When we hear of Diamonds, the first picture our mind creates is that of finely crafted, glittering
piece of jewelry adorned by your favorite actress in a commercial or of the movies wherein the
entire cast fights to track down a priceless diamond. A whole bunch of movies are directed with
the same theme which highlights the preciousness, uniqueness and rarity of this stone and
makes diamond the king of jewels. The polished, faceted diamond indeed holds great sparkle
but have you ever wondered of the stone in its natural form? The charm of this priceless stone
in its raw form is still a showstopper devoid of those perfect cuts and polishes. With the
growing awareness about the natural beauty of this timeless crystal, uncut diamonds are the
new favorites in the industry. The rough or raw diamonds, as they are commonly referred as,
are naturally formed in different shapes and sizes. They hold a unique and natural charm which
is hard to resist. Raw diamonds are usually found in common shapes like octahedrons while a
few other shapes like Tetrahexahedrons are a rare occurrence.
Technically, crystals get their shapes based on the internal structure and arrangement of atoms
inside them. Diamond falls under the cubic crystal system which has the highest symmetry
among the crystal systems. The growth processes deep within earth bring about changes in this
structure and eventually lead to unique formations which are ideal candidates for exclusive
adornments.
To start with, Octahedron is the most commonly found natural shape of rough diamonds. It
resembles two pyramids attached at the bottom the two points facing away from each other.
The Octahedron is generally sawed in the center to form two polished diamonds. Diamonds
derived their name from the octahedron structure which when polished and cut in right angles
results in the desired rhombic shape. Rough diamonds are usually found in this shape though
the edges might not be sharp enough as that of a finished one. Well, that is where the natural
beauty outshines the crafted counterpart.
Dodecahedrons are a slightly tweaked version of octahedrons which consist of 12 equally sized
rhombic faces. They may appear rounded due to the convex nature of the faces. In a few
Dodecahedrons, a prominent ridge doubles the number of crystal faces from twelve
to twenty-four. The latter are then termed as tetrahexahedrons which are basically rounded
Dodecahedrons. In some cases, the shape of a diamond may resemble more than one defined
shapes and hence becomes a unique candidate for your treasured jewelry.
Cubic diamonds on the other hand are usually opaque but are usually found in different bright
colors like yellow, red, green, orange and brown. The shape of cubic diamonds resembles tiny
dice and is quite distinct in appearance. It is quite rare to find a cubic diamond and because of
their internal structure, cubic are not an ideal candidate for cut and polished. Rather they help in
having unique jewelry designed with the stone in its natural form.
Trigons or triangular shaped diamonds are the ones which look like a growth pattern
resembling a series of triangles within triangles. These are one of the rare occurrences of rough
diamonds which are formed because of a growth process deep within earth’s mantle.
Twinned crystals such as ‘Macle’ are the flat triangular crystals which is a result of crystal
distortion. It may be a challenge for a designer to shape this crystal since the internal formation
of atoms is tricky.
The reason for which a typical shape of a raw diamond makes it an invalid candidate for
polished jewelry is indeed a blessing in disguise for someone looking for a unique
embellishment. Go ahead with creating a regret-free ‘one of a kind’ experience with raw
diamonds and bring home an eternal beauty.
