Topaz

Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂. Topaz crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces.

Topaz is commonly associated with silicic igneous rocks of the granite and rhyolite type. It typically crystallizes in granitic pegmatites or in vapor cavities in rhyolite lava flows like those at Topaz Mountain in western Utah. It can be found with fluorite and cassiterite in various areas including the Ural and Ilmen mountains of Russia, in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Pakistan, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Mexico; Flinders Island, Australia; Nigeria and the United States.

Some clear topaz crystals from Brazilian pegmatites can reach boulder size and weigh hundreds of pounds. Crystals of this size may be seen in museum collections. The Topaz of Aurangzeb, observed by Jean Baptiste Tavernier measured 157.75 carats. The American Golden Topaz, a more recent gem, measured a massive 22,892.5 carats. Colorless and light-blue varieties of topaz are found in Precambrian granite in Mason County, Texas within the Llano Uplift. There is no commercial mining of topaz in that area.

The name "topaz" is derived (via Old French: Topace and Latin: Topazus) from the Greek Τοπάζιος (Τοpáziοs) or Τοπάζιον (Τοpáziοn), the ancient name of St. John's Island in the Red Sea which was difficult to find and from which a yellow stone (now believed to be chrysolite: yellowish olivine) was mined in ancient times; topaz itself (rather than topazios) was not really known about before the classical era. Pliny says that Topazos is a legendary island in the Red Sea and the mineral "topaz" was first mined there.

The word topaz is related to the Sanskrit word तपस्"tapas" meaning "heat" or "fire", and also to the Hebrew word for "orange" (the fruit): tapooz (תפוז), both of which predate the Greek word.

Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine, yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be made white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.

Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of friendship, and the state gemstone of the US state of Utah.

Imperial topaz is yellow, pink (rare, if natural) or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can often have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale topazes are treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet colored. Some imperial topaz stones can fade on exposure to sunlight for an extended period of time.

Blue topaz is the state gemstone of the US state of Texas. Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite rare. Typically, colorless, gray or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated and irradiated to produce a more desired darker blue.

Mystic topaz is colorless topaz which has been artificially coated giving it the desired rainbow effect

Topaz gemstone meaning

Topaz is one of the twelve breastplate stones of the High Priest referred to in the Book of Exodus. The breastplate stones are considered sacred to twelve mighty angels who guard the gates to Paradise.
Silver Topaz is colorless and untreated. Colorless topaz is often irradiated and heat treated to form blue topaz. Silver Topaz is also called "white topaz".

Silver or White topaz:

• Increases your awareness of thoughts and deeds and the karmic effects of these
• Purifies emotions as well as actions
• Activates cosmic awareness
• Removes stagnant energy

Topaz meaning

Topaz is a soothing, empathetic stone that will direct energy to the place it is most needed. It heals and energizes. Topaz is a promoter of truth and forgiveness. Use it to find your own path.

How to sell Topaz

When it comes to a question of selling topaz, it has to be treated in one way or other to enhance its color. Since the natural colors of the topaz is not found to be vivid or exciting, makers of jewelry will only use those that have a bright an enhanced look. This is one of the reasons why heat treatment is used to turn a brown or yellow shade of topaz into a pink stone which is thought to be more popular and valuable. Topaz being a very hardy stone, the heat apparently does not damage it in any way.

The genuine topaz in colors of pink, violet and apricot are quite expensive because of the intensity of their color while the treated stone is less expensive and has a wide range of qualities and prices. Traders in gems create various gimmicks when selling topaz and coin names such as "coated topaz" and "mystic topaz" when in fact there are no gems as such but only stones diffused and treated in order to make selling topaz easy. Therefore be careful and ask questions before you decide to buy any topaz jewelry.

One of the easiest ways of selling topaz is by making rings out of the gemstones because rings are always a popular item of jewelry for both men and women. Although the topaz on its own has certain powers, when they are combined with amethyst and made into jewelry, it is supposed to bring out the spiritual energies. It is also said when you wear topaz you have a sound sleep with pleasant dreams and it also wards of evil spirits. Explaining all these curative properties to an interested buyer is another easy way of selling topaz because apart from the beauty of the stone, see how many benefits you can get from wearing topaz?

How to choose precious stones?

