Kalahari Bushmen | There has been much publicity about the Kalahari Bushmen who are being forced from their ancestral homelands by the Botswana government following diamond discoveries.
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Karat, Karats, Karat Weight | Karat is the American spelling of carat, although it appears to be used more in respect of gold alloys, whereas the English spelling carat is often used relating to the weight of diamonds or other gemstones.
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KBC Group | KBC Group was created in 2005 as a result of the merger of the KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company and its parent company, Almanij. It is the largest bank in Belgium, and owns Antwerp Diamond Bank.
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Keel | A linear facet edge, or possibly small facet, on the bottom of step cut or rectangular diamonds, as opposed to a culet.
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Kiduah Meyuhad, KM, K.M. | Kiduah meyuhad is hebrew for "special drill". It refers to a process for internal laser drilling of diamonds first developed in 2000.
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Kimberley | Location of the "Big Hole", originally an area containing many small diamond claims, later bought up by De Beers. The Kimberley Mine. The South African City which grew up around the mine.
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Kimberley Octahedron | The Kimberley Octahedron is the largest diamond in the world at about 616 carats.
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Kimberley Process | An international agreement on methods to counter conflict diamonds, possibly another tool for De Beers to restrict competition.
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Kimberlite | The yellow or blue "ground" rock which forms diamond "pipes", and in which most diamond is found.
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Kings | Diamonds could only be worn by kings in many cultures until about the 15th century.
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Knot | The use of the term knot or naat parallels the same word applied to wood. It is a part of a diamond which is difficult to cut or polish because of twinning, negative crystal growth, or similar feature.
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Kohinoor, Koh-i-noor, Koh-i-nur, | The Kohinoor (mountain of light) was given to Queen Victoria in 1851, and is now part of the Crown Jewels. It weights 108 carats.
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There are currently over 600 entries in this table.
Over 90 of them have page links to a page on this site. Eventually, we intend to add a more complete description for most entries, each on its own page.
Please watch this space!