Diamond Birthstone for April

A diamond can speak volumes – from ‘I love you’ to ‘will you marry me?’ and, of course, ‘happy birthday’! Diamonds were first discovered in the riverbeds of India some 6000 years ago, and have long been associated with mystery, power and desire. Due to their rarity, some believed that diamonds bestowed magical powers up on the wearer, and some that they guaranteed victory in battle. The hardest mineral found on earth, comprising pure crystallized carbon compressed over millions of years, diamonds are highly valued due to both the difficulty involved in producing a faceted stone and their brilliance when properly cut. However, it wasn’t until the 17th century that gem cutting techniques developed the ‘brilliant cut’ that we still know today, revealing the delicacy, intricacies and natural perfection of the stone. Traditionally the four C’s are used to rate a diamond’s quality – colour, cut, clarity and carat (weight). The largest gem-quality diamond ever found was the Cullinan Diamond in 1905, also known as the Star of Africa, which weighed in at a truly amazing 3106.75 carats. In comparison, the famous diamond ring given by Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor on her 40th birthday in 1972 was a ‘mere’ 240.80 carats.