Welcome to the third chapter of Captivated by Colour and this time, blue diamonds are in the spotlight. Considered one of the rarest colours, blue diamonds have an enigma and appeal that very few other colours hold. It’s still April, so diamonds are still the birthstone for the rest of the month. It’s only a [...]
Welcome to our second installment of Captivated by Colour and this time, we’re looking at pink diamonds. Pink diamonds are one of the rarest colours of diamonds and one of the most prized and valued. Many people will ask about coloured diamonds, but very few people know how rare they are, or how expensive they [...]
April’s birthstone is diamond and many people are surprised to know that diamonds can come in virtually all colours of the rainbow. This post will be the first of a series entitled “Captivated by Colour” where we explore each of the fancy diamond colours in turn, together with what gives the diamonds their colours, where [...]
Until relatively recently, fluorescence in a diamond was something that only gemologists and geologists paid attention to. For most of the jewellery buying public, the traditional 4C’s, as defined by the GIA (cut, colour, clarity and carat) were enough to decide whether a diamond was of an acceptable quality or not. In 1997, the GIA [...]
We’re not trying to be the cheapest manufacturing jeweller in South Africa. We’re trying to be the best manufacturing jeweller in South Africa. There’s a lot of competition in the diamond, gemstone and manufacturing jeweller arena in South Africa. A quick search online will bring up hundreds of private jewellers (like Katannuta Diamonds) in addition [...]
“'Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it” sings Beyoncé in her hit “Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)”. We can trace the history of the diamond engagement ring back to 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria [...]
Of all the birthstones, June’s birthstone is perhaps the rarest of all. To many, alexandrite is an enigma; a gem they have heard of, but never seen. A gemstone chameleon, alexandrite has been described as “emerald by day; ruby by night”. Alexandrite is a unique and rare colour-changing variety of the mineral chrysoberyl, and was [...]
Lab-grown diamonds are not a new phenomenon, despite what the media may have you believe. Since the 1950’s, both De Beers and General Electric have been manufacturing synthetic diamonds, purely for industrial applications (for example drill bits, cutting saws & polishing wheels). These synthetic diamonds, mostly tiny (2mm in size) bright yellow cubo-octahedral crystals, were [...]
Emeralds are, of course May’s birthstone and whilst not the only green gemstone in the world, they are certainly one of the most popular. Like many gemstones, there is much history and folklore associated with emeralds, so we thought we’d share some of the lesser known emerald facts with you this month: 1. In addition [...]
Recently, Katannuta Diamonds co-founder Clare Appleyard was invited to speak at the August Lionesses of Africa Lean In event, held in Sandton, Johannesburg. Founded by Melanie Hawken, Lionesses of Africa is a 700,000-strong network of women entrepreneurs spanning over 40 African countries. Melanie Hawken, CEO & Found of Lionesses of Africa. Melanie believes [...]
