Most diamonds are about 1 to 3 billion years old, they were formed when part of the Earth's inner coal layer was exposed to volcanic heat and enormous pressure. This caused the carbon to crystallize into what we know today as diamonds. The lava then worked its way to the Earth's surface and slowly solidified, as we know from volcanoes. It is in these rocks that diamonds can be found today. About 3000 years ago the first diamonds was found in India, but today it is in South Africa, Australia and Russia that most diamonds are found.

A diamond consists of pure carbon, but is also the hardest known gemstone. With a hardness value of 10, a diamond has a hardness value that is 100 times harder than the next hardest gemstones, which are sapphire and rubies with a value of 9. In comparison, ivory and amber have a hardness value of 2 - 4.

When talking about the value of a diamond, we talk about the four Cs: Colour, Cut, Clarity and Carat. These four Cs are parameters for the fifth C, which stands for Cost.

The best color for a diamond is no color at all, as this reflects light in all the colors of the rainbow. The rarest variety is called River, followed by Top Wesselton, Wesselton, Top Crystal, Crystal, Top Cape, Cape, Light Yellow and finally Yellow.

It is the correct cut of a diamond that makes it sparkle and give it a beautiful play. The most valuable cut of a diamond is a brilliant cut. This cut consists of 56 facets plus top and bottom. These 58 facets are positioned in such a way that optimal light reflection is achieved. A brilliant is therefore a diamond that is cutted round with 58 facets. The more perfectly the cuts are made, the better the light is reflected and the diamond has a higher value.

Most of diamonds contain what are called inclusions. These are small particles that are inside the diamond, but they are difficult to see. The fewer and smaller inclusions there are in a diamond, the more beautiful it is and therefore also more valuable. Like color grades, there are also clarity grades, which are as follows:

• IF (internally flawless) or FL (flawless) - No inclusions
  
  
• VVS (very, very small inclusions) – Very, very small inclusions
  
  
• VS (very small inclusions) – Very small inclusions
  
  
• SI (small inclusions) – Small inclusions
  
  
• P (piqué) – Cloudiness that can be seen

The size of a diamond is expressed in Carat, which is a weight indication. The word and concept Carat originally came from the tree of the same name that grew near the mines in South Africa. The seed of the Carat tree weighs exactly 1 Carat, equivalent to 0.2 kilograms, also referred to as 100 points. To obtain the most precise number, a diamond is weighed in a glass cage. This reduces external disturbances that could otherwise affect the weighing of the small stones.