So, I’ve been getting into this whole gemstone thing lately, and let me tell you, it’s wild. I decided to dive deep into the world of diamonds, specifically red diamonds because they’re like the unicorns of the gem world. I mean, who wouldn’t be intrigued by something so rare and, of course, so darn expensive?

My journey started with a simple idea: I wanted to see if I could get my hands on a rough red diamond. Not to sell or anything, just to have it, to study it. It was more about the thrill of the hunt than anything else. I spent days, no, weeks, just browsing through articles and forums. I learned that these beauties can cost a fortune, like a million bucks per carat. Crazy, right? And most of them are tiny, like less than half a carat.
I also found out that there’s a whole process to make a rough diamond look like those shiny rocks you see in jewelry stores. They say the rough ones are basically worthless compared to the polished ones, but that’s what I was after. I wanted the raw, untouched, straight-from-the-earth kind of diamond. That’s the “purest form,” as I read somewhere.
So, I started reaching out to people, reading more about “ethical sourcing” because, you know, nobody wants a blood diamond situation. Remember that movie? Apparently, in Sierra Leone, they found a huge one, 709 carats, worth like $50 million. Insane! I learned that there’s a 3% cut the government takes on all traded diamonds, and there’s this company, De Beers, that’s really strict about it.
I wasn’t looking for something that big, obviously. My goal was to find a small, ethically sourced rough red diamond. I kept digging, trying to understand how to tell a real raw diamond from a fake one. There’s a lot to consider, like how to evaluate them and not get scammed.
- Contacting suppliers: I emailed a bunch of places that claimed to sell rough diamonds. Most of them didn’t even reply, and some were clearly not legit.
- Narrowing down options: After a lot of back and forth, I found a couple of suppliers that seemed trustworthy. They had all these certifications and stuff, which I guess is a good sign.
- Negotiating and verifying: This was the hard part. We talked about prices, and I had to do a lot of cross-referencing to make sure I wasn’t being ripped off. They sent me pictures, certificates, and I even had a video call to see the diamonds.
- Making the purchase: Finally, I decided on one. It wasn’t easy to part with the money, but I was too excited to back out. I went for a bank transfer for this one.
- Waiting for delivery: The longest days of my life, I swear. I was tracking the shipment like a hawk.
And then, it arrived. A small, rough red diamond. It wasn’t shiny or sparkly, but it was mine. I spent hours just looking at it, thinking about its journey from deep within the earth to my hands. I even got a little microscope to examine it closer.

My Takeaways
This whole experience was eye-opening. I learned so much about diamonds, the industry, and the lengths people go to for these stones. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was stressful but also incredibly rewarding. Now, I have this unique piece of the earth, and it’s a story I’ll be telling for years.
If you’re thinking about doing something like this, be prepared for a wild ride. Do your research, be cautious, and remember that the real value is in the journey, not just the destination. And who knows, maybe you’ll end up with your own little piece of the earth’s magic, just like I did.