What does diamond mean?
Diamond stands for clarity and strength, and today for love: the diamond engagement ring is a near-universal symbol of marriage. The first one on record was given in 1477, by Archduke Maximilian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy.
Older lore was bolder. A second-century poet wrote that diamond warded off the evil eye, and it was once believed to protect against poison and the plague.
Unbreakable
Diamond comes from the Greek adamas, invincible or unbreakable.
What color is the April birthstone?
Diamond is best known as colorless, sparkling with a fire all its own. A tiny trace of something else can tint it: boron turns a diamond blue, nitrogen turns it yellow, and diamonds also come in pink, green, purple, orange and red.
The most famous colored one is the Hope diamond, 45.52 carats of blue, thought to come from India’s Golconda mines and sold to King Louis XIV of France in 1668.
Where do diamonds come from?
Diamonds are now mined around the world. Botswana, Russia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the big producers, and Russia is one of the top producers by both volume and value.
About 40 percent of the world’s rough diamonds are sorted and valued in Botswana, where the mines have brought a boom to the economy.
How to care for a diamond
Diamond is a 10 on the Mohs scale, the most durable of all gems, so it is made for every day. Most diamonds can go in an ultrasonic cleaner.
If a stone has many inclusions or has been treated, use warm water, mild soap and a soft toothbrush instead. Have a jeweler check the setting now and then.
Where diamonds have come from, through history
Our love of diamonds started in India. As each source ran low or a new one was found, the world’s diamonds came from somewhere new.
| Since | |
|---|---|
| India | Traded by the 4th century BCE, gathered from rivers |
| Brazil | The early 1700s, for more than 150 years |
| South Africa | The late 1860s, the start of the modern market |
| Russia | 1960, the Soviet Union’s first major mine |
| Australia and Canada | 1983, then the 1990s |
Diamond is also the gem for the 60th and 75th wedding anniversaries.
April’s birth flowers: daisy and sweet peaWhat they mean, and how to send it →