Why Do People Love Diamonds So Much?
Look into a diamond and it’s clear why gems have been imbued with so much love and lust for so long: they’re pretty! But for all the focus on the sparkle of a diamond, the gem has become much more than a bit of bling over the centuries.
What is it that makes diamonds so enduringly, internationally desirable? They are so enticing, let’s see why.
The Rarity and the Natural Beauty of Diamonds
One reason diamonds twinkle so brightly is because they are rare. Natural diamonds form over billions of years in extreme heat and pressure within the Earth’s core, so they are prohibitively expensive.
The fact that they are formed by nature over geological time scales and transported slowly from deep within the Earth also adds to the mystique. Each diamond has its own individual profile: the different clarity, color, cut and carat provide in their own way a completely characterized personality.
Celebrated for the spectacular display of rainbow-hued explosions that it offers when properly cut and polished, a diamond looks as if it has been blessed by pixie dust, for it possesses what jewelry insiders refer to as the exceptional power to break up light into thousands of glimmering jets of light. Indeed, diamonds sparkle far more brightly than any other stone.
A Symbol of Eternal Love
One of diamond’s shining attributes is tied to the enduring fantasy surrounding love and romance.
The diamond is the accepted, universal symbol of love and engagements, and any wedding ring will inherently feature a diamond. Diamonds figured in a burst of self-asserting emblems of personal royalty marking the coming of age of Archduke Maximilian of Austria in 1477. Maximilian wooed Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring, and by this point a wordless romance had begun that has burned brightly ever since.
But diamonds also represent ‘forever’, since they carry the highest return of any material on the hardness scale: true love and true diamonds are essentially indestructible.
Cultural and Historical Importance
Of course, it’s not only about romance — diamonds are enriched with great cultural and historical significance as well. Diamonds were first found in India over 2,000 years ago and were thought to have mystical properties.
Diamonds were viewed by ancient Hindus to be magical amulets that could ward off evil and bring good fortune.
And so diamonds’ ties with Cupid — and Cupid’s ties with healthy erotic love — eventually gave rise to the idea of diamond-tipped arrows igniting passion in the hearts of lovers. Now that’s an aphrodisiac!
Diamonds became the symbols of wealth, power and rank — kings and aristocrats adorned themselves with them in elaborate jewelry and crowns to stake their lofty claim. For centuries, the diamond was regarded as a treasure of the elite, a signifier of social status.
More customary these days, diamonds look now to the average user as though they’re as noble and exclusive as ever. Which is why stars and entertainers opt to sparkle alongside them: Diamonds never go out of style.
The Marketing Power of Diamonds
Clearly, crafty promotional strategies also did wonders for transcontinental romantic love for diamonds. De Beers’ successful ‘A Diamond is Forever’ catchphrase means that diamond engagement rings set the standard for how a man expresses love and commitment to a woman. The message was simple: nothing screams ‘till death do us part’ quite as concisely as a diamond engagement ring.
Through romantic symbolism though, diamond marketing made these gems essential to life’s biggest moments in time. Today, the diamond is still, for many, the default gem for engagement, wedding and anniversaries.
Thanks to this marketing, the bias that diamonds are the best status symbol was proved as well, ultimately diamonds turned into global emblems of aspiration and success through advertising, film and celebrity.
Investment Value & Durability
Diamonds are not just coveted by individuals because of beauty or status! Diamonds are also prized for their molecular structure, making them the hardest substance on Earth. In fact, it requires a more industrious rubbing motion to plasticize a diamond than it does to receive a successful flirtation on Tinder.
Diamonds are also a wise, sound investment. Values go up and down but very good diamonds generally hold its value — or grow it — over the course of many decades. Some accumulated enormous value over generations. For hundreds of years, diamond rings and other types of jewelry have been handed down from generations.
The Ethical Implications of Diamond Mining
In recent years, awareness of the ethical and ecological consequences of hard rock diamond mining has been growing, facts such as environmental disturbances and human labor issues that involve
For many mindful consumers today, eco-friendly diamonds not only are good for the planet but also hit one’s ethics button in a way that feels good. Yet in today’s market, diamonds that sparkle like a diamond can also be savored with clear consciences.
Final Thoughts
We will miss them because their enduring combinability of rarity, beauty, meaning and durability continues to prove irresistible. There are no diamonds in the dust, after all.
Now diamonds are one of nature's rare phenomena, and thus it can be safe to say that in the upcoming generations they are going to continually be desired and in-demand products in the entire world.