Contents
Where do natural diamonds originate?
Why are ethics essential when buying diamonds?
Why is craftmanship key?
What’s the emotional and symbolic significance of natural diamonds?
What’s their worth beyond today?
From ancient royalty to Hollywood’s red carpet, the world’s obsession with diamonds has been long-standing.
No other gemstone has enchanted generation after generation quite like the natural diamond. Whether in the form of cherished heirlooms, knockout engagement rings or smaller, more everyday gems, natural diamonds continue to symbolize love, strength and timeless glamor.
Natural diamonds aren’t just beautiful; they’re steeped in meaning. Each one carries a story that spans billions of years, making it a piece of history, too.
Join us on a dazzling journey through time and cultures as we explore why natural diamonds remain the world’s most desirable gemstone and why their brilliance will go on long after the last one is ever unearthed…
Where do natural diamonds originate?
About a billion years after the Earth was formed (which was a whopping 4.5 billion years ago), diamonds began developing deep beneath the planet’s surface.
Approximately 140-200 kilometers down in the Earth’s mantle, diamonds were made from pure carbon atoms that bonded and crystalized under intense pressure and blistering heat (we’re talking temperatures as high as 2,372°F).
As the planet’s tectonic plates moved and shifted, powerful volcanic eruptions took place and caused the diamonds to surge upwards. Travelling in magma that eventually cooled in pipe-like formations closer to the Earth’s surface (known as kimberlite pipes), natural diamonds became accessible to humans, albeit via a very sophisticated recovery process.
Open-pit mines have been built in the locations of these kimberlite pipes, in countries such as Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
Natural diamonds aren’t only found on dry land, however. Over time, diamonds that were originally formed in the Earth’s mantle and volcanically expelled closer to or onto the surface have been carried along by rivers to the ocean. There, they’ve either been buried beneath the seabed or washed up along the shore.
Recovering these ocean diamonds, known as marine mining, is carried out offshore, predominantly in Namibia, South West Africa. The country’s Atlantic Ocean coastline has been hiding rough diamonds for millions of years.
“Diamonds began forming deep beneath the planet’s surface”
As a diamond travels from deep within the Earth towards its surface, it doesn’t remain untouched. Along the way, elements and minerals leave their mark. For example, if a diamond encounters boron, it takes on a stunning blue hue, whereas nitrogen will give it a warm yellow shade.
These natural interactions define not just a diamond’s color but its character, too. Diamonds will often have tiny internal features, referred to as inclusions, such as small cavities or irregular crystals where other minerals have become trapped. These are often invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen under a jeweler’s microscope. All these features, however subtle, tell the tale of where the natural diamond has been.
As much as natural diamonds are individually unique, they’re incredibly rare. Most diamonds are still buried hundreds of kilometers beneath our feet, well beyond the reach of even the most advanced mining equipment. To date, the deepest natural diamond mine is 625 meters.
The violent volcanic eruptions that occurred millions of years ago won’t happen again in our lifetime and thus natural diamonds will remain rare.
Certification, certification, certification!
While the science behind natural diamonds can be complex, buying them absolutely shouldn’t be.
Polished diamonds larger than 0.3 carat (also known as 30 points) in size, whether natural or grown in a laboratory, come with a certificate (also called a grading report) that documents everything you need to know about it: its origin, its carat weight and its cut, color and clarity grade.
Grading reports correspond to a microscopic inscription on either a diamond’s girdle (the ‘waist’ of the diamond) or their table (the top face) and are issued by trusted industry bodies like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), De Beers Institute of Diamonds or the International Gemological Institute (IGI).
Certification follows a universal diamond grading system, ensuring accuracy and transparency for every buyer.
Nowadays, technology plays a massive part in verifying that a diamond is natural. Gemologists use a range of machines and programs to differentiate between natural and laboratory-grown diamonds (LGDs).
Some gem experts closely study the growth structure of a diamond’s crystals to differentiate between natural and LGDs, while others examine the color of a diamond’s fluorescence (its glow) under ultraviolet light (natural and LGDs will typically radiate different colors due to their different growth process).
Why are ethics essential when buying diamonds?
Style, sparkle and budget are no doubt front of mind when diamond buying, but it’s ethics that should be your number one consideration. It’s all about making a responsible choice that supports human rights, environmental sustainability and fair labor practices.
Ethical diamonds are sourced in ways that avoid funding violence, illegal labor and exploitation, and come from mines that follow strict environmental guidelines, reducing the impact on delicate ecosystems.
A global responsibility
Established in 2003, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (often shortened to KPCS) is an international initiative that aims to stop the flow of rough diamonds being traded to fund warfare.
Named after the South African city where discussions of the scheme first began, the program was born from global concern over how the diamond trade was fueling brutal civil wars, especially in countries like Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Kimberley Process scheme now includes over 80 participating countries and requires strict documentation and tracking of diamonds to ensure they are conflict-free from mine to market.
Under the Kimberley Process, participating countries must meet minimum requirements to certify that their diamond exports are not funding conflict. Each shipment of rough diamonds must carry a tamper-proof certificate stating its origin and confirming it complies with KPCS standards. The process also mandates that diamonds can only be traded between member countries, creating a closed loop intended to block illicit gems.
On top of the Kimberley Process, major mining companies can enforce their own additional safety practices that promote fair working rights.
“Ethics should be your main consideration”
Benefits for the community and environment
If you think natural diamonds and sustainability don’t go hand in hand, you’ll be pleased to hear that under the right conditions, diamond recovery can bring both environmental and community benefits.
