A diamond is a stone that truly states, "I love you"" in a deep way. In fact, you've probably heard the slogan many times that ""a diamond is forever."" This is because of the stone's symbol of deep, everlasting love, as well as the fact that it's the hardest substance known on earth.The diamond is also the stone that marks the 60th anniversary of marriage, and is the birthstone for the month of April. It is believed that the first diamonds were discovered in India, at least 3000 years ago, but more likely as long as 6000 years ago. In Ancient India, people viewed diamonds as religious icons."
Going back to early history, diamonds were always used to engrave tools because of their hardness. Diamonds have been found all over the world on all continents. In 600 AD, diamonds were found in Borneo, an island located north of Australia. In the 1700's, Brazil was a rich source of diamonds, and in the 1800's, South Africa was known for their large supply of diamonds. Since the 1970's, Australia has been a large source for the precious stones.
Ancient Greeks named the diamond "adamas,"" meaning ""invincible,"" ""indestructible,"" ""proper,"" and ""untamed."" Warriors in ancient Greece wore diamonds as the stones were thought to strengthen the warriors' muscles and bring them invincibility. The power, hardness and beauty of the diamond have been prized throughout history in many civilizations. The famous Persian poet Hafiz remarked that, ""the rainbow is confined in a diamond forever"". In antiquity, a diamond was always thought to be a symbol of innocence and purity. Ancient Greeks thought that diamonds represented the tears of weeping gods. Ancient Romans thought diamonds were considered to be parts of the outer rings of stars, which had fallen to the earth."
Almost every civilization has some kind of lore on the diamond. Every civilization's lore however, shares one theme- that the diamond symbolizes all forces necessary for a healthy society, and that it brings its wearer great strength. The diamond was always considered a stone of winners. In fact, it was the talisman of Julius Caesar, Louis IV and Napoleon.
The Renaissance Period was the first point in time when diamonds were used as engagement rings. They were thought to be a special gift, which represented the very ultimate gift of love. In 1477, this trend was started when Archduke Maximillian gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond engagement ring. This was a trend that was only popular among royalty and the very wealthy.
Giving a diamond as an engagement ring did not actually become a standard until the De Beers marketing campaign started, during the 20th Century. Today, the primary use of diamonds is no longer for carving or protection during battles. They are now used for adornment because of the their sheer beauty- their dispersion of white light into many different beautiful colors, and their brilliance and indestructibility. Gemologists now rate diamonds based upon what is called "the 4 C's,"" referring to carat, cut, color, and clarity."
"Carat"" refers to the weight of the diamond. ""Cut"" refers to the brilliance of the stone, as the way it is cut determines how much brilliance a diamond will have. ""Clarity"" refers to the natural blemishes found inside diamonds (and remember, a flawless diamond is extremely rare). Finally, ""color"" is the last important factor when choosing a diamond. The highest color ranking for a diamond represents a completely clear and colorless stone."
Diamonds have many positive mystical attributes and healing properties. The diamond is associated with activating the seventh chakra, Sahasrara, uniting the mind with the body. While a diamond is regarded as the strongest precious stone, it is also regarded as a stone of exceptional power as it's able to reach into us and open many spiritual doors. This is perhaps why diamonds represent truth. They also symbolize perfection because of their indestructibility.
Throughout time, diamonds have been thought to improve the wearer's life in many ways, specifically by bringing clarity (perhaps related to the clarity of the stone itself) into the wearer's mind and life. This clarity presents clear, positive resolutions to all problems.
Diamonds have been believed to improve one's energy, environment, growth process, prosperity, love life, faith and endurance. The stone also attracts abundance, strength, power, courage, fortitude, creativity, imagination, purity, harmony, faithfulness, innocence, increased feelings of self-respect and love, and relationships full of pure love. In fact, diamonds are believed to fill negative spaces in oneself with the purity of love. The stone will help you accomplish your dreams and destiny.
Overall, a diamond is believed to be bring great calm and inner peace, bringing forth an overall positive mental attitude. Diamonds also have the power to stop stress, emotional pain, fear, and protect the owner from negative energies. The stones have also been believed throughout history, to protect the wearer against thieves, fire, water, poison, illness and sorcery. Interestingly, it is believed that the powers of a diamond increase when worn around the neck, or on the left hand. Diamonds are thought to help many physical ailments as well, as they purify the body's system.Ancient Hindus believed that the vibrations of a diamond strengthened every organ of the body, the heart, and in particular, the brain.
In the East, a diamond is used as a heart tonifier. Typically, one that is ill, places a diamond in a glass of water. The glass is left overnight next to their bed and when the morning comes, the water is to be sipped in several steps, to aid the heart.
In general, diamonds have been known to prevent cardiovascular disease, leukemia and skeletal problems. They stimulate the glands of the endocrine system, balance metabolism and enhance eyesight. They are also believed to help glaucoma, vertigo, and dizziness, strengthen the immune system and metabolism, and fight against stomach aches. They can also help with memory loss, bad depression, fever, fatigue, skin disease, and nightmares. The stones also help people who are overcome with addictions.
As the hardest mineral in existence, a diamond is highly regarded for its beauty and ability to reflect light in an extremely dazzling way. Diamonds display a large amount of brilliance and fire, meaning they sparkle a lot, and always retain a freshly polished look.Created out of pure carbon, the carbon atoms within diamonds are bonded very strongly, which makes for the hardness and strength of the stone. Diamonds are the hardest known substances.
Because of the strength of this carbon bonding, diamonds rate a 10 on the Mohs scale- meaning they are as hard as a stone could possibly be. Since antiquity, it has been known that diamonds are the hardest stone. Because of this, the hardest diamonds can only be scratched with other diamonds. Also because of their hardness, not too much care is needed to keep your diamond looking new. It keeps a polish for a very long time and is therefore suitable for everyday wear. Other chemicals cannot affect diamonds, because they are the most durable and inert material.
In their most natural form, diamonds are clear, but because of impurities of light elements, such as nitrogen, diamonds can also be found in colors such as orange, green, blue, pink, black, yellow, orange, green, red, and brown.
The brilliance of a diamonds comes from a combination of reflection, dispersion, and refraction. A ray of light first passes through a diamond and is then bent, or refracted. Then, this bent ray is reflected through a facet at the bottom of the stone and through the top of the stone. When refraction occurs, each ray is bent at a slightly different angle, which is referred to as dispersion. Of all gems, diamonds have the highest index of refraction.
The most popular cut of diamond is called a brilliant cut, a cut where numerous facets are placed so the most rays of light will reflect through them. This cut is determined by mathematical and empirical analysis. A Brilliant cut does not refer to the shape of the actual stone, but the proportion and symmetry of the diamond.
