Legend of the Rock: A Two Thousand Year History of the Diamond

When we think “diamond”, we think about wealth, status, glamour and romance. But throughout history, the diamond has been associated with everything from magic, to power, to protection. The history of the diamond is a long and magical one, starting from ancient Greeks and Egyptians and ending on your ring finger. The word “diamond” comes from the Greek “adamao,” or “I subdue,” referring not to a chauvinist attitude towards marriage (we hope), but to the diamond’s hardness and its ability to scratch any surface without being scratched. The word “adamas” was used for diamonds for centuries, although it is not always clear that gem being referred to was actually diamond, or if it was sapphire, the next hardest mineral.