For consumers, buying a diamond is a major emotional and financial investment that can be unnerving if they feel lacking in knowledge to make the right purchase. Understanding why diamonds are so special is critical to symbolizing something that everyone treasures and wants to remember.  The rarity and beauty of diamonds can be made to symbolize landmark events and accomplishments in people's lives as well as our most cherished feelings like love.

Where Did Diamonds Come From?

Diamonds were created when our planet was born. They were formed deep in the earth, 100 to 200 miles below the surface, and some 900 million to 3.3 billion years ago. They are made of pure carbon, crystallized by unimaginable heat and pressure, and were forced toward the earth's surface by volcanic eruption through “pipes” along with other minerals such as Kimberlite. Though some diamonds found their way into streams, rivers and seas, most settled back into the Kimberlite pipes, the primary sources for the world's diamond mines.

Diamonds were first mined in India some 4,500 years ago. Modern mining began in South Africa in the mid-19th century. Legend has it that Erasmus Jacobs, an eight-year-old farm boy, found a 21-carat yellow “pebble” that turned out to be a diamond in 1866 near the Orange River– the first of many discovered in South Africa.

Today, diamonds are found all over the world, including Canada, Russia, Australia, and throughout Africa. Yet, even with contemporary technology, they remain very difficult to find. Geologists search some of the most remote and inhospitable regions on earth to uncover new diamonds, including the frozen tundra of Siberia and Canada, the arid deserts of South Africa and Australia, and deep below the ocean floor.

Diamonds Through the Ages

The ancient Greeks and Romans believed diamonds were tears of the gods and splinters from falling stars. The Hindus believed diamonds were formed by lightning striking rock and attributed them such power they were placed in the eyes of statues. Kings and queens throughout history have adorned themselves with diamonds and fought bitter battles to gain possession of these unique jewels.

To the ancients, diamonds were magical, mystical talismans that could bring luck, wealth and success or bestow power, fearlessness and even invincibility. Roman soldiers wore diamonds in battle for protection and courage. In the Middle Ages, diamonds were used to ward off the effects of poison and illness. Jewish High Priests believed the stone could determine innocence or guilt.

Diamonds Symbolize Love

Diamonds have long been the ultimate symbol of love and romance. The word itself is derived from the ancient Greek word adamas, translated as "unconquerable." Some believed Cupid's arrows were tipped with diamonds. Others felt their power made people fall in love or that their brilliance reflected the flame of love.

Strength and durability have made diamonds an enduring symbol of matrimony and eternal commitment. The diamond engagement ring is a 500-year tradition started by Austria's Archduke Maximillian, who presented one to his fiancée, Mary of Burgundy, in 1477. He placed the ring on the third finger of her left hand, based on an ancient Egyptian belief that this finger contained a “love vein” running directly to the heart. Ever since, couples around the world have pledged their love and devotion with a diamond. Today, nearly 90% of brides in the U.S. receive a diamond engagement ring.

Diamonds are Rare

How rare? Only 1 in 200 Kimberlite pipes contain diamonds in economically viable quantities. Once located, diamonds can be extremely difficult to mine. Approximately 250 tons of ore must be mined and processed with blasting, crushing and advanced X-ray techniques to produce a single one-carat, polished, gem-quality diamond. Although more than 100 million carats are mined each year, only a quarter are of gem quality, while the rest are industrial grade. Large diamonds are quite rare, with those of one carat or more representing just 1% of all gem-quality diamonds. For perspective, consider that all the polished gem diamonds in the world could fit into a double-decker bus!

Grading Defines Rarity

The 4C's - carat, clarity, color and cut - are guidelines to understand the physical characteristics of every diamond.

Carat:

The size of a diamond, measured in carat weight. While larger diamonds are rare and desirable, two stones of equal caratage can have very different values, depending on other qualities. Small differences in weight can have a dramatic affect on the price. Larger size enhances all other diamond characteristics.

Clarity:

The Amount, size, color, type and location of blemishes found on the surface of a polished diamond and inclusions found inside the diamond. The more closely a diamond approaches flawlessness, the greater its clarity and the rarer, more brilliant and valuable it will be.

Color:

The Degree to which a diamond approaches colorlessness. Only the rarest diamonds can be classified under the colorless grades; most are near-colorless or faintly-tinted. By stressing that differences in tone and tint are very subtle, you can help a customer select the color that is most appealing to them.

Cut:

The one human element of the 4C's, reflecting the art of unleashing maximum fire and brilliance. Diamonds cut too deep or too shallow lose light that spills through the sides or bottom, making them less brilliant and less valuable.

While each of the 4C's identifies a specific area of rarity, it is their synergy that determines a diamond's worth. Understanding what these synergies are helps to understand how each diamond has a unique set of quality factors. Customers must decide which factors are most important to them. For instance, one buyer may be willing to sacrifice color for size, while another may prefer the sparkle and fire of a well-cut smaller diamond with superior clarity.

Diamonds are Unique

Like fingerprints and snowflakes, each diamond is unique, marked by its own personal journey from deep within the earth.  No other stone is like a diamond – the hardest known substance on earth, so durable it can only be scratched or polished by other diamonds.

Diamonds have a wonderful ability to reflect light, resulting in unparalleled fire and sparkle. Brilliance has made a diamond the most sought-after jewel through the ages.  Though it is born from simple carbon crystals forged in fire, a diamond can sparkle like an icicle in the sun or a star in the evening sky.

Diamonds are Always in Fashion

As potent symbols of love, devotion, pride, wealth, fashion, sophistication, elegance, power and strength, diamonds have long been treasured by the rich and powerful.  Royalty, leaders and dignitaries have been enamored by diamonds through the ages, and more than a few countries feature diamonds among their crown jewels.

Today's celebrities covet the brilliance and allure of diamonds as much as their predecessors, driving fashion trends that have made diamonds the accessory of choice at red carpet events. Everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Jennifer Lopez has taken the spotlight glittering in the world's most precious diamonds.

Empowering the Gift

What makes the diamond gift giving experience meaningful is empowering the diamond when it is presented. When a lover expresses his feelings and emotions upon presentation of a diamond, those words are forever bound to and associated with the gift. Every time she glances down at her finger she will remember the words that were spoken to her (and the feelings those words engendered). Can there be anything more romantic than a woman forever gazing at hardest and most enduring substance on planet earth, her diamond engagement ring, and remembering the words her beloved spoke when he presented it-this is the stuff that makes love timeless and heirlooms priceless. A diamond is the ultimate symbol of love only when its unique physical properties are used to empower the spoken and unspoken expressions of the love that the lover imparts to the ring when the gift is given.