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The Greek word "Adamas" meaning unconquerable
and indestructible is the root word of diamond. Diamonds have been
sought the world over, fought over, worshipped and used to cast love
spells.
For the last 3000 to 4000 years, diamonds have held special
magic for Kings, Queens and their subjects. Diamonds have stood for
wealth, power, love, spirit and magical powers. Kings in olden days would
wear into battle heavy leather breast plates studded with diamonds and
other precious stones. It was believed that diamonds were fragments of
stars and the teardrops of the Gods. The diamonds possessed magical
qualities of the Gods and held powers far beyond the understanding of the
common man. Because of these beliefs, the warriors stayed clear of the
Kings and others who were fortunate to have the magical diamonds in their
breast plates.
Until the 15thCentury only Kings wore
diamonds as a symbol of strength, courage and invincibility. Over the
centuries, the diamond acquired its unique status as the ultimate gift of
love. It was said that cupids' arrows were tipped with diamonds that have
a magic that nothing else can equal.
Since the creation of diamonds
they have been associated with romance and legend. The Greeks
believed the fire in the diamond reflected the constant flame of
love.
For millions of people around the world, the mystery and
magic, the beauty and romance shining out from a simple solitaire says all
the heart feels but words can not express. It wasn't until 1477 when
Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy,
that the diamond engagement ring was introduced. Placing the ring on the
third finger of the left hand, dates back to the early Egyptian belief
that the Vena Amors, vein of love, runs directly from the heart to the tip
of the third finger.
The first river-bed (alluvial) diamonds were probably discovered in India, in around 800 B.C. The volcanic source of these diamonds was never discovered, but the alluvial deposits were rich enough to supply most of the world's diamonds until the eighteenth century, when dwindling Indian supplies probably spurred the exploration that led to the discovery of diamonds in Brazil, which became the next important diamond source. Beginning in l866, South Africa's massive diamond deposits were discovered, and a world-wide diamond rush was on. The South African diamond output was unrivaled until major deposits were found in Siberian permafrost in l954. And currently Western Canada is the site of the world's newest diamond rush.
Throughout much of history, diamonds were mined from the sand and gravel surrounding rivers. But in South Africa in 1870 diamond was found in the earth far from a river source, and the practice of dry-digging for diamonds was born. More sophisticated mining techniques allowed deeper subterranean digging, as well as more efficient river (and, most recently, marine) mining, than ever before.
The cutting of diamonds into the complex faceted forms we now associate with these gems is actually a relatively recent practice. For centuries, rough diamonds were kept as talismans, and often not worn at all, though natural octahedral (eight-sided stones) were sometimes set in rings. A Hungarian queen's crown set with uncut diamonds, dating from approximately l074, is perhaps the earliest example of diamond jewelry. We know that the royalty of France and England wore diamonds by the 1300's. In sixteenth century England, fashionable lovers etched romantic pledges on window-panes with the points of their diamond rings, known as "scribbling rings".
The earliest record of diamond-polishing (with diamond powder) is Indian, and probably dates from the fourteenth century. There are also contemporary references to the practice of diamond polishing in Venice. The earliest reference to diamond cutting is in l550 in Antwerp, the most important diamond center of the period, where a diamond-cutters' guild was soon to be established.
Indian diamonds reached Venice by two Mediterranean routes: the southern route was by way of Aden, Ethiopia, and Egypt, and the northern route was through Arabia, Persia, Armenia, and Turkey. Then, thanks to the Portuguese discovery of the direct sea route to India, Antwerp flourished as a diamond center, as the city was well-situated to receive vast supplies of rough from Lisbon as well as from Venice.
After Spanish attacks on Antwerp in1585, many diamond cutters relocated to Amsterdam. And the Netherlands, with its liberal civil policies, attracted diamond craftsmen (including many Jews) who were fleeing religious persecution in Spain, Portugal, Germany and Poland.
In the late1600's, as the English fortified their interest in India, which was still the world's central diamond source, London became an important cutting center. Later, London became the primary world market of diamond rough.
Today, there are cutting centers all over the world, most notably in Belgium, Indian, Israel, South Africa, and the USA.
Famous diamonds often have complex and even controversial
histories because of the secrecy surrounding such stones
The
Star of Africa
At 530.20 carats the Cullinan I or Star Africa
diamond is the largest cut diamond in the world. Pear-shaped, with 74
facets, it is set in the Royal Scepter (kept with the other Crown Jewels
in the Tower of London). It was cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan, the
largest diamond crystal ever found. The Cullian was discovered in
Transvaal, South Africa in l095 on an inspection tour of the Premier Mine.
The Cullian was cut by Joseph Asscher and Company of
Amsterdam, who examined the enormous crystal for around six months before
determining how to divide it. It eventually yielded nine major, and 96
smaller brilliant-cut stones. When the Cullian was first discovered,
certain signs suggested that it may have been part of a much larger
crystal. But no discovery of the "missing half" has ever been
authenticated.
The Excelsior
Probably the second
largest stone ever found (if the lost Braganza cannot be found and
authenticated). A high-clarity, blue-white stone, it was found in l893 by
a South African mine worker who picked it out of a shovelful of gravel.
