Reverence and belief
The ancient Greeks believed diamonds were fragments of stars that had fallen to earth; others thought they came from heavenly water or dew. In Sanskrit, the word for diamond means thunderbolt, an expression of reverence for the stone.
Witnesses to history
Diamonds run through legend. In the Thousand and One Nights, Sinbad fed meat to birds so they would carry diamonds out for him; in Greek myth a great serpent guards diamonds; and Alexander is said to have killed the snakes of the Valley of Diamonds to take its stones. Famous diamonds such as the Star of Africa, the Koh-i-Noor and the Regent witnessed shifts of royal power and religious secrets. Like the eyes of the gods, diamonds have watched the rise and fall of human affairs.
Diamonds and love
In myth, the tip of Cupid's arrow was made of diamond; another legend holds that diamonds are the tears of angels moved by love. The custom of giving a diamond ring at an engagement is said to have begun with an Austrian ruler who had a diamond ring made for his proposal, and it has continued ever since. To this day, the diamond ring remains a symbol of lasting love.
Healing powers
Beyond myth and legend, people once firmly believed that diamonds could cure illness. Today, with lab-grown diamonds, the idea that diamonds have medical uses no longer seems mere rumor, and scientists have opened up new fields of research with them.
