume they’re wearing big money but don’t actually want that theory tested.  That’s harmless – until it leads to misunderstandings.

How much is a quadrillion? Here’s how 1 quadrillion pennies would appear, stacked behind the Sears Tower, Empire State Building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and a football field… Now replace each penny with a ton of diamonds!

I was visiting with my esteemed colleague Luigi Costantini in Italy – practicing safe social email-distancing of course – and the topic of expressions came up. Namely, how the internet has influenced symbology.

Dispersion is a physical constant. Fire is a variable aesthetic. Fortunately, the fact that these terms have been co-mingled and transposed over time creates an opportunity to revisit them and sharpen our skills as communicators.

Thousands of years ago in southwest Africa a party of Nama People discovered a field of odd iron fragments to use in tools and weapons. Imagine their shock if they were told those fragments had come from the very stars they worshipped.

Florida adopted the moonstone as it’s state gem in 1970. But our ancestors believed they could touch the moon long before humans ever traveled to outer space.

When the Great Imperial Crown was made for the coronation of Catherine the Great in 1762 the court jewelers believed they were topping over 5,000 diamonds and pearls with an enormous 398 carat ruby. But it was never so. They had been fooled by a charming imposter.

History’s most famous black-diamonds may be those included in the Fantasy Bra worn by Adriana Lima at the 2008 Victoria’s Secret fashion show.. That’s perfectly fitting, since black-diamonds have a “Secret” of their own, as we will reveal below…