Diamond

Diamond is the traditional birthstone for the month of April.

The diamond known for its colorless nature can be found in red, pink, blue, green and yellow, although very rare. Rarer still, the diamond is the hardest of all gemstones known to man, yet it is the simplest in composition – made of nothing but crystallized carbon.

Long known as a symbol of romantic love, the lore of the diamond is just as romantic. According to the ancient Greeks, diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to earth. Some believed that diamonds were the tears of the Gods, crystallized lightning, or hardened drops of dew. Perhaps the diamonds’ status as the ultimate and most magical expression of love is a result of Cupid. It was once said that diamonds possess a magic matched by nothing else on earth. For this reason, Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds to inspire that magic in mere mortal’s looking for loves’ kiss.

In ancient times diamonds were a symbol of strength, courage and invincibility only worn by kings. The masses were not dripping in diamonds until 1477, when Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy which spawned the tradition of diamond engagement rings. The placement of a diamond engagement ring also dates back in history. The early Egyptians believed the vena amoris or the “vein of love,” ran directly from the heart to the top of the third finger on the left hand. This romantic tale accounts for why a woman wears an engagement ring on the third finger of her left hand.

To give a diamond is a symbol of an invincible bond marked by an undying love – a love unlike any other. Just like love, no two diamonds are alike and no two babies are alike, making it a perfect birthstone as well.