Well-regulated recovery operations and diamond companies can invest heavily in land restoration, reforestation and renewable energy projects, as well as repurpose old mine sites into wildlife habitats, parks and agricultural land, helping ecosystems recover and even thrive.
Additionally, natural diamond mines can foster thriving communities and fund vital infrastructure for the areas in which they operate, like clean water systems, housing, schools and healthcare.
When revenue gained from diamond recovery is effectively invested back into a country, it creates jobs and educational opportunities and provides more social services.
Why is craftsmanship key?
While a natural diamond’s unique color and characteristics are evidence of what it has endured on its journey to above ground, its brilliance (the amount of light it reflects) and fire (the different colors it disperses) are entirely down to its cut.
The skill of a diamond cutter or diamantaire is crucial, as it can make the difference between a dull, totally lackluster gemstone and a next-level masterpiece. A well-cut diamond reflects and refracts light in just the right way to create that disco-ball sparkle, but if a cutter misses the ideal angles, it could look flat or lifeless.
One of history’s most renowned diamond cutters is Joseph Asscher, who founded the Asscher Diamond Company in Amsterdam in 1854. The Dutchman designed the world’s first-ever patented diamond cut, the Asscher, which has a square shape with step-like facets and cropped corners.
In 1908, Asscher was presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when he was asked to work on the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found: the Cullinan. This iconic beauty was discovered at a South African mine in 1905, weighing a record 3,106 carats. Like a total pro, Asscher divided it into nine major gems and 96 smaller brilliant cuts.
Fans of the British royal family might already be familiar with the Cullinan, as the largest gem carved from it, Cullinan I (also called the Great Star of Africa), shines bright at the top of the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross. Kept at the Tower of London in England, it’s only removed for significant events; its most recent day out was for King Charles III’s coronation in 2023.
“The skill of a diamond cutter is crucial”
A cut above
When you imagine a diamond, it’s likely you’re picturing a brilliant cut, shimmering with countless flashes of white and rainbow that dart off in all directions. The brilliant cut is a diamond cut characterized by its high number of facets (usually 57 or 58) that maximize brilliance and sparkle.
The brilliant cut in a round shape is a classic choice for jewelry, especially for stud earrings and engagement rings, as the circular shape best reflects light (read: big sparkle energy!)
If you’re after something a little different, though, there are plenty of other diamond shapes to pick from.
We love the delicate, teardrop-like pear, which was the shape Frank Sinatra chose for his proposal to Mia Farrow back in 1966. More recently, Hollywood A-lister Margot Robbie announced her engagement to filmmaker Tom Ackerley with an up-close snap of a beautiful white pear-shaped diamond ring on Instagram.
Selena Gomez’s marquise-shaped sparkler, given to her by record producer fiancé Benny Blanco in 2024, and Hailey Bieber’s 10-carat oval diamond engagement ring prove that the brilliant round indeed has some competition in the style stakes these days.
What’s the emotional and symbolic significance of natural diamonds?
It’s widely believed that the first recorded diamond engagement ring was given in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to his beloved Mary of Burgundy; he’d commissioned the ring to have a series of flat diamonds arranged in the shape of an ‘M’.
This wildly royal gesture started a trend among the European aristocracy, who fell head over heels with the idea of using diamonds to symbolize love and everlasting adoration.
It wasn’t until centuries later, though, that diamond engagement rings became the popular tradition they are today, helped by De Beers’ iconic “A Diamond is Forever” advertising campaign, launched in 1947.
A diamond is for everyone!
But diamonds aren’t only for engaged couples. Sure, they’ve long been the go-to gem for popping the question, but their symbolism extends beyond romantic love.
First discovered in Ancient India, diamonds were worn by kings to signify wealth and power. Because of their iridescent crystals, diamonds were a symbol of divine light and held mythical, protective powers, while their durability (diamond is the hardest mineral on the planet) represented strength.
If you’re marking a milestone birthday, celebrating a promotion, honoring a personal victory, or simply treating yourself (because why not, right?), diamonds can capture the feeling of achievement, endurance and personal power in a way few other things can.
A pair of diamond earrings can instantly make you feel a million dollars, a tennis bracelet can say “you’ve earned this” or “yes, you’ve arrived!”, while a diamond pendant, physically touching your skin, can hold memories close to your heart or be a powerful talisman of courage. These things aren’t just pieces of jewelry but little trophies for life’s biggest occasions or beautiful tokens of self-love.
“Diamonds aren’t only for engaged couples”
What’s their worth beyond today?
As the global supply of natural diamonds declines, the demand for them only increases, which, in turn, has a direct impact on their price.
Due to their unrivalled geological origins and uniqueness, natural diamonds will always be precious and will continue to draw buyers at jewelry houses and auctions, with flawless and fancy colored natural diamonds – the rarest of all diamonds – being the most sought after.
Given that they’re man-made, it could be said that LGDs are less coveted. This could be attributed to an oversupply of these synthetic gems, which are mass-produced and widely available.
The future is bright
Because natural diamonds are rare, timeless and truly, truly beautiful, they’re often passed down through families as heirlooms and sentimental treasures.
Gifted or bought for momentous occasions decades or possibly centuries ago, diamonds help future generations remain connected to the past. From dropping to one knee with a family engagement ring to stepping out in an inherited vintage necklace, it’s the sentiment and the story (ok, and perhaps that little bit of sparkle, too) that steals the show.
Small miracles of nature, the magic of natural diamonds will never fade.
