There are a lot of us walking around with diamonds on our fingers, around our necks, in our ears. Maybe our noses. Or other places.
It has been said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.
I for one, much prefer the phrase, dog is a man’s best friend. But in truth, dog is more likely to be a woman’s best friend, given the choice of the dog.
But back to diamonds. I am thinking about them because I just learned an interesting fact. But first. How and why did this very precious stone ever become so precious?
Some histories tell us that the first diamond ever given in the form or an engagement ring was way back in 1477. There was a guy, an Archduke. His name was Maximilian, and he was from Austria. He had a very swell gal. His one true love, I’m sure he said, this Mary of Burgundy. I wonder if he would have loved her as much if she had been Mary of Taupe? Anyway, he gave her a gold ring with the letter “M” in diamonds. I am not sure if they married or not, truthfully. It would have been a real sad one for Max if she turned him down. What with the “M” ring, and all.
But diamonds today, are prevalent. My birthday falls in April. The diamond is the birthstone for this month. So. That’s something. I’d still rather have a dog.
The history of mining diamonds is atrocious. Many poor, poor people, working for rich, rich people, have given their lives at the cost of mining a diamond. Most of this, in Africa. There are laws, and orders, today, which are supposed to govern this, and make it better. I hope some of that is true.
As a point of interest, however, diamonds are really something.
Like I just stepped out of a Science Fiction novel or something, here is the most amazing and mind-blowing fact of all. Those very smart scientists have discovered a planet. They believe this planet is composed mostly of carbon, and is one-third pure diamond. One-dang-third. Go get your oxygen tank and your pick ax. We’re taking a trip.
The planet was discovered in 2004. It swings round and round a nearby star in the Milky Way. They named the planet, “55 Cancri e” — which if you ask me — is not a very good name for a Diamond Planet. In fact, “Diamond Planet” would have been a much better moniker.
The thing I didn’t realize about diamonds was the time.
I knew that they are formed very deep in the ground. At high temperatures in the earth’s mantle. Most of them from about 87 miles to 118 miles deep in the earth. Give or take a few. Volcanic activity pushes them upward, toward the surface, where they are mined.
But what I did NOT know. The formation, from the carbon source, takes from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years to happen. Billion years. That is roughly 25% to 75% of the age of the Earth.
That, to me, is just crazy and amazing.
As such, diamonds have been valued and coveted for thousands of years. There is evidence (and I’m not sure what that evidence may be — cashier’s receipts?) that diamonds were being collected and traded in India since the fourth century BC.
Which brings me back to the engagement ring of Mary from Taupe. Why did it take so long for people to start putting them in “instances” of jewelry?
Regardless. I think the real reason people love diamonds so much, is that most of us, can relate. To this:
Do you know what did the diamond say to the coal?
“I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.”
And there you have it.
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“Nobody works better under pressure. They just work faster.”
― Brian Tracy
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“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”
― Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
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“Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.”
― Jane Wagner
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