Diamonds have been in strong demand for thousands of years and our history is peppered with legends and stories involving diamonds. A thousand years ago diamonds were very rare and the sight of a diamond was one of great awe, mystery and intrigue. Its understandable that our early ancestors called them Tears from the Gods such was the prestige of the diamond. The ancient Greeks gave the name Adamas meaning unconquerable or indestructible and it is from this word that the modern term Diamond is derived. The imagery and associations with diamonds made the owners revered, respected and gave them divine god-like powers. This early interpretation made diamonds a commodity of power, sovereignty and leadership which was perhaps why we plotted, fought and killed for diamond ownership.

During the 15th century an Austrian Archduke gave his partner a diamond as a symbol of his love and devotion. This gesture started a trend among Royals to use diamonds as a token of love and dedication.

During the 17th, 18th and early 19th century, the supply of diamonds was from ancient riverbeds in India and later Brazil and the supply was so small that only the super rich were able to afford them. Although gathering popularity they were still the reserve of the gentry and wealthy.

In early 1871 a significant discovery in the Kimberly region of South Africa redefined the supply and availability of diamonds forever. Between 1871 and 1914 over 25 million tons of earth was removed from a single open air mine which produced 14.5 million carats. The modern diamond industry was born and supply was becoming plentiful! The South African mines were capable of supplying enough diamonds to start a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign to sell diamonds to the worlds middle class as a wedding, love and dedication gesture.