The ancient Greeks believe that diamonds were fragments of stars which had fallen to earth. Others believed that they were God's tears. Legend also had it that there was an inaccessible valley in Central Asia carpeted with diamonds and guarded by birds of prey and snakes with killing eyes on the ground. The truth is that the exact origin of diamonds is still fairly mysterious even for scientists and geologists. Millions of years ago, the natural forces of heat and pressure in the cauldron of molten magma deep under the earth miraculously transformed carbon into diamonds.
Diamonds are rare since only a few have ever made the tricky journey up to the surface.
All diamonds are rare, but those suitable for jewellery are even rarer. Before a diamond can ever be worn on a woman's finger, it probably crosses four continents and is handled by hundreds of people. Indeed, experience of many skilled craftsmen is essential both for the complicated process of extraction as well as the finishing process of a diamond. The precision and delicacy of the cut affects the brilliance and fire of a diamond and hence its beauty. After a diamond has been cut and polished, it passes to the jeweller and expert designers and craftsmen.