THE diamond, the April birthstone, symbolises affection, strength, eternity and, of course, everlasting love and is regarded as one of the most radiant and desirable of gemstones.
Known as “a girl’s best friend”, the metaphysical properties of diamonds are clarity, balance and abundance.
The name, diamond, is adopted from the Greek work adamas, meaning “invincible”. Culturally, diamonds have had many stories and folklore associated with them due to their beauty and grace. In Sanskrit, diamonds are called “vajra” meaning lightning; in Hindu mythology lightning was used as weapon by Indra, the king of gods. Diamonds have cross-culturally depicted courage, invincibility and strength. Greeks interpreted the fire of the diamond as the symbolic flame of eternal love.
Sanskrit texts dating back before 400 B.C. found that people associated significant value and wonderment with crystals. Ancient theories touting the magical powers of diamonds were prevalent: some thought lightning bolts formed diamonds, while other theories asserted that diamonds were the tears of god or bits of the stars which had fallen off.
During the Middle Ages, diamonds were thought to hold healing powers and to cure ailments stemming from the pituitary gland and brain. By heating the crystal and taking it to bed, it was thought to draw out the harmful toxins that were crippling the body.
Although the most common and desired diamonds are colorless, symbolising their purity, there are still a variety of different diamond colors.
• Blue Diamond – contains Boron, which affects the conductivity of the gem.
• Yellow Diamond – the most common variant of a diamond, nitrogen is what causes the varying yellow colorations.
• Black Diamond – not truly black, but contains numerous dark inclusions that give this gem it’s ominous presence.
