Diamonds are still a girl's best friend

Diamonds are rare," insists Costantino Papadimitriou, "20 years have passed, since the last diamond mine was discovered and the existing resources are depleting. Secondly, European anti-trust laws limit the scope of market manipulation." Moreover, as you already know, not all diamonds are equal. "Less than 1 per cent of the world's diamonds qualify for the Forevermark certification, which guarantees that the diamonds were responsibly sourced, processed by the most skilled craftsmen with the best technology available, and are of the highest quality." The Forevermark inscription consists of a unique identification number and icon inscribed 1/20th of a micron deep (1/5000th the width of a human hair) on the table facet of the diamond, using proprietary technology developed by the De Beers Group. Invisible to the naked eye, the inscription (typically generic) also allows you to register your diamond. If you want your diamond to be truly personalised, you can have it inscribed with a special date such as a birthday or anniversary (at a cost, of course).

So what do women have to look forward to in terms of design this year? According to a Forevermark design forecast for 2014, diamond jewellery is likely to be inspired by nature, myth and math, architecture, technology, and past progressive patterns. We're also likely to see a hint of colour.

Nature:

From random stone piles and weathered rock patterns to bunches of grapes, flower petals and blades of grass, nature has always inspired design and continues to do so. Organic forms that flow freely are a likely to remain a strong design trend.

Myth and Math:

From the infinite mysteries of the cosmos to well-defined lines of geometry, myth and math have always held much fascination for humankind. Concentric circles, geometric positioning, forms reminiscent of moon phases, mixed metaphors... if you do your numbers right, the possibilities here are endless.

Architecture:

Whether form follows function or function follows form, there's no way to argue with the beauty of an architecturally sound structure. Archs, columns, beams and grids combine to create stunning wearable symmetry, or even asymmetry, if that's what you would prefer.

Glitch:

Data streams moving at cyberspeed along the information superhighway, wi-fi, invisible connections, artificial intelligence... in a world that's perpetually plugged in and networked to the nth degree, it's inevitable that there would be an overflow into the design spectrum. And so it is, as minimalism, lines and grids pervade the jewelleryscape.

Past Progressive:

No matter how futuristic we get, humans have a tendency to look back, and consciously or not, the past sneaks back into the design. Elaborate curves, organic forms, intricacy—design always appears to come full circle. Somehow, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Keep your diamonds sparkling
If you'd rather not take it to the store and have them polish it for you, follow Costantino Papadimitriou's grandmother's advice and soak your diamond jewellery in gin overnight. Mind you, not whiskey or other forms of alcohol—which are likely to leave a thin rainbow like film on the diamond, but gin.