| The Diamond remains, not only a romantic gem of | | | | safety of the dynasty depended upon the possession |
| great beauty, but a legitimate trading item on | | | | of this fateful jewel. After a time it came to Runjeet |
| commodity markets and is an established trade in the | | | | Singh, King of Lahore who wore it on his arm between |
| world's toughest financial markets of London and | | | | two smaller diamonds. He bequeathed it to the Shrine |
| Europe. As a commercial commodity diamonds are | | | | of Juggernaut but it was later presented to Queen |
| very popular because of their controlled value | | | | Victoria by Lord Dalhousie on the annexation of the |
| internationally, mainly by De Beers, who held the | | | | Punjab and sent to London in 1850. The Indians |
| monopoly for a long time. | | | | believed the stone would bring misfortune until restored |
| Aesthetically, it is because of its purity that it captures | | | | to the line of Vira-maditya. It was re-cut in England |
| immediate attention. There is no other known | | | | which decreased its size. Its present location is |
| substance as hard in the mineral world, yet once the | | | | unknown. |
| stone is cut and faceted it possesses a brilliance which | | | | Napoleon wore the famous Regent diamond in the hilt |
| seems to hold the potential for the reflection of all the | | | | of his sword. The Regent stone was originally found |
| colors of the rainbow. It is understandably symbolic of | | | | by a slave who concealed it by hiding it in the folds of |
| human fidelity and truthfulness and of enduring virtues | | | | the bandage he was wearing over a wound. It was |
| and is expected to demonstrate a commitment to | | | | stolen from him and he was thrown into the sea. The |
| these values at the time when couples become | | | | diamond was sold to a dealer named Jamchund for |
| engaged to be married. This custom is so well | | | | £1000. Then it was purchased by Thomas Pitt, |
| established, that it is difficult to concede that any other | | | | grandfather of the Earl of Chatham who purchased it |
| stone will oust it from its supreme status. It is | | | | for £20,400. By 1717 it was sold to the Regent of |
| anticipated that marriages will last to endure as the | | | | France for £135,000. 410 carats in its natural state |
| diamond - and this is re-enforced by the marketing | | | | - after cutting, which took 2 years to complete, it was |
| slogan "diamonds are forever". | | | | reduced to 137 carats and was perfectly white |
| In fact this purest of all substances of the earth has | | | | without spot or flaw. During the French Revolution the |
| been formed by the processes of nature's laboratory | | | | diamond was stolen form the public treasury. Twelve |
| deep in the earth, sometimes to 150 km, which allow | | | | years later it was recovered and set in the imperial |
| the blackest of all substances, pure carbon, to be | | | | diadem of France. |
| transmuted into the clear 8 faced crystal which | | | | Another which has stirred the imagination of many is |
| confronts us in seeing a diamond, which is later | | | | the blue Hope Diamond, with its reputation of bringing |
| transformed and made exquisitely lovely through skilled | | | | back luck - a reputation which is claimed to be |
| expert faceting, into a brilliant. | | | | unfounded. It is 45.52 carats in size and thought to be |
| Diamonds are cut with the aid of diamond dust. | | | | now in the U.S.. This famous Hope Diamond was |
| Diamonds possess luminous properties after exposure | | | | originally owned by Tavernier, the French traveler born |
| to sunlight and glow in a darkened room, to fluoresce in | | | | in Paris in 1605. In 1668 after time in the East, he sold it |
| ultraviolet light and also after friction. | | | | to Louis XIV. The Duchess de Montespan, the royal |
| Melting diamonds and other stones in alchemical | | | | mistress, prevailed upon the King to be allowed to |
| processes is known in the ancient Ayurvedic science. | | | | wear the dazzling gem at a Court Ball. From that time |
| This process is considered to produce a cardiac tonic | | | | it attracted disaster. It was later worn by the |
| and when added to other medicines enhances | | | | unfortunate Marie Antoinette and also lent it to the |
| therapy, with the best of the elixirs curing many serious | | | | Princess de Lamballe. But both suffered execution by |
| diseases. | | | | the guillotine. Some believe that it was the blue |
| In France in the fifteenth century, Louis IX decreed that | | | | diamond which brought them bad luck. It disappeared |
