Gem lore has always attributed diamonds to magical powers and thoughts to exorcise demons and evil creatures, to bestow virtue and courage, and to protect from lightning and famine, diamonds have always transcended into the metaphysical. Others believed diamonds to be potent poisons. They could certainly kill. Catherine de Medici notoriously murdered her enemies by mixing diamond powder in their food. Poisonous or not, the Greek philosopher Plato agreed that gems were live creatures born of a chemical reaction to vivifying astral spirits. Alchemists even classified precious stones into males and females and believed the gems could "marry" and reproduce at will. If they themselves cannot "marry," diamonds have helped millions of others tie the knot. They continue to be the symbol of love in engagement and wedding ceremonies across the globe…

 Diamonds remained uncut until the fourteenth century with the advent of capable tools that could penetrate its exceptionally hard crystalline surface. Rough diamonds were, for the first time, cut and polished to reveal its most appreciated characteristic: exquisite brilliance and breathtaking beauty. Nothing can compare to the beauty and sparkle of a cut and polished diamond. Thus the diamond began its new incarnation as the "Master of Gems." First sifted from riverbed silt and sand, diamonds are now obtained by underground and marine mining. Originally believed to be fragments of stars, diamonds are in fact formed by the same basic element which forms all life on earth: carbon. However, in order for common carbon to crystallize into a rarefied diamond, it needs to undergo the course 1.5 billion years deep within the earth's crust - environments of extreme heat and enormous pressure.

 Diamonds are weighted in carats. One carat equals one fifth of a gram.