Diamonds – A Girl’s Best Friend
In the 1980s, a young girl was playing outside her uncle’s home in Mbuji Mayi in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. She found a pile of rubble deposited from a nearby diamond mine worth exploring. The debris, deemed ‘to bulky’ to be diamond bearing, yielded a large golden-colored rock. The little girl played with the rock and later gave it to her uncle.
Recognizing the stone’s true identity, the girl’s uncle took it to local diamond dealers who, in turn, sold it to Lebanese diamond buyers. By the time international diamond house De Beers purchased the stone in Antwerp, it had become a global sensation. The 890-carat golden yellow diamond was internally flawless. Determining the cut for the diamond took four years of planning. Experts recognized that the gem’s color was layered and weighed conserving the size of the diamond against achieving its ultimate clarity and ideal color.
At last, the rough stone became 15 finished gems, including the massive 407 carat Incomparable diamond, a flawless Fancy Deep Brownish Yellow. The cut was an unusual step cut described as “shield-shaped.” The Incomparable became a globe-trotting attraction at museums all over the world, from Paris to New York and beyond. In recent years, the decision was made to cut the stone once more to improve its color and shape. Now 303 carats, the Incomparable has been re-christened the Golden Canary and remains the largest internally flawless diamond in the world.
There’s certainly no shortage of famous diamonds. From the deep blue Hope Diamond to the 105-carat Koh-i-Noor or “Mountain of Light,” legends of diamonds with mystical powers and gemstones burdened by deadly curses add to the cultural mystique of these glittering wonders. In the 1960s, actor Richard Burton relentlessly pursued a 68-carat diamond he would ultimately gift to his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. Today, the owner and location of the stone are unknown, but its name remains the Taylor-Burton Diamond. In 2023, Lucara’s Karowe Diamond mine in Botswana unearthed a 1,080 carat colorless diamond, one of the largest ever found. The same mine produced the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona diamond in 2015.
It’s believed that diamonds were first discovered in India, perhaps as early as 2,500 years ago. Diamonds are known to have been traded along the Silk Road, then made their way to western Europe as trade routes developed through Venice.
In ancient India, diamonds were placed in the eyes of statues, believing the stones were created when lighting struck rocks. Ancient Greeks thought diamonds were hardened tears of the gods or perhaps splinters from stars. Soldiers of the Roman empire wore diamonds to help them survive battle. Ancient Roman society valued diamonds above everything else. The tradition of diamonds as protection lived on in medieval Europe, where they were also credited with healing powers. In modern times, diamonds have come to represent commitment, purity, and eternal beauty – no wonder we’ve dubbed them “a girl’s best friend.”
The first documented gift of a diamond engagement ring occurred in 1477, when Archduke Maximillian of Austria presented one to his bride, Mary of Burgundy. Victorians further popularized the diamond engagement ring. Approximately 85% of engagement rings today contain at least one diamond. Colored diamonds are gaining popularity as couples look to define their own unique style.
The lasting beauty of these gems led diamond company De Beers to coin the marketing catch phrase “Diamonds are forever” in 1947, perhaps the most successful slogan in modern memory. Whether you are a lifelong collector of diamonds or you’re just starting on your diamond journey, explore our collection.
