Diamonds have unique history befitting their heralded place in society

Diamonds are beautiful, but there is more than glitter and beauty behind this rare gem.

Diamonds are the strongest raw mineral on earth, and they only can be cut with a laser or another diamond. While white (colorless) diamonds are the most popular and well-known, the pink diamond is the most expensive because it is so rare.


The biggest diamond ever discovered is the Cullinan Diamond, which was unearthed in 1907 in South Africa. It weighed 3,106 carats, and was cut into 105 smaller diamonds. The largest weighs 530 carats and is known as the Great Star of Africa. Currently it is set in the Sovereign’s Royal Sceptre and is displayed in the Tower of London.


Other famous diamonds include the Koh-I-Noor, which is a 105-carat whit diamond that is supposed to have a history going back 5,000 years. The diamond is supposed to bring bad luck to men, but good luck and power to women.

The Hope diamond is a deep blue, 45-carat diamond that is on display in the U.S. in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It is supposed to bring bad luck to anyone who owns it. People who have owned it frequently came to a bad end, including King Louis XIV, who was beheaded in France.