“diamond” The Indestructible Rock

A diamond, which comes from the ancient Greek word adamas, meaning “unbreakable” or “unalterable”. Diamonds are the most sought after gemstones in the world and have been used for ages in decorative items, the first traces of which come from India.

People covet diamonds because of:

• Hardness
• High dispersion of light

Each diamond is graded and certified based on the Four C’s, which are color, cut, clarity and carat.  If a diamond is rated at 1.5 carats (300 mg), VS2 clarity, F color, excellent cut round brilliant, is enough to establish a reasonable price range.  The Four C’s are recommended to individuals as guidelines when buying diamond in the market.  Fluorescence is also an important characteristic of diamonds.  About a third of them glow under ultraviolet light, usually a faint blue color, this makes them more special, in turn making them more expensive.

• The earliest references to diamonds come in Sanskrit text, dating back to the 4th century BC.
• Another Indian description written in the beginning of the 3rd century describes strength, regularity, brilliance, and ability to scratch metal, and good refractive qualities.
• Diamonds spread throughout the word although India remained the only source until the discovery of diamonds in Brazil in 1725.
• The modern era of diamond mining began in 1860s in Kimberly; South Africa when the first large scale diamonds mine was opened in 1866.
• Today, annually about 130 million carats (26 tons) of rough diamond production is estimated, 92% of which are processed in India, in the city of Surat.
• 85% of rough diamonds and 50% of cut diamonds are traded in Antwerp, Belgium. The home of the diamond district, where 12,000 expert cutter and polisher are at work in 380 workshops , serving 1,500 firms and 3,500 brokers and merchants.
• In the 21st century, technology has been created to make perfect diamonds synthetically.  2% of these are used in the jewelry business and 98% are used in industrial grade abrasive applications.