Gemstone:

Wikipedia Photo

A gemstone or gem (also called a precious or semi-precious stone, a fine gem, or jewel) is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.^[1][ However certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli), or organic materials that are not minerals (such as amber or jet), are also used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone. Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity until the 19th century engraved gems and hardstone carvings such as cups were major luxury art forms; the carvings of Carl Fabergé were the last significant works in this tradition.

Characteristics:

The traditional classification in the West, which goes back to the Ancient Greeks, begins with a distinction between precious and semi-precious stones; similar distinctions are made in other cultures. In modern usage the precious stones are diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, with all other gemstones being semi-precious. This distinction reflects the rarity of the respective stones in ancient times, as well as their quality: all are translucent with fine color in their purest forms, except for the colorless diamond, and very hard, with hardnesses of 8–10 on the Mohs scale. Other stones are classified by their color, translucency and hardness. The traditional distinction does not necessarily reflect modern values, for example, while garnets are relatively inexpensive, a green garnet called Tsavorite, can be far more valuable than a mid-quality emerald. Another unscientific term for semi-precious gemstones used in art history and archaeology is hardstone. Use of the terms 'precious' and 'semi-precious' in a commercial context is, arguably, misleading in that it deceptively implies certain stones are intrinsically more valuable than others, which is not the case.

In modern times gemstones are identified by gemologists, who describe gems and their characteristics using technical terminology specific to the field of gemology. The first characteristic a gemologist uses to identify a gemstone is its chemical composition. For example, diamonds are made of carbon (C) and rubies of aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃). Next, many gems are crystals which are classified by their crystal system such as cubic or trigonal or monoclinic. Another term used is habit, the form the gem is usually found in. For example diamonds, which have a cubic crystal system, are often found as octahedrons.

Gemstones are classified into different groups, species, and varieties. For example, ruby is the red variety of the species corundum, while any other color of corundum is considered sapphire. Another example are the Emerald (green), aquamarine (blue), red beryl (red), goshenite (colorless), heliodor (yellow), and morganite (pink), which are all varieties of the mineral species beryl.

Gems are characterized in terms of refractive index, dispersion, specific gravity, hardness, cleavage, fracture, and luster. They may exhibit pleochroism or double refraction. They may have luminescence and a distinctive absorption spectrum.

Material or flaws within a stone may be present as inclusions.

Gemstones may also be classified in terms of their "water". This is a recognized grading of the gem's luster and/or transparency and/or "brilliance". Very transparent gems are considered "first water", while "second" or "third water" gems are those of a lesser transparency.

 

Gemstone's Value:

There is no universally accepted grading system for gemstones. Diamonds are graded using a system developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in the early 1950s. Historically, all gemstones were graded using the naked eye. The GIA system included a major innovation: the introduction of 10x magnification as the standard for grading clarity. Other gemstones are still graded using the naked eye (assuming 20/20 vision).
A mnemonic device, the "four Cs" (color, cut, clarity and carats), has been introduced to help the consumer understand the factors used to grade a diamond. With modification, these categories can be useful in understanding the grading of all gemstones. The four criteria carry different weight depending upon whether they are applied to colored gemstones or to colorless diamond. In diamonds, cut is the primary determinant of value, followed by clarity and color. Diamonds are meant to sparkle, to break down light into its constituent rainbow colors (dispersion), chop it up into bright little pieces (scintillation), and deliver it to the eye (brilliance). In its rough crystalline form, a diamond will do none of these things; it requires proper fashioning and this is called "cut". In gemstones that have color, including colored diamonds, it is the purity and beauty of that color that is the primary determinant of quality.
Physical characteristics that make a colored stone valuable are color, clarity to a lesser extent (emeralds will always have a number of inclusions), cut, unusual optical phenomena within the stone such as color zoning (the uneven distribution of coloring within a gem) and asteria (star effects). The Greeks, for example, greatly valued asteria in gemstones, which were regarded as a powerful love charm, and Helen of Troy was known to have worn star-corundum.
Aside from the diamond, the ruby, sapphire, emerald, pearl (not, strictly speaking, a gemstone) and opal have also been considered to be precious. Up to the discoveries of bulk amethyst in Brazil in the 19th century, amethyst was considered a precious stone as well, going back to ancient Greece. Even in the last century certain stones such as aquamarine, peridot and cat's eye have been popular and hence been regarded as precious.
Nowadays such a distinction is no longer made by the gemstone trade. Many gemstones are used in even the most expensive jewelry, depending on the brand name of the designer, fashion trends, market supply, treatments, etc. Nevertheless, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds still have a reputation that exceeds those of other gemstones.
Rare or unusual gemstones, generally meant to include those gemstones which occur so infrequently in gem quality that they are scarcely known except to connoisseurs, include andalusite, axinite, cassiterite, clinohumite and red beryl.
Gem prices can fluctuate heavily (such as those of tanzanite over the years) or can be quite stable (such as those of diamonds). In general per carat prices of larger stones are higher than those of smaller stones, but popularity of certain sizes of stone can affect prices. Typically prices can range from US$1/carat for a normal amethyst to US$20,000–50,000 for a collector's three carat pigeon-blood almost "perfect" ruby.

