History of a Diamond Infographic
History of a Diamond
800BC
Diamonds were discovered in India. The first diamonds were found 3,000 years ago in India, where it is probable that diamonds were first valued for their ability to refract light. It was either used for decorative purposes or as a talisman.
327BC
Alexander the Great brings the first diamonds to Europe. Diamonds were also known in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, where it was believed diamonds could have been splinters from falling stars.
500-1500
Middle ages diamonds. During the Middle Ages, diamonds were more known for their worth, and due to the raised public awareness, mine owners started myths that diamonds were poisonous to keep workers from stealing them by swallowing them. Koh-I-Noor and the Blue Hope are the two most well-known diamonds from the middle ages.
900-1000
Dark ages diamonds. In the Dark Ages, the diamond was often used as a medical aid. Diamonds were ingested in hopes that the afflicted would be cured of their ailment. Pope Clement tried this method, but it was unsuccessful.
1074
Diamonds are used as jewelry. One of the first examples of diamond jewelry was when a Hungarian queen’s crown is created.
1150s
The Briolette of India is a legendary diamond of 90.38 carats, believed to have been brought to England by Eleanor of Aquitaine.
1375
The point cut was developed, which follows the natural shape of a raw diamond, reducing waste in the diamond cutting process.
1382
Queen Anne of Bohemia purchased a circlet crown set with a large sapphire, a balas, and four large pearls with a diamond in the center.
1423
Sir William Hankford, the Chief Justice of England, gave his great-granddaughter a baptismal gift of a golden cup and a diamond ring.
1477
Mary of Burgundy became the first known recipient of a diamond engagement ring by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. The history and tradition of the engagement ring begin here.
1650s
The brilliant cut. Cardinal Jules Mazarin collected diamonds from Catherine the Great and is credited with the first ‘Brilliant cut’ diamonds, Mazarin Double-Cut Brilliants.
1664
The Wittelsbach diamond was used as a gift from King Philip IV of Spain to his daughter to celebrate her betrothal to Emperor Leopold I of Austria in 1664. The color was a rare dark blue.
1792
The French Blue diamond or later became the Hope Diamond, was stolen from the French Crown Jewels during the French Revolution.
1837
The Tiffany diamond company was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and operated as Tiffany, Young and Ellis. The name was shortened to Tiffany & Co. in 1853 when Charles Tiffany took control, and the firm’s emphasis on jewelry was established.
1850s
The biggest diamond rush. The discovery of diamonds near the Orange River in South Africa sparked the world’s biggest diamond rush and helped to satisfy the world’s increasing demand for diamonds.
1851
The Koh-I-Noor diamond was re-cut to 105 carats for Queen Victoria by a stone cutter from Amsterdam. This well known diamond is part of the British Crown jewels.
1900s
The world’s largest cut black diamond. The Spirit of de Grisogono, at 312.24 carats, was also found in the early 1900s and is the world’s largest cut black diamond.
1924
Uncle Sam is the nickname for the largest diamond discovered in the United States by W. O. Bassum at Crater of Diamonds state park in Arkansas.
1968
The Asscher Krupp diamond, named initially after Vera Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, was sold at Sotheby’s to Elizabeth Taylor.
1970s
Mining Australia. After seven years of searching, Australia’s alleged potential as a diamond producer was realized.
1979
Argyle Mine was found near Lake Argyle. Since then, it has become the world’s largest volume producer of diamonds and produces over a third of the world’s diamonds yearly.
2002
The Beluga diamond is a 41-carat stone from the Golconda area of India. The Ashoka cut of this diamond was created by the William Goldberg firm. It is a cut with a rectangular girdle outline and rounded corners that capture and disperse light to create an intense brilliance.
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