Kenya Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 159

Kenya Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

“Carat” refers to the weight of the diamond. “Cut” refers to the brilliance of the stone, as the way it is cut determines how much brilliance a diamond will have. “Clarity” refers to the natural blemishes found inside diamonds (and remember, a flawless diamond is extremely rare). Finally, “color” is the last important factor when choosing a diamond. The highest color ranking for a diamond represents a completely clear and colorless stone.

Japan Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 158

Japan Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

Giving a diamond as an engagement ring did not actually become a standard until the De Beers marketing campaign started, during the 20th Century. Today, the primary use of diamonds is no longer for carving or protection during battles. They are now used for adornment because of the their sheer beauty- their dispersion of white light into many different beautiful colors, and their brilliance and indestructibility. Gemologists now rate diamonds based upon what is called “the 4 C’s,” referring to carat, cut, color, and clarity.

Holy See Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 157

Holy See Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

Almost every civilization has some kind of lore on the diamond. Every civilization’s lore however, shares one theme- that the diamond symbolizes all forces necessary for a healthy society, and that it brings its wearer great strength. The diamond was always considered a stone of winners. In fact, it was the talisman of Julius Caesar, Louis IV and Napoleon.

The Renaissance Period was the first point in time when diamonds were used as engagement rings. They were thought to be a special gift, which represented the very ultimate gift of love. In 1477, this trend was started when Archduke Maximillian gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond engagement ring. This was a trend that was only popular among royalty and the very wealthy.

Gambia Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 156

Gambia Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

Ancient Greeks named the diamond "adamas,” meaning “invincible,” “indestructible,” “proper,” and “untamed.” Warriors in ancient Greece wore diamonds as the stones were thought to strengthen the warriors’ muscles and bring them invincibility.

The power, hardness and beauty of the diamond have been prized throughout history in many civilizations. The famous Persian poet Hafiz remarked that, "the rainbow is confined in a diamond forever". In antiquity, a diamond was always thought to be a symbol of innocence and purity. Ancient Greeks thought that diamonds represented the tears of weeping gods. Ancient Romans thought diamonds were considered to be parts of the outer rings of stars, which had fallen to the earth.

Faroe Islands Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 155

Faroe Islands Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

Going back to early history, diamonds were always used to engrave tools because of their hardness. Diamonds have been found all over the world on all continents. In 600 AD, diamonds were found in Borneo, an island located north of Australia. In the 1700’s, Brazil was a rich source of diamonds, and in the 1800’s, South Africa was known for their large supply of diamonds. Since the 1970’s, Australia has been a large source for the precious stones.

Ecuador Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 154

Ecuador Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

A diamond is a stone that truly states, “I love you” in a deep way. In fact, you’ve probably heard the slogan many times that “a diamond is forever.” This is because of the stone’s symbol of deep, everlasting love, as well as the fact that it’s the hardest substance known on earth.

The diamond is also the stone that marks the 60th anniversary of marriage, and is the birthstone for the month of April. It is believed that the first diamonds were discovered in India, at least 3000 years ago, but more likely as long as 6000 years ago. In Ancient India, people viewed diamonds as religious icons.

Djibouti Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 153

Djibouti Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

Note that De Beers established policies and practices to guarantee that De Beers diamonds were conflict-free. The last of his wills established the Rhodes Scholarships for students from the British Colonies, United States, and Germany, regardless of race or religion. He died in 1902 near Cape Town, South Africa.

Cameroon Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 152

Cameroon Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

Eventually, he returned, and his timing was excellent. There was a world-wide financial panic in 1873 which depressed the prices of diamonds, and at the same time the miners felt their mines were petering out. The yellow ground (weathered kimberlite) which had readily yielded its store of diamonds was underlain by a hard rock, called blue ground (also kimberlite), and most miners believed that they were finished when they reached the hard blue ground. Many went bankrupt, and others sold their claims for a song. Cecil Rhodes believed that the blue ground also held diamonds and that the market would return, so he bought as many claims as he could afford, especially in the De Beers pipe. He named his holdings the De Beers Mining Company, Limited.

Bahrain Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 151

 Bahrain Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

He expanded his holdings at every opportunity, including establishing excellent partnerships and outsmarting his greatest rival, Barney Barnato, the man who sank the first deep shaft into the Kimberly pipe. By 1889, Cecil Rhodes had wrested control of 90% of the world's diamond production. He used that position to establish price and distribution controls, and the power of De Beers in the diamond market was essentially unchallenged until the recent rise of Russian diamond mines. It is rumored that De Beers holds tens of millions of carats of diamonds in their vaults to insure that oversupply doesn't quench the market for the stones. However, the new mines in Russia, Australia, and Canada are largely distributed outside of the De Beers control, and consequently they only control perhaps 40% of the world supply. However, they are more profitable than ever.

