"Pearl" diamonds?

[Circe]

Hail! On the suggestion of D2B, I''m posting here to ask if anybody knows anything about "pearl" diamonds (spherical rough usually found in alluvial stream-beds). I received a few as gifts from my parents back in the day (example of one posted here ). My dad got the terminology from a friend of his who cut rough, and everything else I know I picked up from old books about diamonds ... but if anyone has any additional information, I would very much appreciate a hint in the right direction!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Check out this picture Circe; I found it in the gallery:

Here is what was posted in the comment section:

This is a natural diamond crystal formation. They are called Balas diamonds and are only found in Brazil. It is made up of microscopically small, individual diamond crystals radiating in a spherical aggregate formation. It looks like a greasy/metallic slightly bumpy pearl. I got it from John Betts the mineral dealer out of NY city who has such interesting and rare types of natural diamond crystals.
I'd like to have it mounted to wear as either a pendant or ring, but am waiting for a design inspiration.


This picture and info was posted by Barbara Smigel of www.acstones.com . Barbara is a Gemologist and is very knowledgeable about her stuff! I would suggest calling or emailing her to see if she has any additional information about these types of stones. I called to thank her when I received my order but we struck up a conversation as well ... she was very informative

.

Here is the link to the post in the gallery:
http://com.pricescope.com/photos/barbara_smigel/category1052/picture1779.aspx

 

[IrishBreakfast]

I''ve been looking these up ever since I saw the thread with the one set into a ring yesterday. I found this one that looks so cool - just like a pearl, albeit a bit lumpy! I think it would make an awesome pendant. How else could you buy nearly 9cts for less than $2k!

http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/gifs/41298.htm

 

[Circe]

You guys? Rock the Casbah. Thanks so much for digging this up!

LiB, I will definitely try contacting Ms. Smigel: I''m excited to learn more about these. Everything I know so far is either secondhand (my dad talked to a guy who talked to a cutter who said ... you get the idea), or a sort of accidental reference in one of my books (a picture of rough in a book from the 70''s which mentions them in passing). I''d gotten so used to them that after a while, I stopped digging to see what was out there: thank you for the lead!

And, IrishBreakfast, exactly. Somewhere out there, I''m sure someone is assembling a "pearl" necklace: how amazing would that be?

 

[Love in Bloom]

I just ordered some stones from Barbara today (she just posted new inventory! I tried so hard to be good...

) and I called to confirm everything. Nosey me asked her about the spherical diamonds and she said they aren''t usually cut because they are actually a harder form of diamond due to their cystalline structure (she likened it to chalcedony in quartz; chalcedoy is much harder even though it is still a form of quartz). Now I want one too. Those blacklight shots were the coolest

!