Romancing the Stone...the myth, legend
and background of diamonds
From the earliest days, stories and myths about diamonds have been filled
with tales of mystical power, beauty and love. Some of the legends associated
with diamonds include a city of diamonds
protected by snakes, and diamonds that were impervious to the hottest fires.
Throughout history, the need to possess the glittering stones caused people to
lie, cheat, steal and even kill.
The word diamond comes from the Greek word �adamas� meaning invincible.
Diamonds were first used about 3,000 years ago in India and probably valued for
their ability to refract light, although they were also said to be a strong
talisman that protected the wearer in battle and warded off evil.
During the Dark Ages, St. Hildegard wrote that a diamond, held while making the
sign of the cross, healed wounds and cured the sick. Hoping to cure sickness,
people even tried eating them, although this practice was largely unsuccessful
and had stopped by the Middle Ages, when diamonds became valued for their worth,
rather than their healing properties.
It was during this time that diamonds acquired the reputation for being
poisonous. The owners of diamond mines perpetrated this myth, in an attempt to
stop workers from swallowing diamonds and thus smuggling them out of the mines.
Two of the world�s largest and most beautiful diamonds were discovered in
India during the Middle Ages � the Blue Hope and the Koor-I-Noor. In fact,
India still provides the foremost diamond polishing industry in the world today.
Smaller diamond finds
continued, in Borneo, Brazil and a few isolated locations in North America, but
even those finds weren�t enough to keep up with the demand, as India�s
diamond supply dwindled. It was in the mid-19th century that the biggest diamond
rush occurred, with the discovery of diamonds near the Orange River in South
Africa. Diamonds were also discovered in Australia, but it wasn�t until the
1970s that Australia�s potential as a diamond producer became proven. In 1979,
the Argyle pipe was discovered near Lake Argyle. It is the richest diamond
deposit in the world, and now produces over a third of the world�s diamonds
every year.
The most sought-after diamonds used to be white diamonds, until pink
diamonds were discovered in the Argyle. Diamonds come in white, pink, yellow,
blue and green. Green is probably the rarest because it has the least
penetration of color and often the color is disappears when the stone is cut.
How to Pick a Winner
1. CUT. Not the shape of the stone, but the quality of its facets.
2. CLARITY. Clarity levels start at Flawless and descend from Very Very Slight
(VVS) to Very Slight (VS) and Slightly Included (SI). Clarity measures the
number of flaws or inclusions in a diamond.
3. CARAT. The weight of a diamond. One carat equals about 200 milligrams.
4. COLOR. Transparent diamonds (those created from 100 percent carbon) are rated
on a scale from D (clear) through Z (light yellow). Grade D is the most
prestigious, but, because they are so rare, natural diamonds with tints of pink,
blue or purple have a cachet all their own.
How Hard is It?
No matter how it�s made, a diamond scores a 10 on the Mohs scale.
1. Easily scratched by a fingernail.
2. Just scratched by a fingernail.
3. Scratches and is scratched by a copper coin.
4. Not scratched by a copper coin and doesn�t scratch.
5. Just scratches glass and is easily scratched by a knife.
6. Easily scratches glass and is just scratched by a file.
7. Not scratched by a file.
8. Scratched only by corundum and diamond.
9. Will scratch anything but a diamond.
10.Scratched only by another diamond.
Ten of the Most Famous Diamonds and who owns Them:
There are more than 350 named diamonds that are famous for their histories.
The Cullinan is the largest cut diamond in the world. It was found in South
Africa and was named for the owner of the mining company. The Cullinan diamond
was 3106 carats, and was cut into 105 stunning diamonds. The largest was named
the �Star of Africa� and is 530 carats. In 1907 this diamond was given to
King Edward VII of England, and set into the Royal Scepter. It is kept, along
with the other Crown Jewels, in the Tower of London.
The Cullinan II is 317.40 carats. The color is white and is the cushion-shaped
diamond that is in the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain.
It is also in the Tower of London with the British Crown Jewels.
The Dary-i-Nur is 186 carats, is pink and is in the Iranian Treasury. It is the
largest uncut diamond in
the world. Its name means �Sea of Light�.
The Dresden Green is 41 carats; it is green, and a very rare type ila diamond of
extraordinary quality. It gets its name from the city of Saxony where it had
been on display for 200 years. The Dresden Green is now on display at the
Albertinium Museum in Dresden.
The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats, is blue, and is in the Smithsonian Institute.
According to legend, a curse was placed on the large, blue diamond after it was
stolen from an idol in India. Whether you believe in curses or not, the diamond
has had a fascinating past � it was owned by King Louis XIV, stolen during the
French Revolution, sold to pay gambling debts, owned and worn almost daily by an
American heiress, sold and worn to raise money for charity, and finally donated
to the Smithsonian Museum.
The Hortensia is 20 carats, is peach colored and is in the Louvre. It is one of
the crown Jewels of
France, and was owned by Louis XIV. It was named after Hortense de Beauharnais,
Queen of Holland, who was the daughter of the Empress Josephine, the
stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the mother of Napoleon III.
The Kohinoor is 108.93 carats, white and is located in the Tower of London. As
with many of the most famous diamonds, there is a curse of death and destruction
attached to it. Its name means �Mountain of Light� and legend has it that it
actually comes from another diamond also rife with legend, called the �Great
Mogul" which was said to have weighed 244 carats and mysteriously
disappeared in 1665. The Kohinoor was owned by the first sultan of Mogul, and
passed down through generations, until it was given to Queen Victoria. It was
recut and now rests in the crown of Queen Elizabeth.
The Orloff is 189.62 carats. It is thought to have weighed about 300 carats when
it was discovered. For a while, it was confused with the Great Mogul diamond.
One legend of the Orloff is that it was set in the eye of a god statue in the
temple of Sri Rangen, and stolen by a French soldier dressed up like a Hindu. He
is said to have escaped by swimming down a raging river during a storm. It was
eventually sold to Prince Gregory Orloff. In an attempt to win back her heart,
he gave it to Catherine the Great, who collected lovers and precious gems with
equal passion. She had the diamond mounted on top of the double eagle in the
Imperial scepter. It is in the Russian Diamond Fund, Moscow.
The Spoonmaker Diamond has many legends associated with it. (It supposedly got
its name when the owner--who is said to have found it sitting on top of a pile
of garbage --bartered it to a spoonmaker for three wooden spoons.) More likely
is that it was purchased by a Frenchman named Pikot, who bought it from the
Maharajah of Madras in India. He took it to France, but was robbed. The diamond
ended up at an auction, and was bid on by the notorious Casanova. It was finally
bought by Napoleon�s mother, Letizia Ramolino, who later sold her jewelry to
help her son escape from Elba. It was bought again by an officer of Tepedelenli,
and put into the treasury.
When Tepedelenli was killed during a revolt, the entire treasury went to the
Palace of Turkey, and the Spoonmaker�s Diamond, now called the �Kasicki�
is there.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a 69 carat pear-shaped white diamond that was
originally called the �Cartier Diamond� after the jeweler paid $1,050,000
for it at an auction. Richard Burton purchased it the day after the auction for
Elizabeth Taylor. She later renamed it the Taylor-Burton diamond. Ms. Taylor
wore the diamond publicly at a party for Princess Grace�s 40th birthday party
in Monaco. She sold the diamond in 1978 and used the funds to build a hospital
in Botswana. The diamond
was later purchased by Robert Mouawad.
