10 Interesting Facts About Diamonds, The April Birthstone

Diamonds—with a billion year-old legacy and unmatched beauty—captivate people across the globe, owing to its mysterious allure. And, those born in the month of April are lucky enough to call this rare gem their birthstone, a symbol of clarity and strength.

While the pure, raw beauty of this rare stone is reason enough to add it to your bijoux box, acquainting yourself with these fascinating facts about diamonds—including its origin, discovery, and history—will make you desire it even more! After all, the phrase 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' stands for a reason; especially when we talk about the Forevermark diamond, one in a million. 

 

Nature's Miracle

 

As pure as the Earth, a diamond is a miracle over 3 billion years in the making. It was apparently formed long before dinosaurs set foot on this planet, and some even go on to say that diamonds are older than the stars! (maybe that explains why the sparkle of your diamond often rivals that of twinkling stars).

 

A Bond of Beauty and Strength

 

While diamonds appear to be elegant and delicate, they are also the hardest natural substance on the planet—58 times harder than the next mineral on Earth! No two diamonds are alike, each is as unique as a snowflake; precious and rare.

 

A Diamond is Indestructible 

 

The term diamond is derived from the Greek word ‘adamas’, which means indestructible—fitting for this everlasting, precious stone that is an eternal symbol of a lifelong commitment. This explains exactly why diamonds are regarded as the ultimate symbol of love and strength. In fact, history suggests that many ancient cultures held the belief that diamonds gave the wearer strength and courage during battle, so much so that kings often wore diamonds on their armor as they rode into war.

 

A Diamond is Rare

 

A diamond is a priceless possession—pure, precious and pretty. If you were to gather all the diamonds ever polished since the beginning of time, they would fit in a London double-decker bus, with room to spare! 

 

The Biggest Diamond Ever Known

 

Did you know that a diamond over one carat in weight is one in a million, and the biggest known diamond in the universe weighs 2.27 thousand trillion tonnes, or 10 billion trillion carats? This is the equivalent to 179 trillion double-decker buses!

 

The Largest Diamond: Cullinan

 

The Cullinan, weighing 530.20 carats, is the largest cut diamond in the world which originated from the De Beers Premier mine. It was cut from a huge 3,106 carat rough diamond, discovered in the Premier mine in Transvaal, South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan eventually yielded nine major, and 107 smaller brilliant cut diamonds, two of which can be found in the British Crown Jewels!

 

 

Diamonds Aren't Only White!

 

While D-to-Z coloured diamonds are most widely used in jewellery, were you aware that diamonds come in all colours of the rainbow? Natural-coloured diamonds—blue, green, orange, and red—are the rarest, while yellow and brown are the most common ones used worldwide.

 

 

The 1% Club

 

If diamonds are rare, Forevermark diamonds are the rarest of rare. Less than 1% of the world’s diamonds are eligible to become Forevermark! If all the worlds diamonds fit in a double-decker bus, the Forevermark-inscribed diamonds would solely fill over two tires of the bus. Invisible to the naked eye, the Forevermark inscription includes the Forevermark icon and the stone's own unique number at the heart of the diamond, which identifies it as exclusively yours, and unlike any other diamond in the world.

 

The Most Expensive Diamond: The Pink Star 

 

Do you know that the most expensive and bewitching pink diamond, known as the Pink Star, was sold in Hong Kong for more than $71,000,000, weighing 59.60 carats!

 

 

How Diamonds Come Into Being

 

This pure, rare gemstone is formed under 45-60 Kbar of pressure. This corresponds to a depth of 125-200 kilometers below the Earth’s surface—around fifty thousand times the atmospheric pressure. And, this pressure amounts to putting the point of the Eiffel Tower upside down on your hand!