1490 Hartmanns Mag 1-29 TP:Layout 121/2/08 14:38 Page 17
Elizabeth Taylor, all fivefeet fourofher,opined that “big girls need
big diamonds”.Fortunateitwas then that in 1969 she had a What the
besotted Richard Burtonwaitinginthe wings to buyher the
magnificent69-carat Cartier,
pear-shaped diamond for
$1million for her 40th Stars say...
birthday.
Taylorwore the renamed “Diamondsnever leaveyou …
‘Taylor-Burton’publicly for the
first time at aparty for the late ...men do”
Princess Grace’s 40th birthday
in Monaco.Followingher ShirleyBassey
divorce from Burton it was
sold in 1978, for areputed *
$5million,tobuildahospital “Biggirls need bigdiamonds”
in Botswana.
Elizabeth TaylorYetfor all their natural beauty
and wonder,the diamond as
we have cometorevere it is *
dependentonthe finely honed “I don’t work out. If Godhad
skills of master craftsmen to
release its iridescent, inner wanted us to bend over,
beauty.The quality of a
diamond is measured, on he wouldhaveput diamonds
internationally accepted
scales, by its carat, clarity, on thefloor”
colour and cut. While all JoanRivers
diamonds areprecious,
thosethat possess the best
combination of these *
properties –commonly known “I neverworry aboutdiets.
as ‘The 4Cs’ –are the rarest
and mostvaluable. Theonlycarrots that interest
Carat is often confused withsize, although it actually measures me arethe number of carats in
weight. One carat is 200 milligrams.Acarat can also be divided
into100 ‘points’. Thusa0.75 carat diamond is the same as a adiamond”
75-pointsor¾carat diamond.Naturally occurringfeatures,
known as inclusions,give each diamond its own unique MaeWest
fingerprint. Invisibletothe naked eye, theselook likeclouds,
crystals or feathers. Fewdiamonds are completely flawless so *
perfect‘clarity’adds substantially to the value of those thatare. “I neverhated aman enough
‘Colour’refers to the degree to whicha‘white’diamondis to givehim his
colourless. These differences in tone areextremely subtle and
difficult to spot for the untutored eye. However,not all diamonds diamondsback”
are whiteand ‘fancy’ coloured diamonds in pink, yellow, blue,
green,orangeand –rarest of all –red are all ZsaZsa Gabor
highly prized.The cutofadiamondisbased on
along-established scientific formula used by
stone cutters to disperse and reflectthe most
light.The term ‘cut’ also refers to the shape
of the diamond –round, square, pear or heart
for example.
To those in the know,the 4cs are an objective
method of comparing and evaluating diamonds.
Forthe rest of us,these jewels are simply
beyond compare and we remain now,and
doubtless forever, captivated by the power of
their dazzling beauty.
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