Sixtieth Anniversary Stone: Diamond (Diamond Jubilee)

What is the 60th anniversary stone?

The 60th anniversary stone is the diamond. Sixty years is the diamond jubilee, the grandest of the anniversary milestones, and there is no ambiguity here: both the traditional anniversary list and the modern list name the diamond. It is a fitting choice. The hardest gem known marks the longest of marriages, and the symbolism lines up neatly with the substance.

What a diamond is and why it lasts

A diamond is crystallised carbon, formed under enormous pressure deep in the earth. That structure makes it the hardest natural material we know. On the Mohs hardness scale a diamond scores a 10, the very top of the scale and the only gem to sit there. For jewellery that matters practically: a diamond resists scratches from everything, so it holds its polish and sparkle through decades of daily wear. That is a large part of why it became the milestone stone. A diamond jubilee ring can genuinely be worn every day without babying it. Our gemstone guide puts diamond hardness in context against other stones.

Understanding the four Cs

Diamonds are graded on four things, known as the four Cs, and it helps to know which ones actually matter to the eye. Cut is the most important. A well-cut diamond returns light brilliantly and sparkles; a poor cut looks dull no matter how big it is. Colour runs from colourless down through faint yellows and browns; most people are happy with a near-colourless stone that costs far less than a top-grade one and looks the same on the hand. Clarity measures internal marks, most of which are invisible without magnification, so a stone graded slightly below flawless is usually indistinguishable to the eye and much cheaper. Carat is weight, which tracks with size. Our honest advice: put your money into cut first, accept a near-colourless colour grade and an eye-clean clarity grade, and you will get a beautiful stone without paying for perfection nobody can see.

Shapes, and lab-grown versus mined

Diamond shape is a matter of taste, not quality. The round brilliant is cut to sparkle the most and is the classic choice. Ovals look larger for their weight, cushions are soft and vintage, and emerald cuts give a clean, stepped look with more flash of light than fire. None is "better"; pick the one the wearer likes. One modern point worth raising honestly: lab-grown diamonds are chemically and physically the same as mined diamonds, and they cost considerably less. Some people care about the natural origin and some do not. We are glad to walk you through the difference without pressure either way, so you can decide what fits your budget and your feelings.

Choosing a diamond piece for 60 years

Because a diamond is so hard, every format works, and you have complete freedom. Our practical suggestions:

• Reset the original rings. After sixty years the wedding and engagement rings are usually well worn. Resetting the original diamonds into a fresh piece keeps the history and gives it new life. This is often the most meaningful choice, and it is a good deal of our anniversary work.
• Eternity band. A ring of diamonds all the way round is a clear, elegant diamond-jubilee marker.
• Diamond pendant or studs. Easy, wearable every day, and hard to get wrong if you are unsure of ring size or style.

On setting: a diamond's hardness means you can set it however you like. Prongs show off the stone and let light in from all sides; a bezel setting, a rim of metal around the stone, offers more protection for active hands. Diamonds do collect a film of skin oil that dulls their sparkle, so a quick clean with warm water and a soft brush now and then keeps them bright, no special equipment needed. Everything we make is designed and set by our goldsmith on-site in Coquitlam, BC, so we can build a diamond jubilee piece to fit exactly, or rework sixty-year-old rings into something the couple will wear for the years still ahead. Bring the originals in and we will plan around them.

A few honest pointers on buying, since diamonds are the one gem where people most often overpay. Ask to see any diamond over about half a carat with an independent grading report, so you know exactly what you are buying rather than taking a seller's word. Do not pay for a flawless clarity grade when an eye-clean stone one or two grades down looks identical on the hand for much less. And remember that certificates describe the stone, not the setting, so the quality of the mounting and the goldsmithing matters just as much for a piece meant to last. We are glad to sit down and read a report with you line by line. For sixty years together, the aim is a piece that looks right, wears hard and can be handed on, and a diamond does all three about as well as any gem can.

Frequently asked questions