Diamonds are forever. Justifiably
so. They are the purest natural substance found in nature and
the most durable. Its name derives from the Greek "adamas",
which means invincible, unyielding, or unconquerable. First discovered
almost 3000 years ago in river-bed deposits on the Indian sub-continent,
diamonds have long remained impervious to man's attempts to cut
and fashion them into jewelry. (A Hungarian crown imbedded with
uncut diamonds dating from the eleventh century seems to be the
earliest example of diamond jewelry.) Diamonds' obstinate and
exceptional acerbity has long inspired awe in people, who see
these precious gems as potent talismans conferring invincibility
and power on their beholders.
Gem lore has always attributed diamonds
to magical powers. Thought to exorcise demons and evil creatures,
to bestow virtue and courage, and to protect from lightning and
famine, diamonds have always transcended into the metaphysical.
Others believed diamonds to be potent poisons. They could certainly
kill. Catherine de Medici notoriously murdered her enemies by mixing
diamond powder in their food. Poisonous or not, the Greek philosopher
Plato agreed that gems were live creatures born of a chemical reaction
to vivifying astral spirits. Alchemists even classified precious
stones into males and females and believed the gems could "marry"
and reproduce at will. If they themselves cannot "marry,"
diamonds have helped millions of others tie the knot. They continue
to be the symbol of love in engagement and wedding ceremonies across
the globe…
Diamonds remained uncut until the fourteenth century with the
advent of capable tools that could penetrate its exceptionally
hard crystalline surface. Rough diamonds were, for the first time,
cut and polished to reveal its most appreciated characteristic:
exquisite brilliance and breathtaking beauty. Nothing can compare
to the beauty and sparkle of a cut and polished diamond. Thus
the diamond began its new incarnation as the "Master of
Gems."
First sifted from riverbed silt and
sand, diamonds are now obtained by underground and marine mining.
Originally believed to be fragments of stars, diamonds are in
fact formed by the same basic element which forms all life on
earth: carbon. However, in order for common carbon to crystallize
into a rarefied diamond, it needs to undergo the course 1.5 billion
years deep within the earth's crust - environments of extreme
heat and enormous pressure.
Diamonds are weighted in carats.
One carat equals one fifth of a gram.
