The term “natural diamond” refers to the gemstone created by nature within the Earth through a specific process. They were discovered as far back as the 4th millennium BCE in the region that is now occupied by India. Moreover, they were highly valued by ancient Romans.
At that time, diamonds were believed to have magical powers, so they were often used as talismans. References to them can be found in “Natural History” written by Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman writer. He described diamonds as tools. They only reached the European continent in the 5th and 6th centuries BCE.
During the same period, a small deposit of diamonds was discovered on an island called Borneo. However, transporting diamonds posed specific difficulties due to its distance from significant trading settlements.
The revelation that processed diamonds acquire incredible beauty came much later, in the 13th century. However, they were often left unprocessed as it was believed they would lose their magical properties. Stone processing began much later. Only five and a half centuries ago, diamonds gained the status of a precious gem.
It was in 1454 when Louis de Berneuil, a master jeweler, created the first known diamond in history. He did so for Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy. Upon seeing the gorgeous diamond, Charles desired to adorn his armor with it. Agnès Sorel, one of Charles VII’s favorites and the Queen of France, made wearing diamond jewelry to social events fashionable.
Initially, the most abundant diamond deposits were located in Indonesia and India, as the famous storyteller Scheherazade mentioned in “One Thousand and One Nights.” However, these reserves became depleted over time due to human efforts. As a result, much fewer diamonds are currently mined in India and Golconda.
Since the mid-19th century, Africa has gained the status of the primary supplier of these gemstones. The first diamond was discovered in Kimberley, South Africa, in 1869. It is now known as the “Star of South Africa.
In 1867, in America, specifically in Philadelphia, the technology for processing stones using a special diamond-cutting machine was introduced. The practice of diamond cutting began in 1910 and continues to this day. Another deposit was discovered on the Atlantic coast in the early 20th century. The first diamonds found on the ocean floor were in 1961.
The only diamond mining deposits in Europe are located in Russia. In the vicinity of the Perm region, the first Ural diamond was found in the middle of the summer of 1829. Its discovery was credited to Pavel Popov, a serf who was working at the Krestovozdvizhenskaya placer, where gold was being sought.
In the late 19th century, a stone was also found on the Siberian river called Melnichnaya, which flows near the Yenisei River. In the middle of the 20th century, a deposit was discovered on the Yakutian River named Viluy. These discoveries established factories in the Soviet Union for processing diamonds. In Smolensk, the largest diamond-cutting plant was opened in 1963. It remains the largest enterprise in the industry and is owned by ALROSA company.
