The Diamond remains, not only a romantic gem of great beauty, but a legitimate trading item on commodity markets and is an established trade in the world's toughest financial markets of London and Europe. As a commercial commodity diamonds are very popular because of their controlled value internationally, mainly by De Beers, who held the monopoly for a long time.

Aesthetically, it is because of its purity that it captures immediate attention. There is no other known substance as hard in the mineral world, yet once the stone is cut and faceted it possesses a brilliance which seems to hold the potential for the reflection of all the colors of the rainbow. It is understandably symbolic of human fidelity and truthfulness and of enduring virtues and is expected to demonstrate a commitment to these values at the time when couples become engaged to be married. This custom is so well established, that it is difficult to concede that any other stone will oust it from its supreme status. It is anticipated that marriages will last to endure as the diamond - and this is re-enforced by the marketing slogan "diamonds are forever".

In fact this purest of all substances of the earth has been formed by the processes of nature's laboratory deep in the earth, sometimes to 150 km, which allow the blackest of all substances, pure carbon, to be transmuted into the clear 8 faced crystal which confronts us in seeing a diamond, which is later transformed and made exquisitely lovely through skilled expert faceting, into a brilliant.

Diamonds are cut with the aid of diamond dust. Diamonds possess luminous properties after exposure to sunlight and glow in a darkened room, to fluoresce in ultraviolet light and also after friction.

Melting diamonds and other stones in alchemical processes is known in the ancient Ayurvedic science. This process is considered to produce a cardiac tonic and when added to other medicines enhances therapy, with the best of the elixirs curing many serious diseases.

In France in the fifteenth century, Louis IX decreed that no-one who was not of royal blood could wear diamonds. At that time they were engraved but not known to be cut and polished until 1496.

Diamonds occur either colourless and clear or tinted. The most prized quality has a slight blue tint. The tinted "champagne diamonds" have been well marketed and have proven popular in recent years. Diamonds with yellow color are generally quite de-valued. Diamonds with small flaws also sell quite cheaply. Rarely found are blue diamonds, green and even pink diamonds, with the latter marketed by Argyle with great success. There is also a very rare red diamond. The unusual colored ones are generally considered to have more commercial value but those who believe in the traditional value place greater importance upon the pure, clarity of the colourless jewel.

Diamonds are found in many places of the world, Borneo, Brazil, South Africa, Siberia, China, Canada, India and in recent centuries, Western Australia.

There are some interesting stories about some of the famous gems... One of the largest is that which belonged to the Rajah of Matan and weighed 318 carats. The Pitt Diamond weighed 410 carats in the rough but was reduced to only 137 carats when cut. In 1720 it became part of the French crown jewels and was later pawned by Napoleon to the Batavian government to finally be incorporated into the crown of Napoleon III.

Excelsior was discovered in 1893 and was 969 carats but only 364 carats after cutting.

The largest diamond ever found was the Cullinan in 1905 in the Transvaal, South Africa. It weighed 3,106 carats. In 1908 it was cut into 9 large and 96 lesser stones. Two of the largest are in the British Crown Jewels.

The Koh-in-oor, or Mountain of Light, is claimed to be the oldest large diamond and dates back to 59 BC. The founder of the Mogul Empire, Baber, reported it to have come into the treasury at Delhi from the conquest of Malwa in 1304, after passing through many Indian rulers' hands. It was thought that the safety of the dynasty depended upon the possession of this fateful jewel. After a time it came to Runjeet Singh, King of Lahore who wore it on his arm between two smaller diamonds. He bequeathed it to the Shrine of Juggernaut but it was later presented to Queen Victoria by Lord Dalhousie on the annexation of the Punjab and sent to London in 1850. The Indians believed the stone would bring misfortune until restored to the line of Vira-maditya. It was re-cut in England which decreased its size. Its present location is unknown.

Napoleon wore the famous Regent diamond in the hilt of his sword. The Regent stone was originally found by a slave who concealed it by hiding it in the folds of the bandage he was wearing over a wound. It was stolen from him and he was thrown into the sea. The diamond was sold to a dealer named Jamchund for