Diamond – the king of gemstones

Undoubtedly diamond is the most exquisite resource our planet has created over the course of millions of years. Its uniqueness is particularly evident in its splendor and its incomparable refraction: the so-called brilliance, which also gives its name to the round diamond cut. The cutting and its execution is decisive for the bright fascinating gleam with only minimal incidence of light. Each stone has its own fire, its own character – yes, its individual charisma: Nature does not repeat itself. Diamonds are also available in other cuts, the so-called ‘Fantasy Cuts’. These cuts allow a wide range of designs and offer a large scope for individual requirements. Due to its natural physical properties, the diamond is also referred to as the king of gemstones. It has the highest symbolic value for love and eternity and like no other material it combines clarity and durability – hard to resist.

Hardness 10

Diamonds are up to 4 billion years old. Long before dinosaurs populated the earth, they arose in depth of 150 kilometers – under enormous pressure and a temperature of 1200 to 1400 degrees Celsius and made from the primal element of all life: carbon. 70 to 150 million years ago they were hurled from explosive volcanic eruptions to the earth’s surface. Diamond is the hardest natural mineral on earth – hardness 10 (according to Mohs). It is by a factor 60 harder than the second hardest mineral, the corundum (sapphire, ruby). Diamonds can only be cut with diamonds. Due to its physical hardness, it is not only popular as a jewelery object, but is also used in industry as a special material. Last but not least, the diamond has increasingly become an alternative investment. Maybe not quite as dynamic as shares, but much nicer. The oldest diamond finds are reported from India in the fourth millennium BC. Even then, diamonds were said to have magical effects, which is why they were also used as talismans. Currently the most important producing countries are South Africa and Russia.