History of Diamonds
The ancient Romans believed that diamonds were slivers of stars that fell from heaven. Derived from the Greek word adamas, diamond means unconquerable. Throughout history, diamonds were thought to have magical and mystical powers. They continue to fascinate and intrigue us today. The diamond is the hardest natural substance known to man – and the only gem that consists of a single element.
Diamonds are one of the most concentrated stores of value that exists, an important source of liquidity. The value of diamonds is not determined by ‘fiat currency”. The value of extremely precious commodities is independent of government laws and that’s why they have retained their values even during recession. You can wear diamonds in jewelry and carry it on your body all over the world, rareness, minimal weight, not detectable by screening metal objects in airports.
Diamonds throughout History
From 300 BC the trade of diamonds was first written in Sanskrit writings, and was primarily focused in India. Blessed was the resistance of the ideal crystal form, namely the octahedron. It was also believed that the wearer of such a diamond octahedron befall happiness, prosperity, children, crops and much more goodness. In Hindu mythology, the octahedron with the word vajra (lightning) was known and respected as a weapon of the highest Indian god Indra.
The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) described the precious commodity as the substance which has the largest value of all human goods.
King Louis IX of France (1214-1270) enacted a law that only the king was subject to the wearing of a diamond and the diamond was a symbol of power, wealth and status.
In the early and late Middle Ages there was interest in the therapeutic powers, and rather later in the 12th Century AD, Venice was for several hundred years a monopoly in the diamond trade. It was only when Vasco da Gama in 1498 discovered the direct sea route to India, the trade moved through Lisbon to Antwerp. Here the Venetians formed an Italian colony. Because it was safer to transport raw diamonds, the city was built not only for trade but also as a polishing center.
The Evolution of Diamond cutting
Only the cut of the rough diamond can transform it into a fascinating gem. The history of diamond cuts can be traced to the late Middle Ages, before which time diamonds were enjoyed in their natural octahedral state. The first „improvements“ on nature‘s design involved a simple polishing of the octahedral crystal faces to create even and unblemished facets. This was called the point cut and dates from the mid 14th century. By the mid 15th century, the point cut began to be improved upon: a little less than one half of the octahedron would be sawn off, creating the table cut. The addition of four corner facets created the old single cut. The first brilliant cuts were introduced in the middle of the 17th century. Known as Mazarins, they had 17 facets on the crown (upper half). Vincent Peruzzi, a Venetian polisher, later increased the number of crown facets from 17 to 33 (Peruzzi brilliants). Sometime later the old European cut was developed, which had a shallower pavilion, more rounded shape, and different arrangement of facets. Around 1900, the development of diamond saws and good jewelry lathes enabled the development of modern diamond cutting and diamond cuts, chief among them the round brilliant cut.
On 31.12.1600, the British East India Company, owned by Queen Elizabeth I began business in India so that London would soon become the main importer of Indian diamonds, but no Polishing industry was built and the rough diamonds were sold to Antwerp. In 1806 the British took possession of Cape Town and a few decades later in South Africa, with the discovery of the Cullinan I, the Star of Africa, a 530.2 carat diamond, the diamond rush broke out. This meant the confirmation of London as a world trading center. No wonder the second and third largest cut diamonds are part of the British crown jewels. Cullinan I adorns the scepter of the Queen of England and Cullinan II adorns the British Crown. Parallel to the declining political situation the import trade has developed very positively, establishing the world-famous company – De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd.. De Beers has lasted to this day, the trading of rough diamonds is still firmly in the hands of the wholly owned company of De Beers, DTC.
No other product can trigger such enthusiasm and has the lasting value and sustainability as a diamond. With the slogan – A Diamond is Forever – De Beers boosted not only the diamond industry, but gave the king of precious stones dynamics, symbolic power and romance.