Cutting:
A few gemstones are used as gems in the crystal or other form in which they are found. Most however, are cut and polished for usage as jewelry. The picture to the right is of a rural, commercial cutting operation in Thailand. This small factory cuts thousands of carats of sapphire annually. The two main classifications are stones cut as smooth, dome shaped stones called cabochons, and stones which are cut with a faceting machine by polishing small flat windows called facets at regular intervals at exact angles.
Stones which are opaque such as opal, turquoise, variscite, etc. are commonly cut as cabochons. These gems are designed to show the stone's color or surface properties as in opal and star sapphires. Grinding wheels and polishing agents are used to grind, shape and polish the smooth dome shape of the stones^.
Gems which are transparent are normally faceted, a method which shows the optical properties of the stone's interior to its best advantage by maximizing reflected light which is perceived by the viewer as sparkle. There are many commonly used shapes for faceted stones. The facets must be cut at the proper angles, which varies depending on the optical properties of the gem. If the angles are too steep or too shallow, the light will pass through and not be reflected back toward the viewer. The faceting machine is used to hold the stone onto a flat lap for cutting and polishing the flat facets. Rarely, some cutters use special curved laps to cut and polish curved facets. (source: wikipedia)



 

 

The Biggest Diamonds In The World

The Cullinan diamond is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found, at 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g).

The largest polished gem from the stone is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, and at 530.4 carats (106.1 g)  was the largest polished diamond in the world until the 1985 discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, 545.67 carats (109.13 g), also from the Premier Mine. Cullinan I is now mounted in the head of the Sceptre with the Cross. The second largest gem from the Cullinan stone, Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, at 317.4 carats (63.5 g), is the fourth largest polished diamond in the world. Both gems are in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

The Culinan History

The Cullinan  diamond was found by Thomas Evan Powell , a miner who brought it to the surface and gave it to Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company in Cullinan, South Africa on January 26, 1905. The stone was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the diamond mine.

Sir William Crookes performed an analysis of the Cullinan diamond before it was cut and mentioned its remarkable clarity, but also a black spot in the middle. The colours around the black spot were very vivid and changed as the analyzer was turned. According to Crookes, this pointed to internal strain. Such strain is not uncommon in diamonds.

The stone was bought by the Transvaal government and presented to King Edward VII on his birthday. It was cut into three large parts by Asscher Brothers of Amsterdam, and eventually into 9 large gem-quality stones and a number of smaller fragments. At the time, technology had not yet evolved to guarantee quality of the modern standard, and cutting the diamond was considered difficult and risky. In order to enable Asscher to cut the diamond in one blow, an incision was made, half an inch deep. Then, a specifically designed knife was placed in the incision and the diamond was split in one heavy blow. The diamond split through a defective spot, which was shared in both halves of the diamond

10 Biggest Diamond in The World

The most popular diamonds in the world

Akbar Shah Diamond

The rulers of the Mughal dynasty had a passion for chronicling their reign and almost every emperor in that lineage commissioned lavishly illustrated biographies. These documents have proved to be invaluable resources for later historians who have been able to use them to reconstruct the social and political events during the lives and times of the Mughal emperors.

