Welcome once again to SPECTRUM, our periodic blog series focusing on a roundup of all the latest diamond industry news and trends. You know, we do this every month to two months, and no edition of SPECTRUM goes go by without a piece of fascinating news about diamonds from the world of science. Whether its diamonds found in outer space, or diamonds bending, this month is no exception. We’ve got a piece from Cosmos magazine about nano-diamonds found in the deep galaxy. Back on earth, there’s been interesting developments too, with De Beers’ announcement that they are entering the lab-grown foray, a 95-carat diamond found in Canada, and Helzberg’s new pre-engagement engagement ring concept. Read on for this and more fascinating diamond industry news. See you next Spectrum!
Shine on, crazy nano-diamonds
By Phil Dooley @Cosmos
For the past twenty years, space scientists have been stumped by a strange, faint microwave radiation coming from the sky. Now, it seems, they have found the answer: clouds of dust made up of rapidly spinning nano-diamonds. The microwave glow comes from dust clouds surrounding hot young stars. The energy coming from the stars is believed to ‘excite’ the dust with shock waves and high pressure bringing carbon together to form these nano-diamonds. Another day, another incredible finding about diamonds in outer space.
‘Diamonds Are Forever’, And Made By Machine
By Elizabeth Paton & Vanessa Friedman @NY Times
Recently, the diamond industry was astir with news that De Beers is entering the synthetic diamonds market, with a fashion jewelry line featuring lab-grown diamonds. The new Lightbox line is a mass-market, relatively low budget brand. As the key player in the diamond industry (for about a century…), it’s no wonder the amount of speculation this move by De Beers has created. Indeed, it’s a reflection of how fast the diamond industry is changing, and the effect of lab grown on the market.
On the gemstone trail: A tour of Antwerp’s diamond district
By John Malathronas @CNN Travel
This article has it all - gorgeous images of scenes from Antwerp’s diamond district, and a brief description of what you can expect if you choose to book a two-hour ‘diamond walk’ on your next vacation. For those in the diamond industry, Antwerp might seem like another work destination. But for the average tourist, particularly if they have an interest in diamonds and/or history, the diamond district in Antwerp is a fascinating place to visit, blending, culture, architecture, beautiful jewelry and - of course - Belgian chocolate.
Breaking the Rules of Engagement, Helzberg Diamonds Introduces the “Will You?” Ring
By Helzberg Diamonds @PR Newswire
Hmm, we’ve discussed before some weird and wonderful diamond engagement ring trends. Now for something brand new - Helzberg recently introduced the “Will you?” ring. The concept is designed to solve the sticky issue of the surprise proposal. I mean, it’s nice to be surprised with a beautiful diamond engagement ring, but what if she hates it? Helzberg now offers a pre-engagement engagement ring, so couples can have their ‘surprise’ proposal moment with a symbolic “Will you?” ring, and then start the serious business of choosing the diamond engagement ring - together.
Antwerp Unveils Automated Polishing Technology
By Rapaport News @Diamonds.net
We live in a computerized, automated world. However, some technologies may never replace the work that humans do. Now, after 10 years of development, researchers in Antwerp have unveiled a new technology that actually polishes diamonds. The developers claim that the machine takes 1.5 hours to do the work that takes a full day to do manually. Can technology really replace the manual process of diamond polishing, which has largely remained unchanged since the 15th century? A question for the ages.
Massive 95-Carat Diamond Discovered in Canada
By Carolyn Meers @Robb Report
It was recently reported that the largest ever diamond from Canada’s Gahcho Kué mine has been discovered. How large? Well, 95 carats to be precise. It’s not the largest by any means - in fact, the largest diamond ever found in Canada was the 187.7-carat Foxfire diamond, which was discovered in the Diavik mine. But finding the largest diamond ever from a particular mine is still newsworthy information, and anyway, who doesn’t love to hear a bit of interesting gossip about big diamonds?
