Forget April showers. This month, it’s all about diamond birthstones, the gems traditionally associated with April. The most brilliant and hardwearing of stones (the name ‘diamonds’ is derived from the Greek ‘adamas’, meaning invincible), the diamond has been lusted after for centuries and regarded as a symbol of wealth, power and beauty across the globe.
The very earliest brilliants were mined in the 4th century BC in India, where they were revered as adornments, protective talismans and tools (the country remained the world’s only known source of the gemstone right up until the 18th century). In the Dark Ages, diamonds became prized for their purported healing powers, promoting balance, clarity and detoxification. The Romans were known to bestow diamond ‘betrothal’ rings on friends and loved ones, though the practice of giving diamond engagement rings is thought to stem from the 15th century, when the Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy.
The discovery of diamonds in South Africa in the late 1800s sparked a rush of prospectors and led to the opening of the Kimberley Mine, in the Northern Cape, the first large-scale mining operation in history which led to a huge rise in the availability of the stone. Shortly afterwards, in 1886, Charles Lewis Tiffany launched his iconic Tiffany Setting to showcase the beauty of a single diamond as a symbol of enduring fidelity and love. When, in 1948, a copywriter called Frances Gerety at the advertising agency N.W Ayer devised the slogan, ‘A Diamond is Forever’ for De Beers, the gemstone’s status as *the* engagement gemstone of choice was sealed.
Today, the gem is still adored for its sparkle and rarity. Coveted by celebrities and royalty alike, it remains the perfect gift to celebrate a significant anniversary, event or birthday – including an April one.
Here, we round up the prettiest diamond birthstone jewels available right now…
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