Knowledge
Derived from the Ancient Greek ‘adamas’ meaning everlasting or unbeatable, diamonds have been prized for their unique physical attributes for millennia. Formed of crystallised carbon, they are the hardest substance on earth. Diamonds have long been a symbol of strength, invincibility and eternal love, which has made them the world’s most desired gemstone.
Gemstones
The Diamond Throughout History
An Elite Treasure
The diamond can trace its origins back to Ancient times, when gold bands were occasionally set with a single uncut diamond crystal. Initially, diamonds were worn exclusively by the ruling classes as a talisman and these crystals would have been acquired directly from Indian traders. Diamonds were highly prized by the Romans, as noted by Pliny in his Naturalis Historius:
'The substance that possesses the greatest value, not only among the precious stones, but of all human possessions'.
It is thought that Alexander the Great brought the first diamonds to Europe after his invasion of northern India in 326 BC. They were carried along the Silk Roads of Central Asia, through Turkey, and thence on to Europe, where Venice established itself as a major diamond trading centre. Bruges and later, Antwerp were at the northern end of the route.
By the 1400s, diamonds were becoming fashionable accessories for Europe’s royalty and nobility. The betrothal of Mary of Burgundy to Archduke Maximilian of Austria in 1477 is the first instance in which diamonds feature in a betrothal ring, with diamonds set in the shape of the letter ‘M’.
Candlelight Diamonds
Over the following centuries as cutting methods evolved, diamonds became known as ‘candlelight diamonds’. Long before electricity was invented, diamonds would have been cut and faceted in the lights of the eras, in particular gaslight and candlelight. In the 18th-19th centuries, diamonds were only worn in the evening, in rooms bathed in a candlelit glow where they exhibited a uniquely romantic sparkle. With lower light settings masking colour in a diamond, the emphasis was instead on size, with large diamonds glittering in abundance.
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The Diamond Engagement Ring
Today, diamonds are synonymous with the engagement ring, which came about as a result of a 1947 advertising campaign, by Frances Gerety, for De Beers. With the famous slogan, ‘A Diamond is Forever,’ this campaign not only transformed the market for engagement rings, but in 1999, was also named the ‘The Slogan of the Century’ by Advertising Age.
Historic Diamond Mines
India
The first significant source of diamonds came from India, which dates back to before 600BC and for more than 1000 years, Indian diamonds adorned the world's nobility, maharajas, sultans, queens and kings. The most famous mining area was Golconda, from where some of the world’s most impressive and famous diamonds originated. Diamond production in India likely peaked in the 1600s, and by 1750 the output was insignificant. Today, only the Panna region still produces diamonds commercially.
India is now known as the world’s major diamond cutting centre, with an estimated 14 out of 15 diamonds cut and polished in the country.
Brazil
Initially discovered by miners looking for gold along the Jequitinhonha river in the early 1700s, it was in 1725 that the Portuguese first officially recorded diamond deposits. In just five years, these mines had become the world’s main source of diamonds, surpassing India.
This discovery caused the price of diamond rough to drop by 70%, and allowed diamonds to become available to a wider audience than just European nobility. The vast majority of diamonds seen in European jewels between the mid-18th century and the mid-19th century would have come from Brazil.
Brazil is also known for producing large fancy coloured diamonds, including the Moussaieff Red, found in 1989. Today, the mine's output accounts for less than 1% of the world’s diamonds.
South Africa
In 1866 a child in South Africa found an unusual-looking stone, which turned out to be a twenty-one-carat rough diamond, now known as the ‘Eureka' diamond. Shortly thereafter, in 1869, the discovery of an 83.5 carat diamond, the ‘Star of South Africa', confirmed the significance of the deposits. Thousands of prospectors from around the world soon flooded South Africa, and using picks and shovels, dug the riverbed for diamonds.
Unlike in India and Brazil, it was soon found that diamonds were not limited to alluvial gravel, with the discovery of kimberlite pipes. The area of Kimberley where these pipes were found quickly became the capital of the world’s diamond industry.
The now famous DeBeers Company, founded by Englishman Cecil Rhodes, controlled all of the diamond deposits in South Africa from the time of its establishment in 1888. And so it came to pass that London became the world's rough diamond trading centre, as all stones passed through his London offices, while cutting carried on in Antwerp, and later Tel Aviv and New York.
Today South Africa remains a major source of the world's diamond supply, joined in the twentieth century by Botswana, Namibia, Canada and Australia among others.
