Diamond History & Legends

The Greeks and Romans believed that diamonds were tears from the Gods and splinters from falling stars. In fact, the word "diamond" comes from the Greek word, "adamas," which means unconquerable. Medieval knights wore uncut diamonds in their armor, believing the stones would make them invincible. Hindus thought the stones to be so powerful that they placed them in the eyes of their statues.

The forerunner of today's engagement ring, a slim iron hoop ring - symbolizing the cycle of life and eternity - was given to brides in ancient Rome from 23 to 79 A.D. as a public pledge that the marriage contract would be honored. One of the earliest recorded instances of a diamond ring given specifically to seal a betrothal was during the marriage of Constanzo Sforza and Camilla d'Aragona of Pesaro, Italy, in 1475. Archduke Maximilian of Austria further established the tradition when he presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy upon their engagement in 1477. As Mary said "yes," Maximilian slipped the diamond ring onto the third finger of her left hand.

Major advances in diamond cutting techniques occurred in the early 1500s, when goldsmiths created a new shape and brilliance - the table-top cut. This historic first step toward modern polishing was to become a significant feature of 16th Century diamond rings. One such design - the gimmel, or twin ring - was the choice of Martin Luther when he married Catherine Bora in 1525.

Jewelers have continued to create new ways of presenting the diamond set in elaborate band designs and using advanced methods of diamond cutting and polishing to reveal the full beauty of the stone. When the world's supply of diamonds increased with the discovery of diamond mines in Brazil during the 18th century, more people discovered they could afford diamond jewelry. By the 20th century, platinum had become universally adopted, inspiring the creation of new diamond cuts - emerald, square, rectangular and pear - with the stones set as solitaires or in clusters. The large center stone with baguette diamond shoulders became an engagement ring classic.

Until the late 19th century, diamonds were found only in a few riverbeds in India and in the jungles of Brazil. In 1870, huge diamond mines were discovered near the Orange River in South Africa. Today, gem-quality diamonds are mined around the world. The largest producers are South Africa, Russia, Australia and Brazil. The hardest substance known to man, diamonds have long been revered for their strength and beauty. Today, the diamond symbolizes love, strength and beauty, and the diamond engagement ring remains one of the most enduring symbols of love. Diamond is the birthstone for April.

THE FOUR Cs

Most people evaluate diamonds using the four Cs - cut, clarity, color and carat weight. These four qualities define a diamond's value, and knowing what they mean will help you when selecting a diamond.

CUT
Cut refers to the shape of the diamond, the number of facets, and the quality of the cut. Though diamonds are available in a number of shapes - such as round, pear, heart, oval, marquise, emerald and princess - a well-cut diamond of any shape will reflect light and sparkle with intensity.

"Fire" and "brilliance" are terms that describe the intensity of the color and brightness of the light seen in a diamond. These qualities are achieved by cutting the stone to exacting mathematical proportions so word that as much light as possible is reflected out the top of the diamond.

CLARITY
Most natural diamonds contain identifying marks known as inclusions, many of which are invisible to the naked eye. Diamonds having fewer and less noticeable marks are rarer and command higher prices.

A diamond's clarity ranking is determined by the number, size, type and placement of inclusions visible under the scrutiny of a 10x magnifying loupe or microscope. Internally flawless diamonds are very rare and expensive. An inclusion directly under the diamond's table, or top, will reduce its rating more than one in the girdle, or side. Carefully examine the position of inclusions because a crack from the surface to the interior could result in a broken diamond if the stone is hit the wrong way.

The following scale, developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and commonly used in the United States, contains definitions for different clarity grades.

COLOR
Most diamonds appear colorless but actually have slight tones of yellow or brown. Diamond color is graded on a scale of D (colorless) to Z (heavily tinted), and the closer a diamond is to being colorless, the more valuable it is. Even when a diamond has a visible tint such as K or above, it can still be beautiful if it has good clarity and cut.

The color of a diamond can appear different once it is set. A colorless diamond might look a little yellow when set in yellow gold, while a slightly yellow-tinted diamond might appear whiter in that same yellow setting. Diamonds outside the normal color range are called fancy colored. Graded as Z+, fancy colored diamonds come in a variety of colors like red (the rarest), pink, violet, blue, green, and bright yellow, known as "canary." Stones with good color are rare and can sell for more than white diamonds.

CARAT
Carat is the term used to describe the weight of any gemstone, including diamonds. Diamond weights are stated in metric carats or "ct" (versus the karat amount of gold contained in an item). One metric carat is just over seven thousandths (0.007) of an ounce. Since 1913 the international standard has been 1 carat = 200 milligrams, or 1/5 of a gram. In jewelry pieces with more than one diamond, the carats may be described in terms of total carat weight (TW). This number is the combined total weight of all stones in the piece.

Large diamonds are very rare. In fact, 23 tons of diamond ore must be mined to produce a single one-carat, gem-quality diamond. Diamonds come from the mines in crystals, often with eight sides. As much as 60 percent of the original crystal is cut away to create a round brilliant diamond. Stones that are smaller than one carat can be measured a number of ways - in fractions, in decimals, or in points. One carat equals 100 points, so a ¾ carat diamond is the same size as a .75-carat diamond or a 75-point diamond. Expect to pay a premium for stones that are above one-carat weight.

Round brilliant cuts follow exact standards, so you can make a good estimate of the carat weight of the stone based on the stone's diameter.