History of Diamonds

The Fascination of Diamonds throughout History

Diamonds have a certain allure that has transcended time. Originally thought to have been discovered in India as much as eight hundred years before the birth of Christ, the history of diamonds is colorful. The Romans and Greeks in ancient times believed that diamonds had mystical powers and came from the heavens. In actuality, diamonds were likely formed by volcanoes millions of years before man made an appearance on Earth.

The history of diamonds shows the exclusivity of the stone among royalty for hundreds of years. Kings believed that if they wore diamonds or adorned their shields and other battle garments with them that they would be invincible. It was not until the fifteenth century when the first diamond ring was given by a prince in a royal court to his beloved betrothed that diamonds earned the reputation for being the favored stone for engagement rings.

Venice was likely the starting point in the history of diamonds in regards to cutting them for jewelry and other purposes. There are records dating back to the fifteenth century with drawings of multi-faceted cuts and shapes. With the various styles of diamonds you can find today, it is hard to believe that they are one of the hardest substances known to man. In fact, the history of diamonds dictates that they can really cut glass just as the old wives tales suggest and their melting point is almost three times that of steel!

For hundreds of years, riverbeds in India were the most likely source of diamonds in the world. The history of diamonds shows that in the late nineteenth century, a number of caches of diamonds were found in the earth, thus precipitating the diamond mining industry. South Africa produced a lot of rough diamonds as did India and Brazil. Today, there are diamond mines in Siberia and even Canada. Some of the big diamond companies like DeBeers have operations in these places.

Hundreds of stories can be tied to the history of diamonds, including a few famous stones with supposed “curses” attached to them. The famous one of all is the Hope Diamond. The Hope family, to which it belonged, died in poverty after acquiring it. The McLean family who owned it next suffered many tragedies before it was bought by famous Hollywood jeweler Harry Winston and donated for permanent display to the Smithsonian Institute.

The clear, white brilliance is not the only color that has shined throughout the history of diamonds. The Hope Diamond is blue and there is the Darya-i-Nur diamond which is pink in color. There are also diamonds in shades of peach, canary yellow, brown and red. In addition, diamonds come in all shapes and sizes with the larger the stone, the higher the price!

For every diamond, there is a story, whether it is set in an engagement ring or sitting in a museum with a supposed curse. Once diamonds were discovered, they have never gone out of style. They have a certain allure that transcends time. The history of diamonds will always shine brightly.

References:
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/diamonds/royal.html
http://www.diamondtrade.com/basics/history.cfm