Mention diamonds to most women (at least to the ones that I know personally) and watch their eyes glaze over.  I have never really understood what sometimes seems to be a near worship of a lump of material that could be mistaken for shaped glass (at this point there would be groans from my wife with claims that I simply don't understand - which is partially true, I just don't have the same level of adoration).  I have always suspected that its the sparkling that attracts people to diamonds, or what they think are diamonds, and I suspect, its partly the status of owning the hardest material known to man.

The English word diamond is derived from late Latin diamas, which is from Latin adamas, which is of Greek origin meaning "invincible, untamed".  When diamonds were first discovered they were primarily valued for their strength and magical properties; the beauty of a diamond was only of secondary consideration.  Because of its seemingly indestructible properties, ancient astrologers  considered diamond to be powerful for those born under the sign of mars, which is the modern day sign of Aries the ram (March 21 to April 19).  This could be the link for diamond being the birthstone for those born in April.  In ancient times, they thought that diamonds could provide fortitude, strength of mind and continuous love in marriage.  Some even thought that they could and ward off witchcraft and nightmares.

Throughout history, diamonds have featured as magical stones and status symbols for royalty and the rich.  In old times, knights would carry uncut diamonds on their armor in the hope that the magical properties of the stone would protect them from harm and give them the fortitude to act with honor and courage; and throughout history diamonds have adorned the scepters and crowns of kings and queens.

Over the years, advances in gem cutting and increased understanding of how light travels and is refracted when it passes through a higher density material has resulted in highly polished shaped stones that sparkle with the colors of the rainbow.  Modern day gemology has also added an internationally recognized method of grading and classifying diamonds in terms of color, clarity, cut and carat weight (the four C's), which is used to determine the cost of each stone.  Although diamonds occur in various colors from no-color (colorless) to brown, yellow and blue, the most highly prized gem diamonds are colorless or fancy colors of canary yellow and blue.  The value of a diamond also increases with its clarity, which is a measure of the number and size of the naturally occurring flaws and discolorations contained in the stone.  A flawless diamond is more valued that one that contains small flaws or "inclusions" that can affect the look of the finished gem.  The cut of a diamond affects how it looks and reacts to the ambient light, an finally the bigger the carat value, the bigger and heavier the stone, and the higher the value.

The fascination with diamonds spawned the diamond gem industry, which has helped to solidify diamonds as an established gem that is essential in any jewelry collection.  As the industry has matured, and with the general economic growth, diamonds have become far more affordable, and feature in some form in almost every women's, and a lot of men's, jewelry collections, and is recognized as a symbol of love and marriage.  No wonder that the most popular forms of engagement and wedding rings include diamonds. 

The cost and value of a good diamond is still beyond the economic means of many, which has led to the development  of man made diamonds or "diamond alternatives" such as cubic zuconia and laboratory manufactured diamonds.  These alternatives address the market segment that wants the status and sparkle that diamonds represent, but are not able to afford the real thing.  These modern day materials provide good substitutes to a real diamond with a similar look and visual impact when the cost of a real diamond is out of reach.

Peter Allan