DIAMOND EDUCATION

Diamonds: A Centuries-Old Love Affair

Diamonds are prized above all other gems for brilliance, purity, and steadfastness. The word diamond, in fact, is rooted in the Greek adamas, which means indomitable or indestructible.

Early legend holds that freedom would be granted to captives who could crush a diamond – a virtually impossible task. It was also believed that diamonds could ward off evil and assure might in battle. Little wonder, then, that diamonds became symbols for the strength of love and the power of kings.

Although no one is sure when diamonds came to be known, Indian manuscripts from the fourth century B.C. describe gemstones with diamond-like qualities. Writings of the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder confirm that Romans of the first century A.D. prized diamonds but that only kings and the very wealthiest citizens possessed them.

Diamonds were first mined in India, and Indian diamonds were transported along the Silk Road, the ancient trading route that linked the East with the Roman Empire. With the opening of sea routes in the 1400s, diamonds began to reach Northern Europe. By the 16th century, cities such as Venice, Paris, Bruges, Antwerp, and Amsterdam had become diamond cutting and trading centers.

Still, diamonds remained exclusively in the hands of royals and aristocrats. Noblemen and rulers amassed gems for pride and amusement, and from the 15th to the 19th centuries, European royalty acquired many of the world’s most legendary diamonds.

Discoveries Ignite a Brilliant New Era

It was in 1870 that the first diamond mine opened in Africa, and diamond prospectors flocked to the continent in a movement likened to the California gold rush.

African mines began supplying the world with more rough diamond than had ever been available. A rising middle class made for a growing market, and polishing and trading centers arose in cities around the world. Thanks to technological advances, new shapes and greatly improved cuts were introduced.

Naturally, competition for control over the diamond industry was keen. By 1940, one company had emerged as the dominant power in diamond mining and trading, and the phrase “a diamond is forever” was coined.

From that time forward, the diamond engagement ring has been the requisite symbol of a couple’s lifelong commitment to each other. Every bride-to-be expects to receive a diamond engagement ring, and “have you seen her ring?” is the standard question women ask when they learn of a friend’s engagement.

Today, diamonds are owned by all kinds of people and treasured equally as symbolic statements and fashion statements. To wear a diamond is to wear a touch of legend, a bit of history, and a piece of the world itself.