Diamond: A symbol of sacred love

One of my closest friends celebrated their silver wedding anniversary recently. Instead of spending a fortune partying with a thousand friends, her husband offered her a grand second honeymoon and an expensive piece of jewelry. They chose to go to New York City as they love to watch Broadway plays and enjoy the gastronomic delights of the city’s top restaurants. She also opted to buy her anniversary gift there, from one of my friends in the trade. As she only likes diamonds, I referred her to my friend Dave, a diamond dealer, from whom she could get the best value for her money.  Dave has taught me a lot of things about diamonds. According to him, one has to consider the four Cs when buying a diamond: color, clarity, carats, and cut. But not only did he teach me the know-how of buying (or selling) a diamond, he also taught me a bit of the history behind this precious stone.  

According to legend, the tips of Cupid’s arrows were set with diamonds, so we might as well say that diamonds have been synonymous with love since the beginning of time. In the late 15th century, diamonds began to be used on engagement rings as the symbol of conjugal fidelity. A manuscript from the archives of the Vatican about the marriage of Constanzo Sforza and Camilla D’Aragona clearly describes the powerful symbolism associated with the diamond: "Two torches in a burning ring of fire, two wills, two hearts, two passions are united in marriage by a ring set with a diamond."

Barthelemy l’Anglais, in a book in 15th-century France, also attributed to diamonds powers that were useful for couples. "If a woman has quarreled with her husband, she can calm their tempestuous relationship by wearing a diamond. To test a woman’s fidelity, place a diamond under her pillow. If she is faithful, the presence of the diamond will make her turn toward her husband in her sleep. If she has sinned, however, she will turn away from her husband and might even fall out of bed."  

This might seem hilarious to us today but during those times, the words of l’Anglais were taken seriously. The intimate link between diamonds and love has endured through the ages.  

Until the end of the 19th century, diamonds were reserved solely for royalty and the privileged people of the royal families. After the Industrial Revolution, however, the bourgeois and nouveau riche began taking great interest in diamonds. Words of love were engraved on rings set with diamonds. Men offered their lady love diamonds to express the sincerity of their feelings. Diamonds became the obsession of jewelry collectors; it is 140 times harder than sapphire, 180 times harder than emerald. And who can remain indifferent to such sparkling beauty? Diamonds are simply irresistible!

Supernatural stories about diamonds have been retold through the centuries. In the 4th century BC, in the state of Anda Pradesh in the Golconde region of India, a new epoch began when the first known diamonds were extracted from the earth. The reputation of these incomparable stones quickly spread around the world. Fortunate were those who owned one because diamonds were said to offer protection from serpents, fire, poison, sickness, thieves, and all the forces of evil. Furthermore, diamonds brought healing, knowledge and wisdom. The only problem was that they were so rare that they were not affordable. Only the richest kings could afford them. 

Until the 18th century, virtually all diamonds came from India. In 1726, diamonds were discovered in Brazil, and in 1868, they were discovered in the Orange Region of South Africa. This was the year that Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato founded De Beers and revolutionized the story of diamonds. Today, nearly 60 percent of the world’s diamonds originate from the mines of South Africa, although they can also be found in the Congo, Western Africa, Australia, Canada, Indonesia and the Ural mountains of Russia. Curiously, diamonds and gold are often found in the same area.

While celebrated for their beauty, diamonds of olden times were rather somber because their surface reflected only a small amount of light. It was only in the 14th century that cutting techniques were developed. Using a diamond to cut another diamond, and then polished with diamond powder, the splendor of this extraordinary stone was finally revealed. More and more techniques to cut diamonds were discovered through the years, paving the way for different shapes and cuts.

Although there are many beautiful diamonds of one, two or three carats, large diamonds are extremely rare. Only one in 10,000 diamonds has a 10-carat weight. Very large diamonds have many imperfections that must be eliminated during the cut. For example, the largest diamond in history is the Cullinan diamond, which was 3,106 carats when it was discovered in South Africa in the Cullinan mines. They cut it into 105 beautiful diamonds, the biggest of which is the Star of Africa, weighing 530 carats. In 1907, it was given to King Edward VII of England and sits in the Royal Scepter. It can be viewed in the Tower of London along with the other royal gems.

Another celebrated diamond is the Taylor-Burton Diamond, which weighs 69 carats. Liz Taylor first wore it in Monte Carlo for Princess Grace’s 40th birthday. The civic-minded, kind-hearted, beautiful actress eventually sold it to build a hospital in Botswana. 

Diamond is the ultimate stone that most jewelers work on. It has pushed the greatest artists to the pinnacle of their inspiration. Famous jewelers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, Cartier, Harry Winston, etc., are known not only for their creations but also for the celebrities that have worn their creations. Political figures, monarchs and royalty, movie stars, opera singers, athletes, TV personalities – they are all dripping with diamonds. And why not? A shooting star shines but for an instant, but a diamond is forever!