The History Of The Diamond

Dazzling to look at, no other gem quite compares to the diamond. Throughout history, the diamond has been surrounded by tales of mystical power, beauty and love. The need to posses this brilliant stone has historically brought out the worst in man. The first recorded use of this stone, whose name comes from the Greek “adamas” which means invincible, goes back to India 3,000 years ago where they were used as a talisman to protect soldiers in battle. Ancient people were probably first drawn to the stone for it’s ability to refract light but it didn’t take long for it to make it’s way into jewelry and other adornments.

During the Dark Ages, St. Hildegard wrote that a diamond, held while making the sign of the cross, healed wounds and cured the sick. Hoping to cure sickness, people even tried eating them, although this practice was largely unsuccessful and had stopped by the Middle Ages, when diamonds became valued for their worth, rather than their healing properties.

It was during this time that diamonds acquired the reputation for being poisonous. The owners of diamond mines perpetrated this myth, in an attempt to stop workers from swallowing diamonds and thus smuggling them out of the mines.

Two of the world’s largest and most beautiful diamonds were discovered in India during the Middle Ages – the Blue Hope and the Koor-I-Noor. In fact, India still provides the foremost diamond polishing industry in the world today.

Smaller diamond finds continued, in Borneo, Brazil and a few isolated locations in North America, but even those finds weren’t enough to keep up with the demand, as India’s diamond supply dwindled. It was in the mid-19th century that the biggest diamond rush occurred, with the discovery of diamonds near the Orange River in South Africa. Diamonds were also discovered in Australia, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that Australia’s potential as a diamond producer became proven. In 1979, the Argyle pipe was discovered near Lake Argyle. It is the richest diamond deposit in the world, and now produces over a third of the world’s diamonds every year.

The most sought-after diamonds used to be white diamonds, until pink diamonds were discovered in the Argyle. Diamonds come in white, pink, yellow, blue and green. Green is probably the rarest because it has the least penetration of color and often the color is disappears when the stone is cut.

Other Articles

The 4 C's Of Buying Diamonds
It might pay off to learn what affects their value before buying diamonds

Real or Simulated Diamonds?
What's the better buy?