Because of its irregular shape, it was cut into 21 polished stones, of
which the largest was a marquise of 69.80 carats. A smaller, 18-carat
marquise stone cut from the Excelsior was displayed a the l939 World's
Fair by De Beers.
The Great Mogul
The world's third
largest gem-quality diamond was named after Shah Jehan who built the Taj
Mahal. It was found in the mid-seventeenth century in Hyderabad, India.
It's whereabouts are not presently known, and it may no longer exist as a
single large stone e. It has been confused with several other famous
diamonds, most importantly the Orloff, which has also been described as a
faintly blue rose-cut stone.
It is said that the stone was so badly cut that the
lapidary, instead of being paid by the Shah, was forced to pay a heavy
fine. When Tavernier so the Mogul, he described it as looking like an egg,
and weighing 280 old carats.
The Darya-i-Nur
The
Darya-i-Nur is a flawless, transparent pink stone, estimated at 175 to 195
carats. It is the largest and most remarkable gem in the Crown Jewels of
Iran, and was one of the spoils of Persia's attack on Delhi in l739. It is
now set in a gold frame with other diamonds, topped by a crown bearing
lions with ruby eyes, holding scimitars. It was worn by the last Shah for
his coronation in l967.
The Koh-i-Nur
The name of
this diamond means "Mountain of Light" and its history, dating back
to1304, is the longest of all famous diamonds. It was captured by the
Rajahs of Malwa in the sixteenth century by the Mogul, Sultan Babur and
remained in the possession of late r Mogul emperors. It may have been set
in the famous Peacock Throne made for Shah Jehan.
After the break-up of
the Persian empire the diamond found its way to India. It may have
traveled to Afghanistan with a bodyguard of Nadir Shah, who fled with the
stone when the Shah was murdered, to be later offered to Ranjit Singh of
the Punjab in exchange for military help (which was never delivered).
After fighting broke out between the Sikhs and the British, The East India
Company claimed the diamond as a partial indemnity, and then presented it
to Queen Victoria in 1850.
When the stone came from India, it weighed l986 carats; it
was later recut to l08.93 carats. It was first worn by the Queen in a
brooch. It was later set in the State Crown, worn by Queen Alexandra and
Queen Mary, and 1937 was worn for by Queen Elizabeth for her coronation.
It is kept in the Tower of London, with the other Crown
Jewels.
The Hope
The ironically named Hope diamond
(named for its purchaser, Henry Thomas Hope) may have had a long and
illustrious history before it became associated with a run of bad luck for
its o owners. It is thought to be a part of the famous Blue Tavernier
Diamond, brought to Europe from India in l642. The Blue was purchased by
King Louis XIV who had it cut to 67.50 carats from 112 carats to bring out
its brilliance. The diamond was stolen during the French
Revolution, and a smaller diamond of similar color was sold in l830 to
Hope, an English banker.
After inheriting the diamond, Hope's son lost his fortune.
It was eventually acquired by an American widow, Mrs. Edward McLean, whose
family the n suffered a series of catastrophes: her only child was
accidentally killed, the family broke up, Mrs. McLean lost her money, and
then committed suicide. When Harry Winston, the New York diamond merchant,
bought the stone in l949, many clients refused to touch the stone.
It is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.
Diamonds were once believed to hold many magical, mystical and medicinal properties. The phosphorescence of certain diamonds (their ability to glow in the dark) was considered a proof of the stone's extraordinary powers. Diamonds were thought to calm the mentally ill, and to ward off devils, phantoms and even nightmares. They were supposed to impart virtue, generosity and courage in battle, and to cause lawsuits to be determined in the wearer's favor. A house or garden touched at each corner with a diamond was supposed to be protected from lightning, storms and blight.
The ancient Indians believed the the human soul could pass through various incarnations, animating gemstones as well as plants and animals. And Plato, the Greek philosopher, shared the belief that gems were living beings, produced by a chemical reaction t o vivifying astral spirits. Later philosophers divided precious stones into male and female specimens, and even claimed that they could "marry" and reproduce!
Minerals were among the first medicinal ingredients. In the middle ages it was believed that a diamond could heal if the sick person took it bed and warmed it with his body, of breathed upon it while fasting or wore it next to the skin. A diamond held in t he mouth would correct the bad habits of liars and scolds. And diamonds were worn as a talisman against poisoning.
Diamond powder administered internally, however, was a legendary poison. The Turkish Sultan Bajazet (1447 - 1513) was perhaps murdered by his son, who slipped a large quantity of powdered diamond in his father's food. In l532, his doctors dosed Pope Clement VII with fourteen spoonfuls of pulverized gems, including diamond, which resulted in death for the patient, as well as a very high bill for his treatment. In the same century, Catherine de Medici was famous for dealing out death by diamond powder, and Benvenuto Cellini, the famous s Italian goldsmith, described an attempt on his life by an enemy who ordered diamond powder to be mixed in his salad. But the lapidary responsible for grinding the diamond filched the stone, replacing it with powdered glass (thereby saving Cellini).
The association of diamonds with poison may have been promoted to discourage the practice of stealing diamonds by swallowing them, particularly during mining.
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