Diamonds are fascinating, and the history of diamonds intertwined with various legends and superstitions adds to the mystery of diamonds. The history of diamonds is also a microcosm of the history of human civilization. It is only briefly sketched here in order to provide a brief clue to diamond connoisseurs.
The beginning of diamonds - India
The history of diamonds originated in India. Before the seventeenth century, although diamonds were also produced in Borneo in the early days, the output was very small, so it can be said that India was the only source of diamonds at that time. Ancient Indians divided the color of diamonds into four grades. This was a unique caste system in India, which was a division of the status and identity of Indians: colorless diamonds were called "Brahmin"; light red diamonds were called "Brahmin"; It is called "Kshatriya"; the light green diamond is called "Vaishya"; the gray diamond is called "Sudra". Diamonds have been described and recorded in documents from the fourth century BC. Archaeological research has found that Indians had used diamonds as tools to carve beads of other gemstones in the fourth century BC. Indians at that time already knew that when two diamonds collide with each other, some of the diamonds will crack or even pop off. This is the beginning of diamond cutting processing. In the eyes of Indians, everything in the world has a "mystery of life and death". Legend has it that Diamond's previous life was an extremely brave king named Bala. Not only was he born pure, but his actions in his life were also upright. When he was in After being burned on the altar of God, his bones turned into diamond seeds. The gods came to rob them. When they fled in a hurry, they dropped some seeds from the sky. These seeds were hidden in the mountains, forests, and rivers. of hard, transparent diamond.
Diamond Road--from India to the Mediterranean
Similar to the "Silk Road" that led to the West from ancient China, the "Diamond Road" connected ancient India and the West. . The Diamond Road actually consists of two routes. One is the land route, which runs from India through present-day Iran, Iraq and Turkey to Rome; the other is the water route, which crosses the Indian Ocean, passes through the Islamic holy city of Mecca, and then crosses from Alexandria, Egypt, on the southern coast of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean reaches Rome. The diamonds that appeared in the Roman Empire from the first to the third century AD were transported from India through these two "diamond roads". It is conceivable that the best diamonds must first be owned by the kings of India, and secondly by the rulers of the countries along the way. When they reach the end, there are not many diamonds left.
After the third century AD, for about a thousand years, diamonds disappeared from the Mediterranean region. One of the main reasons was that with the decline of the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire emerged between India and the Mediterranean. It replaced the Roman Empire as the main absorber of Indian diamonds. In addition, the death knell of the decline of the Roman Empire was accompanied by the rise of Christianity. Since diamonds were previously associated with pagan superstitions, the interest in diamonds among believers who had just converted to Christianity was decreasing.
Diamonds’ new life - Europe
In medieval Europe, although diamonds have been popular, diamonds still have various mysteries in people’s minds, such as: Some people Some people think that diamonds can cure diseases, but some people think that diamonds are poisonous and will cause death if swallowed. Some superstitions about diamonds have certain positive meanings. For example, soldiers believe that diamonds will bring courage to the owner. Wearing diamonds in battle will make them invincible. Diamonds will make a man love his wife deeper. However, the following major events made diamonds occupy an important position in European life
(1) During his reign, French King Louis IX (1214-1270) issued a thrift decree, stipulating that only the king could own diamonds , women are not allowed to wear diamonds. Less than two hundred years later, Charles VII's mistress publicly defied Louis IX's decree for the first time, repeatedly attracting attention in court society with the diamonds in her jewelry. This move made diamonds more attractive in the eyes of European managers at that time, especially in the eyes of ladies.
(2) In 1477, before his engagement to Princess Mary of Burgundy, France, Maximilian I of Austria received a letter from the princess, which read: On the day of the engagement, the princess A diamond-encrusted ring is a must. As a result, the first wedding diamond ring in recorded history was worn on Mary's finger. Diamond rings have since become the supreme token of loyal love for lovers.
(3) In 1499, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama circumnavigated the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa for the first time, opening up a maritime trade route from Europe to Asia. This allowed Europeans to avoid the Middle East Arab countries' monopoly on the diamond trade, and diamonds from India appeared in large quantities in Europe. In addition to the above factors, the reason why real diamonds were reborn in Europe was that diamond cutting technology was first developed in Europe. Venice, as an important trading port between Europe and the East, also saw diamonds return to Europe in the 14th century. It was the earliest diamond cutting center in Europe. But its status was soon replaced by Antwerp, and it soon became an international diamond cutting center. By the late fifteenth century, diamond cutters in Antwerp had begun to use metal discs coated with fine-grained diamonds to polish the surface of diamonds; by the seventeenth century, cutters here were able to cut 58% of diamonds on diamonds. By the eighteenth century, the diamond splitting technology had been mastered. As diamond cutting and grinding technology is increasingly perfected in Europe, Europeans are increasingly interested in diamonds, and Amsterdam and London have become important diamond processing centers.
