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Men grow cold
as girls grow old
And we all lose our charms in the end
But square-cut or pear-shaped
These rocks don't lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend"
- from the movie "Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes"
"A diamond is forever," as the old
saying goes.
The late actress Marilyn Monroe
said it best: "a diamond is a girl's best
friend." So much tribute has been paid
to the everlasting glory of the diamond, which
is among the most valuable (and expensive!)
precious stones in existence. Is it any wonder
then that diamond jewelry is so fashionable?
Diamond earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets
– many of these are regarded as works
of art.
The diamond is the most unadulterated of all
the gemstones composed of a single pure element.
It is also the hardest transparent substance
that exists. It is for this that the diamond
stands as a symbol of strength, purity of spirit,
and even physical chastity. Diamonds are formed
over a period of a billion or more years deep
within the Earth's crust - about 90 miles deep
- and is pushed to the surface by volcanoes.
Most diamonds are found in volcanic rock called
kimberlite, or in the sea after having been
carried away by rivers when they were pushed
to the surface.
A diamond is 58 times harder than the next hardest
mineral on earth, corundum, the stuff from which
rubies and sapphires are formed. Only diamonds
can cut other diamonds. Ironically, diamonds
are also brittle. If you hit one hard with a
hammer, it will shatter. If it is placed in
an oven and heated to about 763 degrees Celsius
(1405 degrees Fahrenheit), it will simply vanish,
releasing only a little carbon dioxide and NO
visible traces whatsoever.
It is also the anniversary gem for the 10th
and 60th years of marriage when eternity bands
and other diamond-detailed rings replace original
wedding bands.
The ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were
splinters of stars fallen to earth. It was even
said by some that they were the tears of the
Gods or perhaps crystallized lightning or hardened
dew drops. In fact, the exact origin of diamonds
is still something of a mystery, even to scientists
and geologists.
India is thought
to be the first river-bed source of diamond
mining. The ancient Hindus called the diamond
"Vajra," (lightening) because of the
sparks of light that it emits as well as its
invincible strength. Arguably the most beautiful
gemstones on the planet, diamonds are also harder
than any other substance on earth and found
today in Australia, Botswana, Russia and South
Africa.
Diamonds have long been credited for having
certain medicinal properties. During the middle
ages, these gemstones were thought to heal illness,
but only if the ailing person took the diamond
into bed to warm it up first!
Legend has it that Cupid’s arrows were
tipped in diamonds and over the centuries, this
magnificent gemstone has acquired a well-deserved
reputation as the ultimate gift of love.
In less democratic times, diamonds were reserved
for royalty…the only people "entitled"
to their symbolism of strength, courage and
invincibility. But in 1477, Archduke Maximillian
of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy
and before long the tradition of diamond engagement
rings was one embraced by even the most humble
brides-to-be and their suitors.
The diamond's white hue signifies life, joy
and innocence. But diamonds may be nearly any
color in the rainbow plus a wide range of browns,
grays, and white. Shades of yellow are most
common, followed by colorless. Blue, black,
reddish, and greenish are more valuable (some
extremely so).
It's interesting to note that a woman wears
her diamond on the third finger of her left
hand because early Egyptians believed the vena
amoris (vein of love) ran directly from the
heart to the top of the third finger, left hand
A gift of a Diamond is symbolic of everlasting
love. There is no more convincing a promise
of an enduring relationship than the brilliant
gemstone that has endured in people's hearts
throughout the history.
Diamonds emphasize superiority and endurance.
Unlike pearls they do not trap light, but reflect
them -- projecting not just a glow, but a finely
subtle ray of light upon the bearer's features.
Primarily, a diamond is graded by its 4 C’s:
the cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. These
characteristics are taken into consideration
in the crafting of the finest diamond jewellery
and hence should always be on your mind while
picking one up for yourself. However, scales
are not uniform: a clarity grade of “slightly
included” may represent a different grade
on one grading system versus another, depending
on the terms used in the scale. Make sure you
know how a particular scale and grade represent
the color or clarity of the diamond you’re
considering. A diamond can be described as “flawless”
only if it has no visible surface or internal
imperfections when viewed under 10-power magnification
by a skilled diamond grader.
Diamond accessories speak of the wearer’s
high-class taste and love for things of beauty.
The diamond is generally regarded as the premier
gem in the world of precious stones. As with
other gems, diamond weight usually is stated
in carats. Diamond weight may be described in
decimal or fractional parts of a carat. If the
weight is given in decimal parts of a carat,
the figure should be accurate to the last decimal
place. For example, “.30 carat”
could represent a diamond that weighs between
.295 - .304 carat. Some retailers describe diamond
weight in fractions and use the fraction to
represent a range of weights. For example, a
diamond described as 1/2 carat could weigh between
.47 - .54 carat. If diamond weight is stated
as fractional parts of a carat, the retailer
should disclose two things: that the weight
is not exact, and the reasonable range of weight
for each fraction or the weight tolerance being
used..
Of all the precious stones the diamond has the
simplest composition; it is merely crystallized
carbon. The most common substance that is known,
a substance that is present in everyplant, animal
and mineral on the earth.
Diamonds come mostly from the mines in South
Africa, but are also found in Brazil, India,
Australia and even in the United States.
The diamond is the hardest substance known,
being #10 on the Mohl scale, despite it’s
hardness, the diamond is not indestructible;
diamond will cut diamond; it can be burned in
the air, being carbon and will leave behind
carbon dioxide gas.
The facets of a cut diamond can be worn away
to some extent by the constant rubbing of clothing.
The diamond is also brittle, and can fracture
if struck against a hard surface.
Diamonds have a wide range of color; most numerous
are the whites, yellows, and browns in a great
variety of shades; then come the greens; red
stones of strong tints are very rare, as are
also blue, which have been found almost exclusively
in India; other tints of occasional occurrence
are garnet, hyacinth, rose, peach-blossoms,
lilac, cinnamon, and brown; black, rarities.
Diamonds without tint or flaw are rare indeed
and even most of the world’s famous diamonds
have imperfections.
The origin of the diamond’s name is the
Greek word adamas, meaning unconquerable; from
the same root spring our words adamant and adamantine.
The origin of the diamond, according to classical
mythology, was its formation by Jupiter, who
transformed into stone a man, Diamond of Crete,
for refusing to forget Jupiter after he had
commanded all men to do so.
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