The Story of Diamonds and Diamond Jewelry

The diamond begins its centuries-long story in the 1st century AD with a memorable statement from Roman naturalist Pliny: Diamond is the most valuable, not only of all precious stones but of all things in the world.

Of course, diamonds came into existence billions of years ago; they’ve seen dinosaurs come and go, civilizations rise and fall, and become one of the most valuable, appreciated, and hyped precious stones on the planet. What turned the tables when it comes to diamond jewelry was an interesting ad by De Beers in 1947 that remains the most notable advertising campaign of the 20th century thanks to the phrase that’s popular to this day – “Diamonds are Forever”.

How It All Began

It all began with a Big Bang but when we focus on what we know about the diamonds and their value today, it’s safe to say that their story begins in India where they were discovered almost 3000 years ago. At the time, their value wasn’t about their beauty but the ability to refract light. This is why these stones were mainly used for protection against evil and were often incorporated into decorations and talismans to serve this purpose.

As years and centuries passed, the diamond’s notion of value shifted to medical uses during the Dark Ages, when people believed that holding or even ingesting the diamond could cure various illnesses, and finally to the object of beauty and prestige during the Middle Ages.

It was only in 327 BC that the diamonds came to Europe from India thanks to the king of Macedon at the time, Alexander the Great, who brought them there. It took more than 7 centuries for diamonds to become a part of jewelry. It’s believed that the origin of this practice dates back to 1074 when the crown of the Hungarian queen was decorated with diamond stones. Three hundred years later came the invention of the Point Cut, allowing for more efficient use of diamonds in jewelry as it was possible to cut them according to their natural shape. Before that, all diamonds that didn’t have an already well-formed shape were discarded.

The Evolution of the Diamond in the Jewelry World

With the new diamond cutting technique, the value of this precious stone quickly found its place in the jewelry world. In 1447, the tradition of proposing with a diamond ring started when the Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy with a diamond piece. Soon, new cuts followed, with the Rose Cut in 1520, the Peruzzi Cut in 1681, and many more.

To this day, India remains one of the main diamond sources in the world, especially when it comes to larger stones. However, other sources have been discovered across the globe, including Australia, Russia, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa. The original meaning that was attributed to diamonds has been replaced with valuing them for their prestige, rarity, and beauty, but the fact that their durability represents loyalty that stands the test of time remains unchanged.

What’s So Special about the Diamond?

You might not be aware of this but the diamond is the hardest known natural material on the planet; hence the name for this stone, which translates to “unbreakable” in ancient Greek. On the Mohs scale of hardness, they rate 10 out of 10, while sapphires and rubies rate 9 and emerald rates 8.

The prestige and unparalleled beauty of diamonds also come from the fact that these precious stones are quite rare in their most valuable quality form. And not only are the diamonds rare, but the number of people who possess the adequate skill to cut them is equally so.

These days, it’s possible to find both natural diamonds and those that are made synthetically. Amazingly, natural diamonds tend to be very old, even more than 3 billion years old. When you consider that the planet Earth is 4.54 billion years old, it’s no wonder that diamonds are so special and powerful.

The Diamond Jewelry Lore

As a precious stone, diamond has many properties associated with it, which makes for some rather interesting diamond jewelry facts. The popular ones include:

Strength. There’s nothing too outrageous with this particular property. As mentioned, diamond is the hardest natural material in the world, which is almost impossible to break or scratch – unless one uses another diamond. What’s more, they’re very stable and tend not to react to the majority of chemicals. Their strong radiance is said to represent the stone’s energy of strength that can affect the wearer.

Protection. Diamonds are not just hard and beautiful to look at; they’re also great electrical insulators. This is precisely why wearing a diamond was a traditional way to ward off evil spirits and protect from negative energy for hundreds of years. Essentially, it was believed that the diamond’s energy field was strong enough to resonate with and act as a shield for the wearer’s personal energy.

Purity. Due to its amazing strength, durability, and structural integrity, it rarely ever happens that some intrusion can affect the stone’s value negatively. More often than not, certain impurities/foreign substances only tend to increase the stone’s value. The best example involves colored diamonds, with pink, blue, and brown being the most popular ones. Thanks to this particular fact, diamonds are often said to have a strong energy of purity.

There are plenty of other fascinating diamond properties across the globe, some of which are rather spectacular and magical, such as using diamonds to become invincible or to secure an everlasting love.

When it comes to astrology, a diamond is the birthstone of Aries as it’s seen as a perfect match for this sign’s strength, power, and overall energy. Other diamond qualities across different cultures are as follow:

• Enhances relationship harmony
• Promotes energy cleansing
• Increases good luck
• Boosts creativity and endurance
• Provides mental strength and clarity
• Stimulates spiritual growth
• Grows courage while dispelling fears
• Betters the eyesight

The Best Way to Wear a Diamond

When you’re looking into getting precious stone jewelry for yourself, it’s important to keep in mind two criteria: your budget and the way you wish to benefit from the piece.

It won’t come as a surprise that the most popular way to wear a diamond is a ring. After all, it’s extremely resistant to wear and tear, which makes it easy to wear every single day and enjoy its energy without compromise. Other popular ways to wear diamonds include necklaces and earrings. You can find amazing offers in our diamond jewelry store in Miami for very reasonable prices.

That said, whatever diamond jewelry piece you choose, the essentials remain the same – always look for the 4 C’s: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat.

If you’re interested in getting your own diamond jewelry piece, feel free to check out our offers at Santayana Jewelers, be it online or at one of our stores in Miami or Coral Gables. Our staff will gladly help you pick the perfect piece and answer all of the questions you may have. We’re known for our innovative designs and custom jewelry, thus allowing you to remain unique and true to yourself while wearing a Santayana piece.