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| HOME : FORUM : EDUCATION : GEMSTONES : Desert Diamonds |
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Post#1 @
09-21-03
, 12:57 PM
Has anyone heard of 'Desert Diamonds?' What do you think---A nice sim alternative or a lot of hooey about quartz? I was in a store yesterday that sold Oriental rugs, and it had a display case of jewelry. This 18K jewelry looked sparkly and attractive. The man gave me this flyer. DESERT DIAMONDS Now, Elegance Can Be Affordable! What are Desert Diamonds? Desert Diamonds are also known as Saudi Diamonds, or sometimes Qaysumah Diamonds. They are natural, semi-precious stones from the same micro-crystalline family as AMETHYSTS, SMOKY TOPAZ and CITRINE. These unique, high-grade stones have physical properties that produce the appearance of the expensive carbon-based diamonds! DESERT DIAMONDS are FOREVER, just like the carbon diamonds. They are guaranteed not to discolor or break with age. This is the huge advantage of owning DESERT DIAMONDS vs. cubic zirconia. Compared with the carbon-based stones, which have a hardness factor of 10 on the Mohs scale, the DESERT DIAMONDS are rated at 7.0! WHERE DO DESERT DIAMONDS COME FROM? As the name implies, these elegant stones are found in the deserts of the ARABIAN PENINSULA, primarily the central plains of Saudi Arabia. From the "diamond fields" near Riyadh, they are washed eastward into Kuwait and the U.A.E. The stones are collected and polished to remove the rough exterior. A talented stonecutter then cuts around the natural fault lines using a double-sided facet technique to enhance the natural refractory properties of these amazing stones. DON'T BE FOOLED BY CUBIC ZIRCONIA! Zircons are synthetically produced in the laboratory. They not only crack, but over time, they lose their luster and can turn milky in appearance. Zirconia emit a more pronounced rainbow-like shine, similar to a prism. DESERT DIAMONDS, however, are natural stones and have a whiter brillance exactly like the carbon diamond. This natural luster will never change through the years. Because the refractory properties are identical to carbon diamonds, DESERT DIAMONDS can be mixed with your real diamonds. NOTE ABOUT SIZE! Diamonds are measures in carats, a measure of weight, not size. Since DESERT DIAMONDS, a quartz stone, are a bit heavier than the carbon stones, the size is slightly smaller. Because each is hand cut along their natural lines, diminuative variances may occur from stone to stone. Finesse, Inc. |
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Post#2 @
09-21-03
, 02:44 PM
This advertisement is allot of shinny misinformation. I bet it was written by the Iraqi Chief information officer "Baghdad bob". I personally noted the statement A talented stonecutter then cuts around the natural fault lines using a double-sided facet technique to enhance the natural refractory properties of these amazing stones. As a gem cutter myself and one who loves to cut Quartz, I'm not exactly sure what the heck this person is talking about. Double sided facet technique? Is he referring to the side by side break facets on every round brilliant stone that helps pump up the refraction? I'm sure these stones are very nice looking but this advertisement is a horror of bold faced trash. But thats just my personal oppinion. |
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Post#3 @
09-21-03
, 02:51 PM
P.S. If I met the man in person who wrote this, and he was telling me this face to face. I would make sure he's not picking my pocket at the same time. |
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Post#4 @
09-21-03
, 05:04 PM
I didn't want to come off as just being negative, but I was just too hard in this case. I wanted to make a comment on the "cutting around the natural fault lines" but I was afraid readers would just think I was harping. It could mean cutting around the inclusions or just refer to the natural cutting process in general. He could have cut through the BS (and that's what it is) by just saying we cut the stones. Like is said, I'm sure the stones are Beautiful but this advertisement is so misleading and wrong I would not do business with whom ever wrote it. I find it to be insulting to the readers intelligence. |
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Post#5 @
09-21-03
, 05:15 PM
This is the written equivalent of a magicians trick. Instead of calling it "slight of hand", it should be accurately referred to as "slight of word". I could not believe what I was reading. Itbit I hope you know we are not attacking you at all. I thank you for posting it. |
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Post#6 @
09-21-03
, 11:59 PM
I know :-) I appreciate all your responses. The flyer did strike me as being poorly translated from Arabic, perhaps by the Iraqi Minister of Disinformation. |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#7 @
01-20-06
, 10:45 PM
I've been reading the information that has been posted, and am compelled to respond. YES there IS a "desert diamond"; it DOES come from Saudi Arabia and IS a natural stone (sometimes called a Saudi or Qaysumah diamond). My husband purchased several pieces of jewelry for me on his last trip to Saudi (they are in my wedding band too, since I needed a house more than a ring!) Once the stone has been cut, it is hard for a jeweler to tell the difference without looking at it under a magnifying lens. I have photos, but don't think I can post them here. For more detailed information, here are a couple of websites that may be of interest: http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/p...ep97/story7.htm http://members.chello.at/sissy.sabler/dd.htm Please note, I am not a jeweler, and am not trying to "sell" anything. I know there is a lot of confusion, and at least one vendor selling "Desert Diamonds" that really are CZ. Just do your research!!!! |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#8 @
03-05-06
, 07:50 PM
OK, I read the first artical and reading the second is not worth my time. Rhine stones are quartz pebbles from the Rhine river, at least who ever named them did not try to make peolpe who dont know any better that these stone have anything in commen with a Diamond than a slight resemblance as a colorless stone. THAT IS ALL. The wording in the first artical is very misleading and twords the end of the artical it just keeps refering to these stones as diamonds. |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#9 @
