April birthstone: Diamond
Diamond is one of the world’s most sought-after and adored gemstones, symbol of clarity and strength. It’s name comes from the Greek word Adamas, meaning unbreakable
The April birthstone was even believed to have healing powers, longevity, strength, beauty and happiness.
Diamond is the gift of choice for the 60th and 75th wedding anniversaries, and today the diamond engagement ring has become a near-universal symbol of love and marriage.
The story of the timeless charm of diamond started in India, where diamonds were gathered from the rivers, and traded as early as the fourth century BCE.
Diamonds were coveted by royalty and the wealthy.
Later, along the silk road, caravans brought Indian diamonds, along the silk road, to medieval markets in Italy, and they were becoming, by the 1400s, fashionable accessories for Europe’s elite.
In the early 1700s, as India’s diamond supplies began to decline, Brazil emerged as an important source, diamonds were discovered in Minas Gerais. Brazil dominated the diamond market for more than 150 years.
The discovery of diamonds in South Africa, in the late 1860s marked the beginning of the modern diamond market. Entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes established De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited in 1888, and by 1900 De Beers controlled an estimated 90 percent of the world’s production of rough diamonds.
The largest diamond ever found – at 3,106 ct (621 grams) – was recovered from South Africa in 1905. From it was cut the pear shaped 530 ct Cullinan I diamond, also known as the Great Star of Africa, which is now set in the Royal Sceptre with Cross and housed with the other Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
