Why We Love Diamonds

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend – and in recent years, a guy’s best friend as well. But why do we love diamonds so much? The reasons are as varied as the diamonds are. Maybe it’s because diamonds really are forever. Maybe it is because they represent value. Maybe it’s just the way that they sparkle and shine. No matter what our personal reasons are for loving diamonds, there is a great deal of mystery that surrounds them.

Diamond comes from a Greek word, adamas, which means unconquerable. There have been many myths and legends concerning diamonds. In ancient times, they were thought to be splinters of stars that had fallen from the sky. Some said that they were the tears of God. In Asia, there is a legend about a field of diamonds that are protected by snakes. Legend has it that Cupids arrows are tipped with diamonds.

In ancient times kings wore diamonds. The diamonds represented courage, strength, and power. In fact, during those days, only kings wore diamonds. It remained so for centuries. Diamonds eventually became associated with love, when in 1477 Archduke Maximilian from Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy to seal their engagement.

There is no other gemstone known to man that is as hard as the diamond. Diamonds are formed from carbon, and have a melting point of 6900 degrees. You can melt steel before you can melt a diamond. Diamonds were supposedly formed billions of years ago when the heat and pressure of the earth transformed the carbon. This is believed to have happened inside volcanoes, which then spewed the diamonds up to the Earth’s surface in Kimberlite pipes. This is where most diamonds are found.

In reality, however, scientists and geologists actually know very little about how diamonds originated, and the information that we do have is only a theory that to date is unproven.

Throughout time, there have been numerous diamonds that have achieved fame – not to mention fortune for their owners. The Koh I Noor, or Mountain of Light weighs in at 186 carats. It first came to light in 1304. It supposedly was used in the peacock throne of Shah Jehan, and today is a part of the British Crown Jewels.

The Blue Hope diamond is the most notorious diamond in history. It was owned by Louis XIV, but stolen during the French Revolution. It reappeared in London in 1830, where it was purchased by Henry Philip Hope. Once he acquired the diamond, however, his family experienced nothing but bad luck, and they all died in poverty. The diamond eventually was owned by Edward McLean, who suffered the same bad luck. While the diamond is worth a fortune, nobody seems to want it now – except the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C, where it currently resides.
The largest diamond ever discovered is the Cullinan, which weighed in at 3106 carats. This stone was eventually cut into nine big stones and 96 small stones. One of the large stones that were cut is now known as the Star of Africa (530.20 carats, part of the British Crown Jewels). The Star of Africa is the largest cut diamond in the world.

The Excelsior is thought to be the second largest diamond ever discovered, weighing in at 995.2 carats. But there is talk of a diamond called the Braganza, which may be the second largest – although nobody seems to have ever seen it, there are no records proving its existence, and most believe it to not exist.

There are at least two famous diamonds out there that have disappeared. These are the Great Mogul, which weighed 793 carats, and the Sancy, which weighed 55 carats. In the United States, the most famous diamond is the one that Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor – known as the Taylor-Burton diamond. It weighs in at 69.42 carats. Elizabeth Taylor eventually sold the diamond for $3 million to help build a hospital in Botswana, and it is reportedly now somewhere in Saudi Arabia.

Men have died and killed over diamonds – just as they have died and killed over women. Perhaps women and diamonds simply go hand-in-hand. This is because there are no two alike in the world. Each natural diamond is unique in its own right, just as each woman is unique.

There are numerous methods used to mine diamonds from the Earth, but few of the diamonds that are mined are actually ‘gem quality’ diamonds. For this reason, and to supply the growing demand for diamonds, Scientists have figured out a way to replicate diamonds, and we now have man made diamonds, as well as natural diamonds. Natural diamonds, however, will always reign over man made diamonds in terms of monetary value, and according to many, also in terms of beauty.

Beautiful diamonds don’t start out beautiful. In fact, they start out quite ugly. You’ve probably heard the term ‘diamond in the rough.’ A diamond in the rough is the state that the diamond is in when it is first mined from the Earth. A diamond in the rough essentially looks like a misshapen, dirty piece of glass. It isn’t until it is cut and polished that it is ready for a public appearance.

But you want to know how to buy a diamond, so why are we discussing the history and details of diamonds? Because when you do purchase a diamond, it is important to have a great appreciation for it. Diamonds aren’t cheap. Aside from this, the more knowledge that you have about diamonds, the more informed decisions you can make when purchasing one.

Let’s mine a little more information about diamonds, which will help you to choose the perfect diamond for your purposes.