The diamond has long since become the engagement ring gemstone of choice. How did diamonds become a lover’s gift? What makes this stone so precious to the heart? Here is everything you need to know about how diamonds came to symbolize love.
Diamonds are not just a girl’s best friend. They are a boy’s best friend, and a Mx’s best friend. There are few people in this world who would turn away a diamond gift. These gems are the hardest on earth, the strongest mineral there is.
That fact, along with many others, is what makes them so important as a symbol of love.
We asked the experts at Diamond Source Jewelers why diamonds are so synonymous with romance. Here is what they had to say about that symbolism.
1. Forever Enduring
The primary reason diamonds represent true love is their longevity. A diamond is the hardest known mineral, with very few exceptions. There are only a small number of minerals harder than diamond, including Moissanite – a lab grown crystal – and Lonsdaleite, which scientists use to track asteroid impacts.
None of the minerals which are harder have the same degree of clarity or beauty that a diamond does. Diamonds are so hard that they sit on the top of the Mohs hardness scale, the scale which we use to differentiate between minerals. They are so long lasting and enduring that we use them to coat drills and saws so that we can cut other minerals.
What does this mean for love? That the diamond in your engagement ring will still be here thousands of years after you are dead and buried. The symbolism is clear: that diamonds (and your love) last forever.
2. Diamonds are Durable
Along the same theme, we choose diamonds for engagement rings because of their toughness. They are one of the most durable minerals on earth. Glass won’t scratch a diamond. Neither will quartz, beryl, tourmaline, amethyst, or any other gem except another diamond.
This means that as you go about your daily life as a fiancé, you won’t lose, chip, crack, or scratch your stone. This is symbolic of how we put all our effort into love. It takes time, commitment, and endurance.
Love is a marathon, not a sprint. Imagine a softer material in your engagement ring such as opal or pectolite. They would scratch and chip within a month.
3. The Rarity Factor
Diamonds are a lot less rare than you might think. It is the quality, clarity, color, and lack of inclusions in the mineral that makes it a treasured diamond, rather than a costume one. For example, black diamonds are far cheaper than an A grade diamond. This is because you cannot measure the clarity on a dark gemstone.
The rarity of the clear, unadulterated diamond is what makes it so special. The clearer the diamond, of course, the more expensive it is.
4. The Price
Diamonds are reassuringly expensive. When you gift your potential new fiancé a diamond, you are making a statement about how well you can provide for that person as you begin your lives together. Choose wisely or risk hearing about it for the rest of your life.
Conclusion
Diamonds are the perfect symbol of love. That’s why humans have gifted them to their true loves for generations.
