No one likes a know-it-all, but our experts are so well-versed in diamonds and diamond lore that they even have time for trivia like this:
Stories that link diamonds with poison have been widely circulated throughout history to discourage the practice of stealing diamonds by swallowing them.
Diamond powder administered internally is a legendary poison prized for its effectiveness and “snob appeal.” Catherine de Medici was famous for dealing out death by diamond powder.
Benvenuto Cellini, the famous Italian goldsmith, described an attempt on his life by an enemy who ordered diamond powder to be mixed in his greens. Good think Ben had was past his “salad days” at the time.
Sparkling white (and other color) diamonds come from dirty black carbon and have the distinction of being the hardest naturally occurring substance known to man.
So does that make diamonds indestructible? Not at all. Diamond “hardness” refers to its ability to withstand scratching. But when it comes to the ability to withstand breaking or cleavage…they ain’t so tough!
Fully 80% of the world’s diamonds are unsuitable for jewelry, but go on to rich and rewarding careers in industry.
That’s because most diamonds found in nature are 1-3 BILLION years old! Taking their time, they were formed deep within the Earth's crust and came to the surface via volcanoes. Most diamonds are found in volcanic rock (Kimberlite).
Diamonds are forever…especially on celluloid. These Hollywood diamonds are still sparkling:
Devil Diamond (1937)
Diamond City (1949)
Diamond Hunter (1956)
Diamond Head (1962)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Diamond Thieves (1980)
Diamonds (1999)
Diamond Run (2000)
Each suit in a deck of cards represents the four major pillars of the economy in the Middle Ages. Hearts represent the Church, Spades represented the military, Clubs represented agriculture, and Diamonds…the merchant class
Perhaps these celebrities were destined for success thanks to their sparkling name:
Neil Diamond
Dustin Diamond
Mike Diamond
Legs Diamond
Diamond Jim Brady
Want to know if your diamond is real? Put it into an oven set to 850-degrees Farenheit and wait an hour. Diamonds dissipate when exposed to high temperature. So if your stone is gone after 60 minutes…you’ll know that in the future you’d be better off asking a reputable jeweler!
0