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From Scaife to Laser: The Development of Diamond Cutting
Prior to the 13th century, diamonds were seen and worn in their natural rough form, most commonly an octahedral crystal. The first attempts at fashioning a diamond involved smoothing the surfaces by rubbing them against a static board of diamond dust and olive oil.
The scaife was first invented in the 15th century and its use in diamond cutting continues through to today. A rotating disc made from steel or iron and also embedded with diamond dust and olive oil, this was first operated manually using a lever. Over the following centuries, this adapted, first to a mill wheel with water power in the 1530s and then the 1800s saw horse powered scaifes and eventually steam powered in 1840.
The use of steam driven scaifes also coincided with the newly discovered Brazilian mines and saw large scale diamond cutting factories appear as a result. For the first time, a large supply of diamonds coincided with the technology to cut multiple facets, along with an increased understanding of a diamond's properties, this meant that diamond cutters could maximise the beauty of each stone.
Later in the 19th century, Henry D. Morse and Charles M. Field established British and U.S. patents for steam-driven bruting machines in 1874 and 1876 respectively, with the first electric bruting machine invented in 1891. This allowed the girdle of two diamonds to be rubbed together simultaneously in a circular motion which created a more symmetrical cut with a circular outline.
Another influx of diamonds, this time from South Africa, and the invention of the rotary diamond saw, circa 1900, led to further advances. Diamond cutters could now create two stones from a single octahedral crystal, instead of grinding down the rough into one stone. By the turn of the 20th century, diamond cutting was undergoing a renaissance.
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, a myriad of new diamond cuts were introduced, such as the step-cut and Asscher cut to cater for the new fashions of the era.
By the late 1970s laser sawing replaced the metal blade, and De Beers developed an automated polishing machine. Further technological advances in the 1980s saw the invention of automatic bruting machines that needed little supervision, and laser bruting as a means of shaping fancy cut diamonds was introduced in 1992.
Today, the process of fashioning a diamond is entirely mechanised, and even computerised. Instead of diamond cutters carefully assessing rough crystals to determine the best way to cut them to produce the most beauty, cuts are now determined by imaging software, designed to provide the highest yield.
The art of cutting and faceting a diamond by hand is being lost to time, and the unique charm of these diamonds are now found largely within antique and vintage jewels.
The World of Fancy Coloured Diamonds
Though most people think of diamonds as colourless, diamonds can form in all colours of the rainbow, as well as black.
While a diamond crystal forms under tremendous heat and pressure, in some instances, the crystal will have been exposed to a rare element (nitrogen for yellows, boron for blues), natural radiation (in the case of greens) or an uncommon distortion in the structure of the crystal lattice (resulting in pinks and some browns). Once a diamond exhibits enough colour, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will classify it as a ‘fancy' diamond. It is estimated that of every 10,000 natural diamonds, only 1 would be classed as a ‘fancy diamond'.
It is only in the last few decades that people have truly started to understand and appreciate how special these diamonds are. The 1988 sale of a 0.95 carat red diamond for $880,000 (equivalent to approximately $2.3m in today’s climate) at Christie’s New York was seen as a pivotal moment for fancy diamonds.
Today, coloured diamonds are commanding some of the highest prices per carat of any gemstone. Keeping their promise of value, these diamonds are capturing the imaginations of jewellery collectors and investors alike.
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Unparalleled beauty – Berganza’s Diamonds
The vast collection at Berganza is composed of vintage and antique diamond set pieces which have all been entirely crafted by hand using the first pioneering techniques. Their captivating irregular subtleties, coupled with their increasing rarity, makes their unique charm highly desirable and sought after and over the centuries they have become synonymous with the engagement ring.
Explore our dazzling array of fancy coloured diamonds, from rings to earrings and bracelets, visit us in-store to find a gift for your loved one today, or book an appointment to let us know how we can help you find the perfect piece.
Colombian Emeralds
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Burmese Sapphires
Burmese Rubies
Amethyst
As with anything we wear regularly, we recommend cleaning your diamonds at least once a month. To do so, get a bowl of warm water and a few drops of washing up liquid and gently clean your diamond with a soft toothbrush. Wipe dry and polish with a soft cloth for extra sparkle!
A lab grown diamond is a diamond that has been created in a lab using techniques such as HPHT and CVD, and not mined from the earth.
The best way to tell whether your diamonds are genuine is to take them to a jeweller or gemmologist who will be able to assess them and let you know whether they are real.
The 4 C’s stand for carat, cut, colour and clarity, the means by which diamonds are assessed to determine their value.
Yes, one of the wonderful side effects of purchasing an antique diamond is that it is a very sustainable choice! You are lessening your impact on the environment by being a conservator instead of a consumer.