These meticulously recorded volumes have been especially valuable in reconstructing the story of the historic Akbar Shah diamond. This fabulous gem, which once weighed 116 carats, is said to have borne two inscriptions in Persian. One referred to its first owner, Emperor Jahangir. According to the etching, the stone found its way into the Imperial Treasury of the emperor in 1619. A possible allusion to this can be found in the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri(Memoirs of Jahangir). These records, either written in Jahangir's own hand or dictated to a scribe, cover the period of his reign(1605–27) and illustrate his glamorous lifestyle. Of his sojourn in Gujarat, it is recorded: On Friday the 5th, Bahram, son of Jahangir Quli Khan, came from the province of Bihar, and had the good fortunes to pay his respects. He laid before me some diamonds he had obtained from the mines at Kokhra.

It is likely that the Akbar Shah was among the array of diamonds that were presented to Jahangir. It is interesting to note that the memoirs make a mention of diamond deposits from the mine at Kokhra (present day Khukra, 64 km west of Ranchi)in the eastern state of Bihar. Apparently, these were not from a mine at all, but from a river bed that was fertile with diamonds. Though Jahangir's memoirs give a description of how large diamonds were also mined from this source, this area has rarely been given due credit by the diamond mining industry. In fact, it is hardly ever mentioned as a diamond rich region in India.

The second inscription on the Akbar Shah confirms that it officially became a part of Shah Jahan's treasury in 1629. It is widely believed by historians that this celebrated gem was set as one of the eyes of the peacock in the fabulous Peacock Throne. However, other scholars suggest the possibility of it being the dazzling diamonds encircled by emeralds and rubies, suspended opposite the throne. But there are yet other authorities who feel that the suspended gem was the Shah diamond.

The Allnatt Diamond is a diamond measuring 101.29 carats (20.258 g) with a cushion cut, rated in color as Fancy Vivid Yellow by the Gemological Institute of America. This diamond is named after one of its holders, Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt, a soldier, sportsman, art patron and benefactor. While it is not known precisely where the Allnatt originated, many experts believe that it was probably found in what is now known as the De Beers Premier Diamond Mine.

The Allnatt's origins are unknown prior to Major Allnatt's purchasing of the diamond in the early 1950s. After purchasing the diamond, he commissioned Cartier to make a setting for it. The final setting was a platinum flower with five petals, a stem and two leaves, all set with diamonds. The Allnatt was resold at auction in May 1996 by Christie's in Geneva for $3,043,496 US. At the time of its sale the Allnatt was 102.07 carats (20.41 g). and was graded Fancy Intense Yellow. After being sold to the SIBA Corporation, the diamond was re-cut to its current weight and the intensity was upgraded as a result.

The Allnatt was displayed as part of the Smithsonian's "The Splendor of Diamonds" exhibit, alongside The De Beers Millennium Star and The Heart of Eternity.

Cora Sun Drop Diamond

The Cora Sun-Drop Diamond is the largest yellow pear-shaped diamond known, weighing 110.3 carats (22.1 g). Being sold for $10.9 million it has set a world record for a yellow diamond.

The Sun-Drop has a very short history. It was found in South Africa in 2010 within a kimberlite pipe. Tests show that the diamond was formed from 1 to 3 billion years ago. After that, on 24 February 2011, it was kept in The Vault of the London Natural History Museum together with many other precious stones, such as the Duke of Devonshire Emerald and the Aurora Pyramid of Hope, where it stayed for six months. In November 2011, it was sold at an auction in Geneva for just over $10.9 million.^[2] The stone was cut and owned by the diamond manufacturing company Cora International, based in New York. It was sold at the auction by Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels. The Sun-Drop was bought by a telephone bidder who decided to remain anonymous. Including commission and taxes the buyer paid $12.36 million. The pre-sale estimate was from 11 to 15 million dollars. "It sold for a record for a yellow diamond ... It was exactly within our expectation for this spectacular stone," said Mr Bennett, an auctioneer.

(Sources: Wikipedia)

Diamond Planet Has Found....!

Andrew Fazekas

for National Geographic News

Published October 11, 2012

The universe just got a bit richer with the discovery of an apparent diamond-rich planet orbiting a nearby star.

Dubbed 55 Cancri e, the rocky world is only twice the size of Earth but has eight times its mass—classifying it as a "super Earth," a new study says. First detected crossing in front of its parent star in 2011, the close-in planet orbits its star in only 18 hours. As a result, surface temperatures reach an uninhabitable 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit (2,150 degrees Celsius)—which, along with carbon, make perfect conditions for creating diamonds.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope collected data on the planet's orbital distance and mass, and resulting computer models created a picture of 55 Cancri e's chemical makeup.

