History of Diamonds

Diamonds have always been considered as a symbol of wealth and love, but do you know about its unique history? Diamonds first appeared about 3,000 years ago in India, where they were first originally mined, but no one really knows who the first person to discover it was. In Sanskrit texts, diamonds were referred to as “vajra” which means thunderbolt. Aside from using the gems for decorative purposes, the Indians also believed that diamonds protect them from evil so it was often used by them as talismans. Documents that were found describing diamonds were dated to go as far back as the fourth century B.C.

The word “diamond” is associated to the term “adamas” which is Greek for “invincible”. The diamond began appearing in jewelry and decorative items throughout Europe during the 13th century. During the reign of King Louis IX of France, he made a decree that diamonds are to be used and owned only by the king, which established the diamond as a rarity and a status of wealth at that time. During the 17th century, diamonds started to appear in both men and women of royalty and even wealthy merchant classmen were known to have possessed these rare gems.

During the 18th century, diamonds were appearing more often on jewelry that were used by women. Large quantities of the jewel were mined in South America during that time and more people in society can afford them and started wearing and displaying them in public. However, diamonds were only seen at night in those days as it was thought to be rude to show diamonds during the day time. The gems that were once upon a time strictly exclusive to the royalty were now more affordable and accessible to the common people during the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the 1870’s, vast diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa and this time, the role of the diamond in society changed significantly. It was now possible to produce diamonds on a mass scale. Also around that time, the French crown jewels were sold to wealthy people in the United States and somehow, diamonds lost their air of exclusivity.

Nowadays, it is very easy to shop for diamonds. Although they are still expensive, they can now easily be afforded by anyone who earns enough to buy them. They are commonly used in rings – particularly engagement rings and wedding rings; and because of this, they are thought to be popular symbols of love. Diamonds can now be bought in almost any jewelry store anywhere in the world. There are now even diamond clones like the moissanite which is also quickly gaining its popularity.

But no matter how much diamonds have become a commonplace jewel, it still doesn’t change the fact that they are still considered a status symbol in society. They are still judged by their size and quality. The bigger, nicer quality, and the more diamond jewelry you have is still pretty much a good gauge of how well you are doing in life financially.