 For a rock, diamonds certainly have an amazing appeal. Wars have been fought over them, economies have been built on the diamond trade, and nearly every marriage starts off with one when the prospective groom presents a diamond solitaire to his intended. Diamonds make for the perfect wedding band or anniversary gift, a sparkler enjoyed by couples the world over. There are a lot of facts and oddities about diamonds that have escaped the average consumer. Just for the fun of it, I have compiled a list of eight of the more unusual trivia tidbits of this beautiful stone for your personal education. • The word “diamond” gets its name from the Greek word adamas, which means unconquerable. • Approximately two-thirds of all diamonds come from African countries. In times past, local governments received little benefit from the diamond trade, but today the diamond industry is proving to be a blessing to the populace. In Botswana, for example, free education is available to every child up to the age of 13, an opportunity unheard of virtually elsewhere on the continent. • The largest polished gem in the world is Cullinan I, named after the owner of the diamond company which found the rock. Weighing 530.20 carats and sporting 73 facets, the stone resides in the Tower of London within the scepter of King Edward VII. • One diamond reportedly carries a curse. The Blue Hope, which now resides in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, was once owned by Louis XIV. Eventually it was stolen and later found and purchased by Philip Hope of London, for whom it was named. Two owners down through the years lost their entire families one year apart. There is no word whether the curse remains or has been lifted. • As many as ten million people globally are indirectly or directly supported by the diamond industry. Namibia, the former colony of South-West Africa, derives just over 40% of its gross national product from the diamond trade. • Rockwell Diamonds received a record price of $145,000 US per carat for a rare 7.28 carat pink diamond in December 2007. Do the math and that stone, which could make for an ideal wedding or engagement ring, would retail for at least $1,055,600. • More than 1.75 million diamond engagement rings are sold annually in the US, with total sales over $6 billion. • For men wanting to save money, it isn’t recommended that you give your honey the smallest diamond in the world which is said to measure five-billionth of a carat. Developed by Hitachi High-Technologies, this diamond is used in the development of semiconductors. No, it would not make for the perfect engagement, wedding, or anniversary ring, as it can only be seen under a microscope! I hope this brief bit of diamond education amused you as much as it did me. While perfect as engagement rings, modern tastes encourage the giving of diamonds as anniversary rings, for birthdays as well as for weddings. Guys are getting into the act too with a men’s platinum designer bar set solitaire engagement ring becoming popular, after all why should women be the only ones sporting an engagement ring?
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