| no-one who was not of royal blood could wear | | | | for 30 years but was later found in possession of a |
| diamonds. At that time they were engraved but not | | | | lapidary of Amsterdam, whose son stole it but then |
| known to be cut and polished until 1496. | | | | committed suicide. It passed to a Frenchman named |
| Diamonds occur either colourless and clear or tinted. | | | | Beaulieu who took it to London and sold it to a dealer |
| The most prized quality has a slight blue tint. The tinted | | | | Daniel Eliason and then died mysteriously the following |
| "champagne diamonds" have been well marketed and | | | | day. Mr. Henry Thomas Hope was the next purchaser, |
| have proven popular in recent years. Diamonds with | | | | paying Eliason £18,000 for it. The stone remained |
| yellow color are generally quite de-valued. Diamonds | | | | in the Hope family until 1901 when Sir Francis Hope sold |
| with small flaws also sell quite cheaply. Rarely found | | | | it to a diamond merchant, who resold it to an |
| are blue diamonds, green and even pink diamonds, with | | | | American, who sold to M. Jacques Colot who sold it to |
| the latter marketed by Argyle with great success. | | | | a Russian Prince who was stabbed to death. The |
| There is also a very rare red diamond. The unusual | | | | French dealer from whom he purchased it ended his |
| colored ones are generally considered to have more | | | | own life. A Greek merchant met with a violent death |
| commercial value but those who believe in the | | | | after selling the diamond to Abdul Humid, the ex-Sultan |
| traditional value place greater importance upon the | | | | of Turkey, who narrowly escaped with his life after |
| pure, clarity of the colourless jewel. | | | | losing his throne. A New York jewellers next bought |
| Diamonds are found in many places of the world, | | | | the gem. It was believed to have been lost with the ill |
| Borneo, Brazil, South Africa, Siberia, China, Canada, | | | | fated Titanic but later seems to have been established |
| India and in recent centuries, Western Australia. | | | | as being owned by Mr. McLean, an American |
| There are some interesting stories about some of the | | | | millionaire. One wonders - what has happened since? |
| famous gems... One of the largest is that which | | | | Most attempts to create artificial diamonds were |
| belonged to the Rajah of Matan and weighed 318 | | | | unsuccessful until General Electric in 1954 was able to |
| carats. The Pitt Diamond weighed 410 carats in the | | | | produce the conditions which resembled those found |
| rough but was reduced to only 137 carats when cut. In | | | | 350 km deep in the earth. They produced diamond |
| 1720 it became part of the French crown jewels and | | | | crystals which are now being exported all over the |
| was later pawned by Napoleon to the Batavian | | | | world. Industrial quality diamonds produced naturally are |
| government to finally be incorporated into the crown | | | | considered of less value than these synthetic |
| of Napoleon III. | | | | diamonds in meeting manufacturer's needs. In 1962 |
| Excelsior was discovered in 1893 and was 969 carats | | | | synthetic Diamonds of up to 1 carat were produced in |
| but only 364 carats after cutting. | | | | Japan by the Toshiba Electric Company by a simpler |
| The largest diamond ever found was the Cullinan in | | | | process but they were of industrial not gem quality. |
| 1905 in the Transvaal, South Africa. It weighed 3,106 | | | | Industrial diamond drills are used in various industries |
| carats. In 1908 it was cut into 9 large and 96 lesser | | | | and in cutting through concrete and masonry. Diamond |
| stones. Two of the largest are in the British Crown | | | | blades are now in demand for use in micro-surgery. |
| Jewels. | | | | Creation of artificial diamonds require enormous |
| The Koh-in-oor, or Mountain of Light, is claimed to be | | | | pressures and high temperatures and to this point in |
| the oldest large diamond and dates back to 59 BC. | | | | time have only been moderately successful in Russia, |
| The founder of the Mogul Empire, Baber, reported it to | | | | Ireland and South Africa making industrial quality |
| have come into the treasury at Delhi from the | | | | stones, not gemstones. But who would not prefer to |
| conquest of Malwa in 1304, after passing through | | | | have the opportunity to appreciate and to benefit by |
| many Indian rulers' hands. It was thought that the | | | | the sterling qualities of a beautiful natural jewel? |