Topic of the Month: Diamonds - Are They Really A Woman's Best Friend?

It’s now April, which is the month of diamonds. How have diamonds come to be known as “a woman’s best friend?” What is the history of the diamond? Let’s jump in and learn some of the history.

Diamonds come in various colors, ranging from black, to white, to green, blue, pink, red, purple, and even orange. The colors come from the types of impurities that are present in the stones. Diamonds actually have a lot in common with coal. The base substance in both is exactly the same: carbon. The main difference is how the carbon is formed, and what happens when they are subjected to extreme pressures and temperatures approximately between 90-240 miles beneath the earth’s surface.

The earliest diamonds were discovered in India, all the way back around 400 BC. The stones themselves were formed over long periods of time, some saying millions of years. A lot of these stones that were discovered were taken along the trade routes from India and China, commonly referred to as the silk road. In these times, the perceived value of the diamond was for their brilliance, how they refracted light, and their usefulness in being able to engrave on metal. People wore them for decorative purposes, as well as believing they could ward off evil. They were also used as cutting tools because of their extraordinary hardness. In the Dark Ages, they were even used to try to heal illness by ingesting them. Eventually the diamond supply from India became depleted, and although a small deposit was discovered in Brazil in 1725, it was not enough to meet the world’s demand. Fast forward to 1866, when a 15 year old Erasmus Jacobs found a 21.75 carat alongside the banks of the Orange River. This discovery led to a rush of prospectors, which led to the establishment of a mine. This mine grew into a large-scale operation, which today is the world famous Kimberly Mine, owned by De Beers.

Speaking of De Beers, they have played a major role in why diamonds are now so common in engagement rings, and why we refer to them as a “a woman’s best friend.” In 1880, Englishman Cecil John Rhodes founded De Beers Ltd. The entire reason for founding the company was to consolidate control of a majority of the world’s diamond supply, which they were successful in doing. However, the value of diamonds had dropped significantly due to the vast amounts of supply that was created from their mine. The concept of an engagement ring is not new by any means, as it dates back all the way to the times of the Romans. The romans used rings on the third finger of the left hand, as they believed this finger has a vein that leads to the heart. However, these rings were not necessarily a sign of marriage, but could also be a sign of friendship. Later in 1215, Pope Innocent III decreed there would be a period of time from betrothal to the marriage ceremony. Rings were used as a symbol of the couple’s commitment during that in between phase. Around the same time, rings were then also introduced as part of the wedding ceremony itself. However, the widespread use of diamonds in engagement rings is more of a modern phenomenon.  

In 1947, De Beers enlisted the help of prominent advertising agency N.W. Ayer to launch a marketing campaign with the goal of making diamonds the preferred choice for engagement rings. Together they coined the phrase, “A diamond is forever.” The campaign was extremely successful, especially in the long term. Today, more than 78% of all engagement rings sold include diamonds in them. Diamonds have become so popular that many companies now educate consumers and jewelers on what qualities to look for in a diamond. Jewelers have experimented with diamonds and have come up with all kinds of new cuts and presentations. Diamonds are also becoming increasingly rarer, due to the supply of diamonds being eroded. Today 75-80% of diamonds that are mined are used for industrial purposes (such as drilling and grinding), and it takes about 250 tons of ore to be mined just to produce a one carat stone of high quality.

There you have it: A brief version of the history of diamonds, and their use in engagement rings.

Information sourced from: https://www.brilliance.com/education/diamonds/his...