diamond to graphite
Diamond is crystallized carbon, of density 35, and graphite is also crystallized carbon, but of density 22. . . . If a diamond is heated at ordinary atmospheric pressure to above 1,200C, then it turns black; it turns down to a graphitic powder. So the mere heating of graphite is of little help in trying to convert graphite to diamond. On the contrary, heat converts diamond to graphite.
—S. Tolansky, from The History and Use of Diamond, 1962.
the falling dew
Diamonds grow in India, some as big as a bean, some like a hazel nut. They are male and female and from the falling dew they multiply and bring forth small children.
—reporter Sir John Mandeville, writing in 1360. From The History and Use of Diamond, by S. Tolansky, 1962.
sympathetic magic
In the early Middle Ages the diamond was a rare, highly valued object, which was worn not as a decoration or as an object of beauty, but as a magical amulet. Indeed, since only natural unpolished stones were at first available and as these only occasionally have an attractive shape (and this only as a rule when they are small), it was not the appearance but other properties which gave the diamond its special position. As a decorative gem it was not at first rated as highly as the ruby or the pearl. Its real magical importance was due to its great hardness. Because of this hardness, by the simple and familiar process of sympathetic magic, it was firmly believed that diamond could endow its wearer with corresponding hardihood and manhood. . . . Diamonds were, therefore, often worn by knights and leaders on the battlefield.
—S. Tolansky, from The History and Use of Diamond, 1962.
the famous fire of the diamond
All transparent materials, in addition to refracting light, also exhibit what is called dispersion, that is, the refractive index is slightly more for the bluer component of daylight than for the redder. The different colours which constitute white light are differently refracted, i.e. dispersed, and this is of course why a glass prism shows the colours of the rainbow. In diamond, the dispersion is especially high, about five times that of glass. So what is the result when light falls on the well cut diamond First, 18 per cent is immediately reflected. Then the rest enters, but is largely reflected within the diamond and ultimately finds its way back to the eye of the beholder. But on its path it is strongly dispersed, i.e. split into brilliant, widely separated spectral colours. This, then, constitutes the famous fire of the diamond, the flash of spectral colour from the dispersed light spectrum.
It need only be added that fire is far more effective in flickering candlelight than in daylight or electric light. The changes in angle of incidence of light resulting from the flickering candles make a diamond jewel worn in such light appear to be virtually alive and flashing with fire. Truly the thousand candles at Versailles, before the days of gas or elecricity, must have brought out to perfection the brilliant fire of the diamonds worn by the ladies of the French Court.
—S. Tolansky, from The History and Use of Diamond, 1962.
fluorescence
Some diamonds phosphoresce, that is, if they are brightly illuminated either by daylight or artificial light and are then taken into a darkened room, they continue to give out a glow which gradually fades away. Such phosphorescence is not a special property of diamond alone for it is also shown by many other crystals. It is closely connected with impurities in the crystals and is not a property of very highly purified materials. . . .
Some diamonds when rubbed in the dark will emit a glow, and this, too is very closely related to phosphorescence. It is typical also of many other crystals carrying impurities. . . .
Many diamonds when illuminated with invisible ultra-violet light give out a visible glow. This is called fluorescence and it leads to the emission of a blue or a yellow-green light.
—S. Tolansky, from The History and Use of Diamond, 1962.
koh-i-noor
It was firmly believed in India that he who owned Koh-i-Noor would rule the world. When the Persian, Nadir Shah, sacked Delhi in 1739 this diamond became one of his objectives. The tale is told that the defeated Mogul hid the diamond in his turban. Nadir, learning of this, invited the conquered Mogul to a feast and then forced him to exchange turbans. The moment the Moguls turban was in his hand, Nadir unwound it and the diamond fell out. At which moment Nadir is said to have cried out, Mountain of Light! and this is the legend of how the diamond acquired its name.
—S. Tolansky, from The History and Use of Diamond, 1962.
brilliant and quick
The days raced after one another, brilliant and quick like the flashes of a lighthouse, and the nights, eventful and short, resembled fleeting dreams.
—Joseph Conrad, from The Nigger of the Narcissus.
scintillating light
One gem there is whose scintillating light
Too strong temptation! Captivates her sight!
—the Roman satirist-historian Juvenal, quoted in The Book of Diamonds by Joan Dickinson, 1965.
ringo
Ringo, the drummer in the Beatles quartet who took his name from his passion for rings, summed up the American dream of the sixties: If you want to give me a ring, he told a television audience candidly, I prefer diamonds.
—Joan Dickinson, from The Book of Diamonds, 1965.
diamonds one day, emeralds the next
The man who was probably the greatest diamond collector of modern time, Diamond Jim Brady . . . had a different set of monogrammed jewelry for each day in the monthdiamonds one day, emeralds the next. . . . It was believed he owned more than twenty thousand diamonds all told, that sometimes he wore as many as $250,000 worth on a single day, and that he purchased another several thousand for the actress Lillian Russell.
—Joan Dickinson, from The Book of Diamonds, 1965.