History of diamond

For long, it was considered so precious that only kings could have it. Times have changed, but diamond still remains one of the most prized possessions one can have; it is still considered the ultimate symbol of wealth.

The journey of diamond is quite an exciting, adventurous — and even a little violent — one. It is formed deep under the earth's surface when extreme pressure forces carbon atoms to come together under extreme temperature and crystallise. The diamond remains beneath the earth till it is pushed up to the surface by natural phenomena like volcanoes. The whole process takes billions of years. In that sense, old is not gold, old is diamond!

The word diamond is derived from 'adamas' in Greek, which means invincible, unconquerable. This is a reflection of the precious stone’s physical quality — it is the hardest material known to occur naturally. This property finds many industrial applications.

The first diamond stones were found in India about 3,000 years ago; some believe the first discovery happened about 5,000 years ago. Due to its ability to disperse light, diamond was believed to possess celestial properties. Hardly surprising then that people in ancient times thought it fit to use diamonds for religious purposes — mostly to decorate things associated with divinity.

In Europe, diamonds were first used by the Romans around 1-3 AD. But after that it vanished from the continent. As per available knowledge, diamonds were not used for centuries after that in Europe. It started to reappear slowly in the 13th and 14th century as jewelry In the 13th century, Louis IX of France issued an order stating that diamonds were meant only for the royals. In the 14th century, diamond's popularity soared when it started appearing as polished, fashionable jewelry. The inflow of diamond to Europe from India increased after the discovery of sea routes to the East.

For centuries, India was the only producer of diamond. Many of the well-known diamonds, like Kohinoor, the Orloff, the Regent, and the Blue Hope, were found in India. Then in the eighteenth century — by when India’s production had declined sharply — diamond was found in Brazil, too. Later, it was found in South Africa, which resulted in the diamond rush of the nineteenth century. Ever since, South Africa has been the biggest producer of the precious stones.