05-05-06
, 05:23 PM
I have just read all of the posts about Qaysumah (Desert Diamonds). I found some of it quite ammusing as I have spent several years in Saudi Arabia and presently have several of these stones. Most have been cut but there are a few "raw" (not polished or cut). I was trying to locate information on the value of these when I found this web site. I guess that my question is, is there any value for these stones ? ? ? I had studded ear rings made for all of the girls in my family and they were real nice. How can I find a value ? ? |
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From the Arabian Peninsula
Post#10 @
05-07-06
, 05:55 AM
hi every body, i am from the Arabian Peninsula, and i have never heard a bout Diamonds in area...i know that there is a lot of natural glass,Quartz and natural Zircon but DIAMONDS..never...from the pic and the description i think most probably they are natural Zircon but naming them DESERT DIAMONDS is misleading |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#11 @
10-23-06
, 12:10 PM
I'm new at this so I hope it's right. I worked in Saudi for 10 years and found a lot of desert diamonds. I had some cut in Bangkok but have about 240 grams of raw stones left. Are you interested ?? Ron |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#12 @
10-23-06
, 01:20 PM
Quote:
Well, there is two different ways to look at these stones. I didnt like the way the artical was worded to make it sound like these stones are any where near as special or rare as a diamond. It sounds like it is intentionaly worded to decive unwary consumers. Technically for something to be considered a "gem stone" it has to have three quaities. The stone must be rare, durable, and beautiful. Even high quality crystal quartz is not exactly rare. But they are durable and beautiful. They can, and have been used as a diamond simulant. But in this day and age with other more realistic diamond synthetics clear quartz as a diamond simulant is has fallen out of favor. So the only real value as a gem stone is how much each individual likes the stones they have. And just so you know, a gem carat is 1/5 of a gram. So 240 grams would equal 1200 gem carats. I would think the value would lye more with your memorys of being over in Arabia and how much fun you enjoyed collecting the stones. Hope that helps Phoenix |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#13 @
05-07-08
, 12:43 AM
I am an American who lived in Saudi Arabia for nearly 5 years. I have personally gone out to the desert and picked up desert diamonds. They are a type of semi-precious quartz. Crazily, you can find them just lying around on the desert floor in some areas... the not-so-good ones are pretty cloudy. The best are the ones that are fairly to mostly clear. They tend to be quite small, although I have collected some that are around 10 carats uncut (which is pretty big). My personal experience with these, is that people take them to Thailand, where jewelers will treat them with heat to make them more clear and then cut them. If they don't have too many fractures in them, you can get a decent cut stone. They set just like a diamond, although I have heard that they WILL go cloudy over time. I have some that are around 15 years old, and they haven't clouded yet.... but who knows. They were free to me (well, not to cut) so I don't have much invested in them. I would proceed with caution... these things are the most fun when you go out and collect them yourself. Then you have a story to go with it, and it isn't about the stone being particularly valuable. Just my two cents. 
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#14 @
05-07-08
, 01:13 AM
The ad makes some impossible claims. If they are as soft as quarts or topaz, they can scratch and chip with wear. They will not refract like diamonds or CZ's. CZ's are white and they stay white and if they are not scratched they don't change. If Dessert diamonds have been heat treated the treatment might alter and the stone can change. Colourless gems cost much less. Many coloured gems are heat treated. They may also be irradiated. They are priced accordingly, and gemmologists can determine if a gem is natural or somehow enhanced. |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#15 @
04-03-09
, 11:23 PM
My husband and I lived in Saudi Arabia for 5 years in the 1980's. We found many desert diamonds while hiking and camping in the desert outside of Riyadh. I kept them as-is, and had a few mounted into costume jewelry pieces, and keep the rest on display in a small bowl. I never had any cut in Thailand because everybody we knew who took the stones to be cut were given CZ as a substitute! They found that out when, after mounting them in jewelry, they went home and had things appraised and found out their stones had been switched. So unless you can stand there and watch the cutter cut the stone you hand to him/her, don't trust that what you take home is what you found in the desert. |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#16 @
05-05-09
, 01:53 PM
I'm new to this site, but I've seen "dessert diamonds" in person and I'm not a gemologist and I could tell. Although, if you think it is a pretty stone, who cares? |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#17 @
08-22-09
, 05:56 AM
Hi There I live in Riyadh and would like to know some spots to get some dersert diamonds in the riyadh area please? |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#18 @
08-22-09
, 10:03 AM
It is a a scam |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Post#19 @
07-12-10
, 02:26 AM
Ah..I see. I'm not so familiar with that word, well, I guess I will know more about desert diamonds. |
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Re: Desert Diamonds
Seems like an attempt to legitimize something that is simply not what it implies. Forgive me for being skeptical, but so many first time posters interested in quartz on a diamond forum seems a bit strange to me... |
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