Stones cut from the Cullinan Diamond
Photo courtesy of Gia Library; Patron-Library-Collection
Balance, clarity and abundance are among the qualities April’s birthstone, the diamond, is purported to bring to its wearer. The hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth, ranking 10 on the Mohs scale, the diamond has also become a universal symbol of eternal love.
While we most often think of diamonds as clear and sparkling, the gemstone comes in a wide range of colors, including black, blue, green, pink, red, purple, orange and yellow. Most diamonds, however, are found in their natural “rough” state before being cut and polished.
The largest gem-quality example is the Cullinan Diamond, discovered at a mine owned by Thomas Powell in South Africa in 1905. It weighed 3,106 carats (more than one pound) and was worth as much as $2 billion in present-day value. It was later cut into nine large stones and 97 smaller ones.
How did the diamond and other gemstones become tied to birth months? It’s believed the origins date to biblical times, when the breastplate belonging to a priest was decorated with 12 colored gems representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Over time, the gems became associated with the zodiac and its relative calendar months. Eventually, the idea took hold that wearing one’s own birthstone year-round provided particular benefits and protections. During the Middle Ages, diamonds were even thought to hold healing powers. Finally, in 1912, the American National Association of Jewelers voted to create an agreed-upon list of gemstones to correspond with each of the 12 months.