Origins of the Mythical Jewel
A diamond is a mythical jewel. There are several myths
regarding diamonds, of which one is a diamond valley which is protected by
snakes. On the other hand we have a full scale production of rough diamonds,
millions of carats each year. The exact history of diamonds is still not very accurate.
It is not known for sure when exactly the diamond was
discovered but the first ever recorded history for diamonds is about three
thousand years ago, in India. Although it is highly likely that the value of
diamonds in India grew because of their light refracting ability but records
show that diamonds were used for 2 purposes. They were used to decorate things
and as a charm to provide protection against enemies and evil spirits.
During the dark ages, diamonds were thought to have healing
powers. An anecdote by St Hildergarde says that if a diamond was held in the
hand and a sign of the cross was made with the same hand the diamond is in, it
could cure illnesses and also heal wounds. Many people even ingested diamonds,
hoping to cure their sickness.
Sometime during the Middle Ages, people started paying more
attention to diamonds and their worth. Only this time, it was not because of
their supposed mystical powers. More attention was being paid to diamonds because
of the growing public awareness of their value. Mine owners even spread myths of
diamonds being poisonous because workers would swallow them in an attempt to
smuggle them out of the mines.
With the discovery of large carat diamonds in India, they
became immensely popular in India. The Koh-I-Noor and Blue Hope are two of the
most famous diamonds in the world and they were discovered in India.
Mid-nineteenth century was giving birth to rumors that there
are diamonds being discovered in Australia. However, after almost seven years
of searching, in the late 1970’s Australia was validated as a diamond producer.
Geologies found the biggest diamond deposit in the world; they had found the
Argyle pipe, which was near the Lake Argyle. What was once thought to be a rumor
is now producing over one-third of the world’s diamond supply yearly.
As time progressed, the value of diamonds kept growing and
now it is used in various sectors ranging from jewelry to industrial grade
tools, even precision instruments.
