kristin
07-14-2006, 11:03 AM
April's Birthstone- Diamonds
The word diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning “unconquerable” reflecting diamond’s superior hardness. There once was a myth that if you placed a diamond on an anvil and hit it with a hammer both the anvil and the hammer would break. Versions of the myth circulated and were widely accepted as truth until the 1500’s when diamond cutting became more advanced in Europe. Although belief in diamond’s indestructibility waned, in both Brazil and South Africa there were reports of deceitful traders citing the myth to ignorant prospectors, smashing the stones they had found to prove they were not diamonds and then pocketing the fragments after the disappointed prospectors went back to the mine. Occasionally there is an echo of the old superstition when a customer states, “I thought a diamond couldn’t break”.
The idea that certain gems were lucky for persons born a certain times was widespread in the ancient world; different cultures adopted whatever stones they were familiar with. In India diamond is the birthstone for people born under the signs western astrologers call Taurus and Libra.
Diamond did not appear on European birthstone lists until the 1700’s when it was assigned to April, it’s position today.
The word diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning “unconquerable” reflecting diamond’s superior hardness. There once was a myth that if you placed a diamond on an anvil and hit it with a hammer both the anvil and the hammer would break. Versions of the myth circulated and were widely accepted as truth until the 1500’s when diamond cutting became more advanced in Europe. Although belief in diamond’s indestructibility waned, in both Brazil and South Africa there were reports of deceitful traders citing the myth to ignorant prospectors, smashing the stones they had found to prove they were not diamonds and then pocketing the fragments after the disappointed prospectors went back to the mine. Occasionally there is an echo of the old superstition when a customer states, “I thought a diamond couldn’t break”.
The idea that certain gems were lucky for persons born a certain times was widespread in the ancient world; different cultures adopted whatever stones they were familiar with. In India diamond is the birthstone for people born under the signs western astrologers call Taurus and Libra.
Diamond did not appear on European birthstone lists until the 1700’s when it was assigned to April, it’s position today.