Albanian Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 150

Albanian Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

He expanded his holdings at every opportunity, including establishing excellent partnerships and outsmarting his greatest rival, Barney Barnato, the man who sank the first deep shaft into the Kimberly pipe. By 1889, Cecil Rhodes had wrested control of 90% of the world's diamond production. He used that position to establish price and distribution controls, and the power of De Beers in the diamond market was essentially unchallenged until the recent rise of Russian diamond mines. It is rumored that De Beers holds tens of millions of carats of diamonds in their vaults to insure that oversupply doesn't quench the market for the stones. However, the new mines in Russia, Australia, and Canada are largely distributed outside of the De Beers control, and consequently they only control perhaps 40% of the world supply. However, they are more profitable than ever.

Western Sahara Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry 149

 Western Sahara Emerald Diamond Fashion 2014 Gold Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir.

Eventually, he returned, and his timing was excellent. There was a world-wide financial panic in 1873 which depressed the prices of diamonds, and at the same time the miners felt their mines were petering out. The yellow ground (weathered kimberlite) which had readily yielded its store of diamonds was underlain by a hard rock, called blue ground (also kimberlite), and most miners believed that they were finished when they reached the hard blue ground. Many went bankrupt, and others sold their claims for a song. Cecil Rhodes believed that the blue ground also held diamonds and that the market would return, so he bought as many claims as he could afford, especially in the De Beers pipe. He named his holdings the De Beers Mining Company, Limited.

Zimbabwe Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry 148

Zimbabwe Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir 

No history of the diamond industry would be complete without a description of the man who founded a diamond empire: Cecil Rhodes. From his home in England, he joined his older brother Herbert in South Africa at the age of 17 to help establish a cotton farm. Herbert, however, had gotten the diamond bug and purchased 3 claims in the Kimberly pit. Cecil turned out to be adept at 

managing the Zulu workers, and Herbert soon sold him his claims and headed off in search of gold. Within two years, Cecil had amassed a small fortune of £10,000 and headed back to England to complete his education at Oxford while leaving the management of his claims to a trusted friend.

Zambia Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry 147

 Zambia Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir 

Within weeks, thousands of prospectors from around the world flocked to South Africa in search of diamonds and instant wealth. Within twenty years, South Africa was producing 3 million carats per year of diamonds.

While the initial finds were alluvial, tracing the source upriver led to the discovery of the first kimberlite pipes: the source of the diamonds. A single one of these, the Big Hole in Kimberly, South Africa (and for which the rock kimberlite is named), produced 14 million carats of diamonds in the 42 years of production. Note that 25 million tons of kimberlite were excavated - barely a half-carat of diamond was found in an average ton of ore. Still, this qualifies as an exceptionally rich diamond ore.

Yemen Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry 146

 Yemen Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir 

The Eureka diamond did not attract world-wide attention. But in 1868, a young Griqua tribesman named Swartboy found a pretty stone near the Orange River, and asked Van Neikirk if he would buy the stone. Van Neikirk immediately offered him every head of livestock on his farm: 500 sheep, 10 cows, and a horse. A huge price for a pebble found on the ground, yet Van Neikirk soon sold the 83.5 carat diamond (later named the Star of South Africa) for £11,200, and the world took notice.

Wallis Futuna Islands Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry 145

 Wallis Futuna Islands Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir 

The diamond production of India and Brazil was soon to be dwarfed, however. In December of 1865, Erasmus Jacobs, the 15-year-old son of a farmer found a pretty stone and took it to his home near Colesberg, South Africa. The stone was given to a friend of the family, Schalk Van Neikirk, who discovered it to be a 21-carat yellow diamond, named the Eureka. It sold for £500, five times the cost of a comfortable house in England at the time.

Vanuatu Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry 144

Vanuatu Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir 

In 1725, placer deposits of diamonds were discovered in Brazil, and they quickly surpassed India's total production. In the first 150 years, they produced 16 million carats. The kimberlite pipes through which diamonds are delivered from beneath the Earth's crust to the surface were never identified. Indeed, some experts suggest that the diamonds found in Brazil actually weathered from kimberlite pipes in Africa prior to the breakup of the continents and the opening of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 150 million years ago.

Uganda Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry 143

 Uganda Diamond Wedding 2014 Fashion Bridal Jewelry. 

By Farzana Aamir 

Diamonds have been known since antiquity. The Greeks named this gemstone adamas, meaning invincible.

The earliest recognized sources of diamonds were placer deposits east of the Deccan Highlands in India, in the region called Golconda. These deposits produced many large, famous, and high-quality stones, including the fabulous blue Hope Diamond. In the past 2,000 years, these mines produced about 12 million carats of diamonds.