In their book “Why men don’t listen and women can’t read maps”, Alan and Barbara Pearson, state that the general level of intelligence is higher among women than men. And they humorously back it up by saying that hence it is no surprise that dogs are man’s best friend while diamonds are woman’s.
Yes, that sparking and scintillating rock, set in the centre of your ring is every other woman’s envy. After all what makes diamonds so desirable that every woman longs for its luster to shine on her body. According to the Indian Vedic astrology, there are 9 astrological gemstones, one associated with each of the nine planets. Diamond is associated with the planet Venus. Venus who is the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Further diamond is also considered the birthstone for the month of April. The word “April” finds its roots in the Latin word “Aprilis”. Aprilis is the shortened form for “Aphrodite”, meaning the Greek goddess of love, wealth and desirability. This association partly explains women’s wish to own diamonds, possess the ultimate symbol of sensuality and sophistication.
But this stone of glitz and glamour is formed of the most ordinary element of carbon atoms under the earth’s crust. Diamond is the only other natural carbonic arrangement other than graphite. But it is the three dimensional arrangement of carbon atoms in diamond that makes it the hardest discovered substance on earth. Though the toughness and heat conductivity of the stone makes it ideal for a number of industrial uses like cutting, drilling, grinding and polishing, subconsciously probably the same sturdiness makes it the most preferred choice to signify a relationship of love. Love brightens your life like diamond brightens your finger and love that must stay strong like diamond under all conditions.
The charms of such gifted stone come with a price or rather quite a high price. Diamonds are classy and are in their own league of precious stones. The value of a diamond depends on the four C’s of carat, cut, color and clarity. The weight of diamonds is measured in carats. One carat equals 200 milligrams approximately. As the carat increases, the size of the diamond increases and so does its price.
The second aspect of a diamond is its cut. A diamond in its rough form is nothing more than a piece of rock. It is its cut and polish that lends it the sparkle to flash in the eyes. Some of the popular cuts of diamonds are princess, pear, oval, marquise, round, etc. Just as the right cut in any ensemble makes the body look lissome, the right cut in diamonds is very important for its brilliance to be visible. The third facet of diamond is its color. To the untrained eyes all diamonds will appear white and luminescent. But a professional dealer or grader of diamonds will easily notice a yellowish or brownish tint in a diamond that even slightly mars its radiance. The colored tint in a diamond is the result of foreign particles of nitrogen present in the composition stage of diamond. Though for a layman diamonds are only white, there are pink, blue and green diamonds as well. The value of a diamond depends on its whiteness. The cost escalates with greater whiteness.
The final aspect of diamond that influences its cost is its clarity. Clarity implies the crystallization of diamond. A clear diamond easily reveals any flaws present in it. The price of a clear diamond is naturally high. Imagine a huge beautifully cut, pure white rock, emanating radiance, adorning your ring finger or dangling in your neck. Now which woman will not care to own such a best friend. Diamonds are formed under the earth’s crust. The main sources of diamond mining are Kimberlite rock and alluvial deposits. Kimberlites are diamond bearing rocks basically composed of crystals of olivine and a type of mica. They occur as dykes, veins and pipes usually having a cone shaped form. Active and extinct river beds with conglomerates of gravel are also a good source of diamonds. The geographical occurrences of diamond have been in countries like South Africa, Namibia, Brazil, Canada, Russia, India, etc. Africa is the largest source of diamonds even today but the international hub for cutting and polishing of diamonds is Antwerp in Belgium. A diamond undergoes the following procedure to transform itself from a rough stone to that shining rock to embellish you. The steps go in the order of cleaving, sawing, bursting, grinding and polishing.
Whatever be the source and processing of this desirable rock but one thing is plainly true that beautiful things come at a high and heavy price. While women and diamonds share a close association, both have seen a history of blood behind them. The world has been witness to the outrageous beauty of Cleopatra and Helen of Troy and the battles it waged. Similar has been the fate of some of the world famous diamonds like KOH-I-NUR, which means the “Mountain of Light”. It was known to be the possession of Kings of Malwa in India around 1304 A.D. But when the Mughal emperor Babur invaded India, it was captured by them and later the East India Company took the diamond in partial indemnity against their losses. Kohinur originally weighed 186 carats.
The other known diamond is “The Hope” which was found near Golconda in India. Later it was brought to Europe by the French traveler Tavernier. It was stolen during the French revolution and never recovered. It weighed 112 carats. But the biggest diamond crystal ever found with exceptionally high quality and purity is “THE CULLINAN”. It weighed 3,106 carats in its rough form.
Diamonds are nothing but a part of the beautiful nature around us and like any other part of nature it has hidden messages within it, which will appear and sink within an open mind. Diamonds are formed of the simple and ordinary atoms of carbon but it is the solidarity of the atoms that creates the shimmering stone. Similarly our world is made up of normal people like you and me who share the common energy of the universe. But if we come together in harmony and unity, some extraordinary things like diamonds will surely be created. Diamonds are formed under the warm layers of the earth so does a woman need the warmth of her partner to blossom at her best. Diamonds are priceless and precious and when these priceless crystals are received by a lady from her man, it assures her of her invaluable presence in his life. Diamonds are surely stones but stones that speak the language of love and care, which a woman understands best. Hence none other but it’s the diamonds that hold the covetous place of being a woman’s best friend forever.