"Science fiction has dreamed of diamond planets for many years, so it's amazing that we finally have evidence of its existence in the real universe," said study leader Nikku Madhusudhan, a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University.

"It's the first time we know of such an exotic planet that we think was born mostly of carbon—which really makes this a fundamental game-changer in our understanding of what's possible in planetary chemistry."

(See "'Diamond' Planet Found; May Be Stripped Star.")

At only 40 light-years away, in the northern constellation Cancer, the gemlike planet sits relatively near Earth. In dark skies, 55 Cancri e's host star is clearly visible to the naked eye. (See gem pictures.)

Diamond Planet Has Odd Chemistry

The new models fit with previous studies that showed 55 Cancri e's parent star was abundant in carbon—much more so than our sun.

"If we make the assumption that the star and its surrounding planets are all born from the same primordial disk of material, then it makes sense that the entire planetary system would be carbon rich," said Madhusudhan, whose study will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Princeton astronomer David Spergel believes the diamond-planet find probably represents the first discovery of a whole new class of planets whose chemistry has never been encountered. (Related: "'Diamond Planets' Hint at Dazzling Promise of Other Worlds.")

"Unlike our solar system, which is dominated by oxygen and silicates, this planetary system is filled with carbon," said Spergel, who was not involved in the new study.

"While it's still unknown exactly what implication this will have on our understanding of evolution of planetary systems," he said, "there's no doubt it is an important step towards understanding the full diversity of planets."

(National Geographic)

The Untold Story of the World's Biggest Diamond Heist

Darya-ye Noor Diamond

Darya-ye Noor Diamond

The Darya-ye Noor (Persian: دریای نور‎ which means "Sea of Light", or "Ocean of Light" in Persian; also spelled Darya-i-Noor, Darya-e Noor, Daria-i-Noor and Darya-i-Nur) is one of the largest diamonds in the world, weighing an estimated 182 carats (36 g). Its colour, pale pink, is one of the rarest to be found in diamonds. The Darya-ye Noor is now preserved in the vault of Central Bank of Iran ,in Tehran

In 1739, Nader Shah of Iran invaded Northern India, occupied Delhi and then massacred many of its inhabitants. As payment for returning the crown of India to the Mughal emperor, Muhammad, he took possession of the entire fabled treasury of the Mughals, including the Darya-i-noor, in addition to the Koh-i-noor and the Peacock throne. All of these treasures were carried to Iran by Nader Shah and the Darya-i-noor has remained there ever since.

After Nader Shah's death, the Darya-ye Noor was inherited by his grandson, Shahrokh Mirza. It then passed into the possession of Alam Khan Khozeimeh, and later, of Lotf Ali Khan Zand, a member of Iran's Zand dynasty. Agha Mohammad Khan, founder of Qajar dynasty, defeated the Zands, and thus the Darya-e-noor came into the possession of the Qajars. Fath Ali Shah Qajar had his name inscribed on one facet of the diamond. Later, Nasser-al-Din Shah Qajar often wore it on an armband. He apparently believed that this diamond had been one adorning the crown of Cyrus. When armbands fell from royal fashion, he wore the diamond as a brooch. On occasion, the gem would be left in the care of high personages of the land, as a sign of honor. It was eventually kept hidden in the Golestan Palace treasury museum until Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar's time -- this monarch wore it as a hat decoration while visiting Europe in 1902. Reza Shah, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, wore the diamond as a decoration on his military hat during his coronation in 1926, and it was used in Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's coronation ceremony in 1967. and it was owned by the Mughal Emperors.

The Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats and is another stone originating from India and worn by English kings. Besides the beautiful quality of the stone, its unique blue color also attributes the price. You can view this infamous rock at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History..

