Polki Diamonds: Their Unique Beauty, Resale Value, and History
Long before they became the Diamond of the moment, I have been a great fan of the Polki Diamond in Jewellery.
The oldest Diamond cut is now everyone’s new favourite!
The diamond is being described as “softly glowing like the moon”. It is a style of diamond that seems to evoke a sense of dreamy romance and it is being revived in contemporary new styles.
I personally have been collecting Polki Diamonds in Sterling Silver Settings. To my eye, the silver gives an added polished glow, more so than gold. My collection includes, stud earrings, drop style including 4 or five glorious stones, single engagement style and band and eternity band.
For some reason, the unassuming diamond takes on a glorious new demeanour and becomes so important, you would swear it was a Kings’ gift.
Some people describe the diamond as ‘uncut’ because it isn’t faceted, but softly rounded to smooth out its inherent edges and polished to retain its natural structure. The final form is like a tumbled stone.
Polki Diamond History
Polki Diamonds originated in India, the source of the world’s first diamond discoveries, about 2,500 years ago. They had been prominently used for the most significant ceremonial jewellery creations, from daggers and plates to chess sets and magnificent necklaces.
What is a Polki Diamond?
Polki jewellery is basically created with unfinished diamonds in their natural form. If these unfinished diamonds are polished and chemically treated they look like shiny diamonds. The colour of Polki as compared to the chemically and lab processed diamonds is a little rustic.
The three types of polkis are Syndicate, Zimbabwe, and Khilwas. Syndicate is the highest quality polki. Zimbabwe polki comes in second and refers to diamonds coming from Zimbabwe in Africa. The lowest quality polkis are known as khilwas.
One of the key characteristics of a polki clarity is it’s inclusions. Inclusions are small imperfections within a polki that are created due to the extreme pressure and heat that polki experience when they form.
Sometimes, these inclusions may lead you to believe that the polki is cracked. A very simple and DIY test to clarify your doubt, is nail test: try running your nail lightly on the polki – if it stops, it’s a crack.
Polki Diamond Resale Value
How about the value of your Polki. I offer high quality Polki, however, they are still relatively inexpensive. They can not be sold back, so there is no investment value. What you are investing in is the romantic style of this method of buying one of the oldest diamond cut in the world. Let us imagine I give my niece a beautiful pair of earring studs with Polki Diamonds. She will treasure the gift and pass them on to her children. She will never go to the pawn brokers with them, she won’t realize enough money to make it worth her while. Polkis may not be worth much compared to cut diamonds, but they tend to hold quite some sentimental value, especially if a piece is passed on as an heirloom.
I was drawn to Polkis because of the earthy elemental quality. A lively Polki looks like a mineral, not a piece of glass or resin. I bypass hazy stones that look like a chunk of an old milk bottle. Good Polkis give off a soft glow and in low light, flashes.
I am constantly searching for interesting Polki jewellery to add to my collections. It is worthwhile to visit often.
…just bring jewellery
Brenda Pye
owner pyecreative.ca
