The global demand for diamonds continues to grow

According to a recent study by the consultant firm Bain & Company the global demand for diamond will continue to increase throughout this year which will likely lead to significant increase in price of rough diamonds.

The diamond markets from the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, China and India, are all expected to push for more rough diamonds which should lead to a 3-10% price increase.

The global diamond industry has already passed its peak in production of rough diamonds back in 2005, and is need of new sources or rough diamonds because of new fast-expanding markets like China and India.

Some new sources have already been developed but this will likely not be enough to follow the fast growing demand leading to increase in rough diamond prices.

In 2010, global diamond industry produced approximately 133 million carats. The study predicts that that the global diamond production will reach 150 million carats by 2017, and that it will hit 175 million carats by 2020.

It certainly didn't take lot of time for global diamond industry to recover, after the period of stagnation that started with the financial crisis of 2009. The global diamond market is yet again giving excellent business opportunities for many investors all across the globe.

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The road rough diamond needs to take

Diamonds were formed on our planet more than three billion years ago which means that once you buy this precious stone you are likely getting the oldest item you will ever purchase. The transformation from rough diamond found in mine to a gorgeous piece of diamond jewelry requires several different processes.

Diamonds discovered in mines are in rough state looking far less attractive than their polished brothers. Approximately around 50% of diamonds comes from Africa though Russia is today the world's largest diamond producer. Most diamonds that came to the surface made their way up through the volcanic pipes.

Only around 20% of rough diamonds will actually end up being part of diamond jewelry which means that 80% of rough diamonds are not suited for polishing and will be likely used for different industrial purposes.

In order for rough diamond to cross the road between the diamond mine and jewelry store it still needs to be sorted and priced. After that rough diamonds make their way to major cutting centers such as Antwerp, Jerusalem, Bombay, Johannesburg and New York.

Prior to cutting rough diamond needs to be thoroughly examined (where experts check shape as well as imperfections and inclusions) in order for selected cut to yield the greatest value. This is where diamond cutters determine the stone's weight and shape.

After that the diamond gets polished and is ready to become a part of gorgeous looking diamond jewelry.

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Rough diamond evaluation courses

There are many things that need to taken into consideration for quality rough diamond evaluation, and lot of these things can be learned by applying to different rough diamond evaluation and grading courses. The basic courses are usually measured in weeks but even in such short time a person can learn a lot of important information about diamonds that can make the real difference in many cases.

Among the basic things that can be learned at rough diamond evaluation courses are :

-how to correctly use a loupe (this is really the starting point that is necessary to go further with rough diamond evaluation )

-how to tell difference between real and fake diamonds (this is probably the most important thing in diamond business, some differences are easily spotted while other require special equipment)

-how to recognize flaws and inclusion on diamond(s) and its influence on final diamond price (diamond with flaws costs significantly less compared to flawless diamonds)

-the knowledge about diamond properties (thermal, chemical, mechanical, and other diamond properties that can be used in many industries)

-how to properly select rough diamonds that will be later used for cutting fancy cuts and shapes.

-how to determine the color of diamond ant the effect color has on diamond price, usually the more vivid color means higher price tag.

-how to properly classify not only natural but also synthetic diamonds, synthetic diamonds are also the real diamonds the only difference between synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds is the fact that they have been created in laboratory and not in nature.

-how good is certain diamond for certain cut, and which cut to recommend given diamond shape, size, and number of flaws/inclusions.

These are only some of the things you can learn at rough diamond evaluation courses, and these can be done in about two weeks time. These courses are not too expensive either, and some can be even found in the price range below $2000.

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