The Hope Diamond, also known as "Le bleu de France" or "Le Bijou du Roi", is a large, 45.52-carat (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but exhibits red phosphorescence after exposure to ultraviolet light. It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, and is notorious for supposedly being cursed. It has a long recorded history with few gaps in which it changed hands numerous times on its way from India to France to Britain and to the United States. It has been described as the "most famous diamond in the world"

Great Diamonds and the colors

Sotheby’s D-Grade Flawless Diamond
Price: $16 million
Carats: 108
This flawless white diamond is arguably the finest of its kind for sale anywhere in the world. What makes it extraordinary isn’t so much its heft--a generous 108 carats--as its nearly total absence of flaws.
For more information, visit www.sothebys.com.
More on Forbes.com

If you think diamonds are a girl's best friend, think again. The majority of expensive stones are bought by men, who purchase them for their personal collections.

"Marilyn Monroe had it all wrong," says Stanislas de Quercize, chief executive of jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, "especially when it comes to serious collectors. It’s an obsession with obtaining that rare and somewhat mythical stone or that exquisite piece. These collectors will stop at nothing to get it."

These are anonymous private individuals who search for and acquire the world’s most perfect stones, working quietly through diamond suppliers, jewelry houses and auction houses, relying on phone calls and word of mouth.

In Pictures: The World’s Most Expensive Diamonds

Their search takes them to the corners of the world--from the Argyle mines in Western Australia, where rare pink and red diamonds are auctioned off at the annual Pink Diamond Tender, to Christies and Sotheby’s "Magnificent Jewels" auctions, held in different venues around the world, from Hong Kong to Geneva. (The next takes place Feb. 20 in St. Moritz.)

"Once in a while, a special stone comes up for sale," says Sally Morrison, director and spokeswoman for the Diamond Information Center, a public relations organization representing diamond retailers. "Before it becomes publicly available, the jewelry house handling it will contact a few big collectors privately, to give them the first chance to buy."

Not on the short list? Don’t worry. We’ve rounded up some of the world’s rarest and most costly diamonds. All are publicly available now, at the prices quoted. No need to wait for auction. Just come up with the necessary cash, and they can grace your finger, neck or vault tomorrow.

What To Look For

When it comes to picking out a one-of-a-kind diamond, especially one coveted by collectors, clarity and color matter more than size.

"As a collector, you want to look at rarity when seeking out a diamond," explains Morrison. This includes paying attention to how clear the stone is, how free of flaws and how exceptional its color.

Pricey Pieces

Take the flawless white diamond currently being offered by Sotheby’s Diamonds for $16 million. The stone is relatively hefty, weighing 108 carats. But it's an absence of flaws that makes it worth acquiring.

Want a little provenance with your stone? Another diamond now for sale was once displayed at the London Natural History Museum. This 70 carat white sparkler is set at the center of a multicolored diamond necklace being offered for $12 million by Robert Mouawad’s private collection. Mouawad is a jeweler well-known in the Middle East for creating pieces for royals such as the Sultan of Brunei and the Emperor of Japan.

Less costly but almost as spectacular is the $2.5 million Van Cleef & Arpels Drape de Diamantes necklace, a deco piece designed in 1935 but not executed until 2006. Its two emerald-cut white diamonds, 5.4 carats each, are set against 268 marquise-cut diamonds and 63 baguette diamonds, all mounted in white gold.

Another get: A platinum-set 15 carat white diamond ring by Neil Lane boasts a celebrity connection: Madonna once wore it.

Colors Galore

But why limit yourself to white? "Red, green, blue or purple really cause a stir, because they are so rare," says Sam Merksamer, executive director of the Natural Color Diamond Association, an international trade organization dedicated to increasing awareness of colored diamonds. "With the exception of yellows, colored diamonds tend to be on the smaller side. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t just as exquisite."

The Leviev fancy vivid yellow diamond (77.12 carats) hangs from a strand of round brilliant cut white diamonds totaling 72.58 carats (exclusive of the yellow). Price: $10 million.

And De Beers' "Kiss of the Rose" ring ($1.2 million) features a pear-shaped, rose-cut diamond so clear that through it you can see the small .8 carat fancy intense pink diamond set beneath, giving the larger stone a fiery glow. Surrounding these two are 2.49 carats of white pave diamonds.

Like what you see? Be warned: Even in our high-tech age, few serious collectors--be they men or women--buy stones over the Internet. Expect to shop corporeally.

But might online buying someday become the norm?

"Never say never," shrugs Gary Schuler, senior vice president and director of jewelry at Sotheby’s in New York. For now, though, the risk of purchasing a counterfeit online is still "too great."