Quick and Easy Buying Guide
Carat weight: 1 carat = 200 milligrams = 6.5 mm diameter. Doubling weight doesn't double diameter.
Diamond clarity: FL/IF/VVS/VS = super expensive, near perfect. SI = best value if you can check a photo for obvious inclusions (defects).
Color: D-G = colorless, expensive, only if you have money to burn. H-J = best value. Can go lower in gold metal settings than white metal.
Cut: Better cut ratings let more light into a diamond, making it sparkle more. Very important property, don't skimp here.
Set a budget and minimum cut (Premium). Go J color for gold and I/H for white metals. Go searching for SI1/SI2 clarity diamonds at James Allen. Pick a diamond with small/no inclusions. Choose a ring setting and buy it risk-free (60-day returns).
Argyle Diamond Mine
The Argyle Diamond mine is a major diamond mine located in north-west Australia, in a region called the Kimberley. It produces more diamonds than any other mine in terms of the volume of diamonds mined, but the average quality is lower than for many other mines. It is, by a significant margin, the world's largest source of the very valuable pink diamonds, producing over 90% of the world's supply. The mine is owned by the large mining company Rio Tinto.
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The average production of the mine in a year is approximately 7 tonnes of diamonds (that's 35 million carats! Truly a mind boggling number). Only one twentieth of this production is of "gem" quality - a typical mine has about 20% of mined diamonds at gem quality. The mine produces a variety of colored diamonds, including pink, red, purple, and brown. So it's one of the premier sources for fancy diamonds.
