It's always fascinated me that the earth's hardest, most durable substance is also one of the most precious, rare and beautiful. The very best diamonds are those that evoke joy and warm memories when their sparkle catches our eye - and lately I've been learning about the fascinating journey behind that scintillating dazzle courtesy of Lunn’s Jewellers and the team of experts behind their Portfolio of Fine Diamonds.
I was recently invited to an exclusive Diamond School at Lunn's Jewellers in the heart of Belfast’s Victorian centre at Queen’s Arcade, where I discovered the precision and craftmanship behind the journey of each and every gemstone in the Portfolio of Fine Diamonds collection. .A beautiful Portfolio ring doesn't just happen by accident; the care and attention to detail that goes into creating a Lunn's diamond ring from a loose stone has brought a whole new dimension to my appreciation of these precious jewels.
Not only was I completely mesmerised by all that sparkle; I was blown away by the passion and dedication of the Lunn's team to mastering their craft. The collection is handcrafted and designed by a team of master craftsmen and women, with each precious stone reflecting its own unique story.
The business has spanned three generations of one family and there are so many warm stories and tales of love around the rings created and sold in the store over the last six decades, including those of the family themselves.
Lunn's Portfolio diamonds are sourced from the world's top grading Diamond Centres - each one ethically sourced and selected for its quality and beauty. The Lunn's team of diamond buyers are all qualified gemologists and each diamond is carefully examined before it enters the collection, following certification by the world's leading independent diamond grading laboratories. No stone is left unturned, literally. A diamond purchase is not one to be taken lightly and the Lunn's team will choose only the best of the best for their customers.
And then there comes the mount. The team here certainly doesn’t use a one-size-fits-all system; each mount is specifically created and matched to optimise the individual stone’s cut, colour, carat, and clarity. The diamond is hand set and the ring meticulously finished before being presented to the buyer. A truly precise process of attention to detail only rarely seen outside couture these days. Truly fascinating.
My overall takeaway from Diamond School was that if diamonds are a girl's best friend, then Lunn’s is surely the second best friend ready to educate, inform and excite you with the range of beautiful rings on offer. It really is the best experience anywhere on the island of Ireland.
Diamond Did you know?
A few of the most dazzling tips I picked up at Diamond School!
Until the middle of the twentieth century, there was no agreed-upon standard by which diamonds could be judged. The first - now globally accepted standard for describing diamonds - is colour, clarity, cut and carat weight. Today, the 4Cs of diamond quality is the universal method for assessing the quality of any diamond, anywhere in the world.
COLOUR: The colour evaluation of most gem-quality diamonds is actually based on the absence of colour. A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no hue, like a drop of pure water, and consequently, a higher value. Many colour distinctions are so subtle that they are invisible to the untrained eye, but make a very big difference in diamond quality and price.
CLARITY: Natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. This process can result in a variety of characteristics called 'inclusions' and external characteristics called 'blemishes.' Evaluating diamond clarity involves determining the number, size, relief, nature and position of these characteristics - and how they affect the overall appearance of the stone. While no diamond is perfectly pure, the closer it comes, the higher its value.
CARAT: Diamond carat weight is the measurement of how much a diamond weighs; a metric 'carat' is defined as 200 milligrams. Each carat can be subdivided into 100 'points', allowing very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. While diamond price generally increases with carat weight, two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values depending on their clarity, colour, and cut.
CUT: We often think of a diamond's cut as shape (round, emerald, pear), but its cut grade is really about how well a diamond's facets interact with light. Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion a stone so that its proportions, symmetry and polish deliver the magnificent return of light only possible in a diamond. The quality of cut is crucial to the diamond's final beauty and value - and is the most complex and technically difficult element to analyse.
Disclosure: I was paid for my time attending the diamond school #AD