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It’s the most famous gemstone, the centerpiece of most engagements rings, and the rarest (or is it?) of gems. April babies got lucky when it was declared their birthstone . Entire books have been written on this one sparkly brilliant stone. Let’s take a closer look at the mythical diamond.
What Is A Diamond?
The diamond is the hardest natural substance on earth; it measures the top score of 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale Though, contrary to myth, it is not indestructible. Thanks to one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns ever and a James Bond film, people assume these stones are “forever”. They’re not. After all, they are cut for setting in jewelry.
What Colors Do Diamonds Come In?
Unique among gemstones, diamonds are made of a single mineral – carbon. Some stones date back more than a billion years old. While “white” or colorless stones may first come to mind when you think of diamonds and they are the most valuable, the stone comes in a wide variety of colors- pink, blue, green, red, orange, brown, and yellow. They can be transparent, translucent, or opaque.
What Does A Diamond Represent?
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that diamonds were the god’s tears or splinters falling from the stars. In recent centuries, the gem has become the symbol jewel of love and commitment, most clearly defined in the engagement ring.
Where Do Diamonds Comes From?
Today, the U.S. accounts for over 40% of the diamond market yet most of these diamonds are mined overseas in Africa, Russia, Botswana, Brazil, and Australia. Only the diamond and the peridot are created in the earth’s mantle; and brought upwards through volcanic activity; other gemstones are created closer to the surface. Diamonds originally were only available to the rich but today just about every woman has at least one and they can be found in every fine jewelry store. So much for them being “rare.”
How Are Diamonds Valued?
Interestingly, only about one third of the diamonds mined worldwide are gem-quality. The rest are used for industrial purposes such as such as drilling, cutting, and polishing.
Those that do end up in jewelry are valued according to the clarity, cut, and color as well as carat weight – the famous 4 C’s. In other words, a small, clear, well cut diamond has a greater value than a larger, poorly cut, cloudy one.
Record-Breaker
The largest rough diamond , the Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905, originally weighting 3,106 carats! It was cut into several pieces and set in British Crown Jewels.
Arguably, the most famous diamond is the The Hope diamond, which was originally 112 carats and is currently in the Smithsonian Collection.
For more diamond facts check out our series Decoding Diamonds.
*Please note that all metaphysical/ healing properties are for informational/entertainment purposes and do not constitute advice or recommendation concerning the treatment of physical, mental, or emotional medical conditions. The Jewelry Junket does not guarantee the validity of any of such statements.
