FINEST WATER
“All nature diamonds crystallize deep in the earth, however not all diamonds are created equal. Indeed, when analysed with advanced gemmological instruments, most diamonds mined and faceted as gemstones contain certain impurities. Virtually all of these diamonds incorporated trace amounts of the element nitrogen within their crystal structure. These minute quantities of nitrogen are almost always responsible for the slight tints of yellow displayed to various degrees in diamonds along the colourless range. Such nitrogen-bearing diamonds fall into the type I group. At the highest end of the colour scale, only D colour diamonds seem to show no tint or colour at all.
With each rule comes the exception, and there are indeed diamonds which do not contain any detectable nitrogen impurities: those belonging to the type II diamond family. Some of these occasionally contain the element boron, which endows them with the rare blue colour and designates them as type IIb. All others are known as type IIa.
While some Type IIa diamonds can be tinted pink or brown, others are blessed with the most exceptional and pure colour and are often associated with a high degree of transparency, a quality sometimes referred to as “water”. Such diamonds can look so colourless that they seem to appear like “crystal clear water” and often contain only a few minutes, or even no inclusions. Only some of these diamonds can present such a purity of colour that they display less chroma than regular D colour diamonds.
The diamond of 12.33 carat combines such exceptional characteristics as to display this particular quality of the “finest water” Type IIa diamonds of the kind and sizes, exhibiting these superior qualities, are very rare. Such diamonds have been unearthed in limited numbers from various sources around the world (e.g. South Africa, Brazil and India).”
- GUBELIN “FINEST WATER” APPENDIX