What is the birthstone for April-
The birthstone for April is diamond. And along with emerald ruby and sapphire are classed by gemologists as the big four.
Diamonds with their translucent and radiant tones are said to denote life, elation and purity. However April’s birthstone comes in a myriad of shades other than the clear white that most people think of. Some of the shades and colors that occur in diamonds include pinks, yellows, light blues, and even black.
Along with the traits mentioned above, Diamond also represents, joy and innocence, furthermore it is believed that some of cupids, magical arrows were tipped with diamonds.
With cupid being the god of love, desire, attraction and affection, the connection towards cupid is surely significant to the belief, many societies throughout
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The song surly references the fact diamonds are an extremely tough and durable element, in fact diamonds are not only the hardest gemstone they are also the hardest natural substance on earth.
Because of diamonds renowned strength it is used in many engineering situations including tools used for cutting, drilling, and grinding even for the stylus needles used to play vinyl records in turntable record players (remember them ?).
We now know that the birthstone for April is diamond and as mentioned early we talked about the Cullinan Diamond which has been incorporated into the crown jewels of the United Kingdom. Let’s now look deeper into an extraordinary example of one of nature’s wondrous birthstones the..
The Cullinan Diamond
The illustrious Cullinan Diamond is the biggest white (clear) diamond that has ever been found.
With a weight of over 3000 carats in its uncut state and more than 10cm (4 inches) in length, it is famous for its dimension, its astonishing blue white shade and excellent
Should diamonds be seen as such highly sought-after, luxury goods, and marketed and sold at such extravagant amounts? While some individuals might be of the impression that diamonds are lavishly priced, because of limited supply, it is of my opinion that a very shrewdly-created cartel disguises the very reason for these “rare” gems seemingly being worth your “pretty penny”.
Engagement rings initially served a double purpose. In the days when brides were purchased, these rings were partial payment for the bride in addition to symbolizing the groom's intentions and woman's agreement. Diamonds were first found in Medieval Italy and due to their hardness symbolized enduring love.
(“Native American Beadwork”). Although many forms of beads have been found at archeological sites over the past hundred years, the oldest known bead came from a site in Tule Springs, Nevada. This bead, which was constructed of a material known as white caliche or, a “sedimentary rock made from hardened calcium carbonate”, dates back to 11,000 B.C.
Valuing a diamond is a highly skilled task thus not traded on world frequently. (Valued on the basis of four criteria- 4C s carat clarity color and cut)
It’s hard to imagine that a mineral could be fueling wars and funding corrupt governments. This mineral can be smuggled undetected across countries in a coat pocket, then be sold for vast amounts of money. This mineral is used in power tools, parts of x-ray machines, and microchips but mostly jewelry. Once considered the ultimate symbol of love, the diamond has a darker story. "Blood" diamonds or "conflict" diamonds are those mined, polished, or traded in areas of the world where the rule of law does not exist. They often originate in war-torn countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, and Côte d'Ivoire were rebels use these gems to fund genocide or other questionable objectives. Even with a system known as the Kimberly process which tracks diamonds to prevent trade of these illicit gems, infractions continue as the process is seriously flawed. The continuation of the blood diamond trade is inhuman, and unethical, and in order to cease this illicit trade further action to redefine a conflict diamond, as well as reform to the diamond certification prosess is nessasary.
makes diamonds valuable, and why do we revere them so much? “…diamonds have meant different things to different societies. Until the 15th century, they were seen by leaders as symbols of supreme strength. The name itself comes from the Greek word "adamas", meaning indestructible. The Greeks were a romantic sort, and for them the dancing sparkle of the diamond was the sign of the extinguishable flame of love” add (Savage, 2008). Diamonds are now easily accessible to us and all we have to do is visit the nearest jewelry store with deep pockets. However, we have no knowledge about where those diamonds came from.
Only a small amount of natural resources have captured the attention of the world as much as blood diamonds have (Goreux). Conflict or "blood" diamonds are immorally mined and traded diamonds used to fund conflict in war-torn areas, mainly in Africa (Armstrong). Blood diamonds are detrimental because countries in Africa with a lot of these mines are often troubled by violence. The rebels who enforce said violence treat the workers so poorly that it’s even to the point of torturing and killing them. This blood diamond mining has led to over 3 million deaths in total (Statistic Brain). This is why they are called 'blood' diamonds, because they are stained with the blood of the workers who suffered in order to get them.
To begin diamonds are can be found all over the world including countries like, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Australia, and Tanzania. Yet, diamonds are still quite rare and are only found from two dominant deposits. The primary deposits often consist of diamond-bearing “pipes” of volcanic rock called kimberlite. Deep within th...
I have chosen to talk about precious gemstones and crystals. There are many people now and days rediscovering the many uses of gemstones and crystals. To my knowledge each, have many different uses. They can be used as adornments, for health, for healing and for spiritual practices. You have probably never even heard of stones or crystals in this fashion before. I am going to take this opportunity to tell you what I know about this fascinating world that I have grown very accustomed to. I am not a gemstone/crystal specialist but, I do know enough about this topic to give you a slight overview about this topic.
Santarossa, B. (2004, January 13). Diamonds: Adding lustre to the Canadian economy. Retrieved November 06, 2017, from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2004008-eng.htm
Traditionally, and to this day, rings also indicate love and affection. The most common and widespread form of this is, of course, the wedding or engagement ring. This is not a tradition divorced from the symbolism of wealth or power, however, especially in the context of the text — in Shakespeare's time, wedding rings were a tradition mostly confined to the upper merchant and noble classes, since the poor simply could not afford them.
It is said to promote healing and provide protection from nightmares and accidents away from home. Peridot is the only gemstone only available in one color, green. It’s no surprise that it symbolizes creation and is believed to promote healing powers and instill power. Spinel is red, pink, orange, or purple and is believed to protect from harm, reconcile differences, and ease depression.
Diamonds were created million years ago, when the earth was formed, the material experienced pressure of 5million times the atmosphere at sea level and temperatures between 1000~1200degreesC. These conditions caused carbon in the layers inside the planet to crystallize into diamonds. The diamonds moved up to the earth’s surface through volcano eruptions. This is why many Diamond mines are near volcanoes. Diamonds occur in two types of rock: Kimberlite and Lamprolite. Diamonds are mostly found in South Africa, India, Brazil, Russia, Australia, and Arkansas. Right now about 100million carats are mined each year. Today the largest cut Diamond in the world is the Cullian I at 530.2ct .
The value of diamonds lies on their physical properties that make them suitable for many applications. Natural diamonds are only of high value if they are scarce in nature. Realizing this, De Beers Consolidated Mines was formed to control the supply of diamonds from mines across the world. The diamond market is influenced by mine production, rough diamond distribution, preparation/cutting, and retail markets. The project will be concentrating on the retail markets for diamonds and other high end jewelry.
The third determinant of the diamond – related and supporting industries looks at the industry suppliers and...