THE HISTORY OF THE DIAMOND

A BIT OF HISTORY

The first diamonds were mined in alluvial deposits 3,000 years ago in the rivers Pennar, Godavari, Mahanadi in the mythical region of Golconda in India (a name always given to a particular type of diamond with a particularly contrasting brilliance). Its natural shape, hardness and transparency obtained by partial polishing made it attractive enough to be used as jewellery for the first time around the 2nd century AD. The cutting of diamonds into facets with diamond powder did not appear until the 14th century. The diamond trade developed with the opening of the route to India. In India and Tibet, diamonds were highly prized, adorning sacred objects that represented the fruit of the stars or came from sacred springs that symbolised eternal truth. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the diamond was worn on crowns or as a pendant only by kings and maharajas. Then the Indian deposits were exhausted and from 1725 it was Brazil that offered the first discoveries, supplying the Western market until the end of the 19th century. South Africa. Today, Russia supplies about 20% of rough diamonds, followed by Botswana with about 19%, Australia 18%, the Democratic Republic of Congo 16%, South Africa 9%, Canada 7%, Angola 6%, Namibia 1%, China and Ghana 1%. It takes about 200 tonnes of rock to find 1 carat of rough diamonds. The rough is sawn or cleaved, then roughed, cut and polished. Cutting is usually done in India, China, Israel, Antwerp or South Africa.