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