The Mystery of Golconda

In the high jewelry world, there are very few words that can elicit the excitement, allure, and mystery of Golconda. In fact, this writer has been known to refer to Golconda as one of the holy grails of the jewel world. But even some proficient gemstone enthusiasts will be hard pressed to adequately explain and describe what the fuss is about. How can this simple word, which means flower in the Hindi dialect of India, have the power to make the most jaded hearts race?

Golconda is the name of a historic fort city, near Hyderabad, India. Important in our sphere of jewelry is the fact that this region was lined with some of the worlds most prolific diamond mines, in the 16th and 17th centuries. Beyond the regions gem fertility, the diamonds unearthed in this area possess a mesmerizing transparency that a layman may describe as brighter than other white diamonds. As India used to be the world’s greatest purveyor of large, fine diamonds, some of the most historically important diamonds are of Golconda origin.

The 105 carat Koh-I-Noor, the 182 carat Daria-I-Noor, the 140 carat Regent and the 189 carat Orlov are just some of the magnificent yields of this fabled region. However, as if a cruel prank by mother nature, this entire region dried up and diamond yields were completely exhausted in mid to late 17th century. Imagine this- take some of the world’s finest diamonds, give them the unique magic of special transparency but then tell the world that none are left. The perfect recipe for an obsession.

What gives Golconda diamonds their magic? We know diamonds are made up of simple carbon. Surely carbon is the same no matter where its mined. When two diamonds are both graded as the same color and clarity for example, how can the Golconda have optics that make it look superior? ?It took recent, modern science and specialized equipment to study Golconda diamonds on an atomic level. Most think of diamonds as pure carbon, but nothing is pure or perfect in nature. In fact, it has been determined that all diamonds contain trace amounts of nitrogen. This slightly slows down light traveling through it. As gemological luck would have it, the majority of diamonds from Golconda lack this common trait- No nitrogen, better light efficiency. The last thing scientists are is romantic and so they termed such diamonds as “Type 2A.”

Further study revealed that Type 2A diamonds (My family hates calling them this) can occur within any diamond mining source. However, at a frequency of less than 2%. This discovery renewed the world’s interest in this elusive diamond category. GIA has gone as far as to provide secondary certification for diamonds they categorize as Type 2A. Regarding this, it is important to note the tendency to be super-efficient with light is a completely different concept than the actual color and clarity of the diamond. In other words, you can have two diamonds graded as E color, VS1 clarity but one being Type 2A and the other not.

This entire topic is esoteric and even most professional jewelers have not dealt in Type 2A diamonds. Purchasing a diamond with such a rare phenomenon not only requires great diamond contacts but also requires a 20-30% price premium. Therefore, most requests for Type 2A are from seasoned diamond collectors looking for 5ct + stones, especially in the D/ Flawless quality. The Golconda effect tends to make a diamond appear as a finer color. As such, a buyer can possess a diamond that is “superior” to what should gemologically be the top color- D. Imagine that.

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Rodney Rahmani is President of Brilliant Stars and a 3rd generation International Gemstone Merchant. He is considered a leading authority in the subjects of gemstones, jewelry, mineral economics and the global luxury consumer market. He is a noted speaker and author of many articles on these subjects. He may be reached at [email protected]

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