There are a number of little known facts about diamonds which are highly interesting. Ranging from facts about blood diamonds to unusual information about diamonds in the sky, there’s plenty to discover about your most treasured stone! Here, I’ve combined the most fascinating facts about diamonds, and I hope you learn something cool about your best friend for life!
1. A commonly known fact about diamonds is that they’re often given by a man to a woman when he proposes. The diamonds in an engagement ring, such as engagement rings from Serendipity Diamonds, are thought to symbolize the commitment between two people. And a ring surrounded by diamonds is called an eternity ring. Eternity rings in styles partially and fully set designs are in fashion nowadays. However, a fact that most people don’t know is that the first recorded use of an engagement ring can be traced back to 1477 at the wedding between Mary of Burgundy and the Archduke of Austria.
Princess Grace Kelly’s engagement ring
Double Halo Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
Vintage Inspired Oval Diamond Cluster Ring
2. Diamond is one of the most durable and hardest substances known to man due to its molecular structure. Diamonds are formed from carbon atoms, each joined to another four carbon atoms by strong covalent bonds. This structure is tightly bonded, which causes diamonds to be extremely hardwearing.
3. Although many diamonds are used to create jewellery, 80% of the diamonds that are mined are put to use in industry. One of the earliest records of uses for diamonds was with tools since it was used by the Ancient Chinese to polish axes. Now about 100 million carats of diamonds are used in the industry today for polishing, cutting and grinding purposes of metals. Diamonds are often imbedded into saws and grinders, which help to give a finished look when sawing metals. They can also be grounded to form a diamond paste which is rubbed on the metals to create the polished finish. However, there is an extremely high demand for industrial diamonds, which isn’t met by mining, and so synthetically produced diamonds are used for these purposes too.
4. There are a number of white dwarf stars in space, which have a diamond core. When the stars burn out, they leave behind a core with a temperature of over 100,000 degrees. This causes the carbon in the core to crystallise. This results in the formation of a huge diamond with a few oxygen impurities. The largest diamond in the sky known to man is 10 billion trillion, trillion carats large.
5. The idea of diamond symbolising romance comes from an advertising campaign by De Beers in 1948. The diamond industry at that time was doing badly because the price of diamonds had fallen worldwide. De Beers then began giving diamond rings to Hollywood stars and put out newspaper articles suggesting the symbolic meaning behind diamonds. Then in 1948, an article writer penned the term ‘A Diamond is forever’ and ever since then diamonds have been seen as a luxurious symbol of commitment.
Vintage De Beers Poster
6. Synthetic diamonds have risen in popularity over recent years due to the stories of conflict surrounding natural diamonds. Synthetic diamonds are also manufactured and sold at a much lower price, making them a firm favorite amongst those with a smaller budget for engagement rings and jewelry. One of the most popular synthetic diamonds is the Cubic Zirconium. Although it is a softer substance than diamond, it is actually a lot brighter and has a higher sparkle due to lack of impurities. Man-made diamonds are the closest to a natural diamond that you can get as they are compositionally identical. However, they don’t have the history of an actual diamond behind them and so natural ones are obviously the preferred choice. Eternity rings are usually surrounded with natural diamonds. These eternity rings in styles partially and fully set designs are available in online and traditional stores.
7. Conflict diamonds are a common problem around the world. Back in the 1990s, they made up almost 15% of the world’s population of diamond. However nowadays, mostly due to the Kimberley Process, only 1% of the diamonds in circulation come from conflict. The diamonds are known as ‘blood diamonds’ as they were used to fund conflicts in countries such as Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo, and the Ivory Coast.
8. The largest diamond ever mined in the world is the Cullinan Diamond. It was discovered in 1905 in South Africa, and it weighs 3106.75 carats. The second biggest gemstone in the world was formed from it, known as the Great Star of Africa, which weighs 530.4 carats. Another, smaller gemstone at 317.4 carats known as the Lesser Star of Africa was also yielded from the stone. Both of these stones are featured in the Crown Jewels. There are 5 other major stones which came from the Cullinan Diamond and 96 smaller ones.
Star of Africa I, or Cullinan I, at 530 carats (Image: Forbes.com)
Diamonds are more than just gems. They’re wonders of nature, and desserts for our eyes! So tell me girlfriends, How does your dream diamond look like? What’s your favorite cut and shape? Show me your bling by tagging #Lacenruffles on Instagram with your ring photos!
Until next time, stay brilliant!