Continuing the Past and Linking the Future - Brazil
India's diamond output reached its peak in the seventeenth century, with an annual output of approximately 50,000 to 100,000 carats, of which only a small part reached gem quality. After that, diamond production dropped rapidly. Between 1725 and 1730, only 2,000-5,000 carats of diamonds were shipped from India to Europe each year. The European diamond industry faced unprecedented challenges. Fortunately, in 1730, diamonds were discovered in Brazil, another continent far away from Europe, and soon replaced India as the largest diamond producer. For 140 years from 1730 to 1870, diamonds from Brazil dominated the world diamond market. Its output reached its peak between 1850 and 1859, with an average annual output of 300,000 carats. Due to the abundant supply of diamond production, diamonds are no longer a luxury product only for princes and nobles. As long as you have money, regardless of your status, you can buy the diamonds you like in the market.
Modern Diamond Industry - South Africa
Brazilian diamonds once made the world diamond industry prosperous, but its supply is limited. By 1861, Brazil's annual diamond production dropped to 170,000 carats, and by 1880, Brazil's annual diamond production was only 5,000 carats. The impact of this dramatic drop in production on the European diamond industry, which was beginning to take shape at that time, is understandable. At this time, news came from a mysterious continent-Africa. One day in the summer of 1866, a 15-year-old boy discovered a 21.25-carat diamond at the Decker Farm on the banks of the Orange River in South Africa. The diamond was later cut into a 10.73-carat oval diamond, which was initially called Named "O'Reilly". When this diamond was unveiled at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, it was easily named "Eureka". After the emergence of diamonds in South Africa, huge diamond deposits were quickly discovered in Kimberley. Between 1872 and 1903, the annual output of diamonds mined from various deposits around Kimberley reached 20-30 million carats, accounting for the total global diamond output. 95%. Due to the discovery of diamonds in South Africa, and on this basis, the world's largest diamond company-DeBeers Company was founded, and thus created a modern and very prosperous modern diamond industry.
Chinese Diamonds
I don’t know when the history of diamonds in China began, and there is no conclusion yet. In the "Book of Songs", China's oldest poem, there is a record that "stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade". Many scholars believe that this "stone from other mountains" is diamond. Since then, the Kunwu sword has been recorded in Liezi and Ten Continents in the Sea, with "the sword is as long as a sword and can cut jade like clay." If the records are accurate, then this Kunwu sword is likely to be made of diamond. of. However, the above records and the understanding gained from them are only people's conjectures, and no clear conclusion can be obtained. The earliest clear record of diamonds that can be found in history is the "Daily Notes" of the Jin Dynasty: "In the third year of Xianning, Dunhuang sent diamonds, which produced gold. After a lot of hunting, they could be cut into jade and found in Tianzhu." Later, it was also mentioned in the "Book of Wei", "Book of Sui" and "History of the North" that Persia had a large number of diamonds. It can be seen that the earliest diamonds in China did not come from China, but from India.
At present, Wafangdian in Liaoning, Mengyin in Shandong and Yuanshui Basin in Hunan are all important diamond producing areas. In 1983, my country's proven diamond reserves ranked sixth in the world, and currently my country's diamond output ranks among the top ten in the world. On December 21, 1977, a rural woman in Changlin Village, Linyi County, Shandong Province discovered my country's largest "Changlin Diamond" while plowing the land. It weighed 158.786 carats (slightly larger than an ordinary walnut). It is now stored in the People's Bank of China. In the treasury. There are only 4 diamonds over 100 carats discovered in my country, all of which were discovered in Shandong. The largest diamond discovered in my country weighs 1.4 taels, equivalent to 218.65 carats, and was produced on the banks of the Yishu River in Shandong in 1936. The diamond is crystal clear and golden in color, so it is named the "Golden Rooster" diamond. However, during World War II, it was snatched away by the Japanese invaders and its whereabouts are still unknown. In August 1981, it was discovered that "Chenbu No. 1" weighed 124.27 carats.