Engagement Rings
Diamonds

Diamonds throughout history have always been admired and feared, so it is not surprising that they have found their way into the centre piece of traditional engagement rings representing prosperity, love and spirituality. Mentioned in the bible and thought by the Romans to be a talisman or love enhancer, Cupid's arrow was believed to be tipped with diamonds.

Medieval Italians thought that the diamond was created in the flames of love but it is certainly true that they come into being at great temperatures and pressures in the earth's crust! This heat results in the unique arrangement of closely bonded 4 sided crystals that give them their unrivalled hardness.

India was the principle source from ancient times until around 1850 when this was rivalled by Brazil and then, in 1867, South Africa when diamonds started to be found in blue clay "pipes". The South African discovery was huge and so it wasn't until after 1867 that diamonds became affordable for the engagement rings of all but the super rich. Nowadays it is more than likely that the diamond in your engagement ring has come from South Africa, the largest exporter in the world.

Diamonds have a very high reflective index (2.42), far greater than, for example, glass (around 1.6). This accounts for their brilliant firey apprearance. However, much of an engagement ring's sparkle is down to the skill of the stone cutter. This craft was first practised in Bruges in around 1476 and now is a huge industry centred around Amsterdam and New York.

Perhaps the most famous diamond is the Koh-i-nur (Mountain of Light) that was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 and is now in the British crown jewels. Other well known stones are the Cullinan (discovered in 1905) and the Excelsior, a whopping 971 carats!

Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design has built up a network of diamond dealers that guarantee that any stone sourced for your engagement ring will be of the finest possible quality and value for money. We are particularly keen to ensure that all the stones that we use are "conflict free" - ie have not been sold to fund terrorism. Together with the British Jeweller's Association and the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices, we are working to eliminate these stones from the market completely.

More information about conflict diamonds >

More information about diamonds >