Diamond has served many forms of jewelry superbly, but the smallest form is the one that catches our interest the most -- the diamond ring given in token of love and marriage. The actual proper and recorded rather than purely speculated and know through barely anecdotal means history of this tradition transcends the perception of its creation as marketing hyperbole. The modern solitaire is just the most recent step on a long road from the past.
The flash of lightning is a suitable comparison for the light thrown off by a fine diamond octahedron and a diamond's indomitable hardness. Early descriptions of vajra date to the 4th century BCE which is supported by archaeological evidence. By that date diamond was a valued material.
Writings: The earliest known reference to diamond is a Sanskrit manuscript, the Arthasastra ("The Lesson of Profit") by Kautiliya, a minister to Chandragupta of the Mauryan dynasty in northern India. The work is dated from 320-296 before the Common Era (BCE). The "Ratnapariksa" of Buddha Bhatta is a 6th-century text on gems. The manuscript summarizes Indian knowledge about diamond, which it introduces through an origin myth -- a window into the culture's cosmology and values. Buddha Bhatta describes the hierarchy of diamonds, their powers and virtues, and their distribution among the castes.
The significance of the wedding ring was clearly defined in the 7th century by the bishop and chronicler Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636): "It was given by the spouser to the espoused whether for a sign of mutual fidelity or still more to join their hearts to this pledge and that therefore the ring is placed on the fourth finger because a certain vein is said to flow from thence to the heart."
Archaeology: No diamonds have been found in ancient sites, but holes in ancient beads show diamond's "footprint," cylindrical holes with conspicuous concentric grooves left by a twin-diamond drill. The holes are unlike the marks of any other modern or ancient drilling technique -- a signature of this diamond technology. Beads from sites in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Yemen and Egypt show the marks of diamond drills prior to 700 CE and as early as the 4th century BCE in Yemen.
The flash of lightning is a suitable comparison for the light thrown off by a fine diamond octahedron and a diamond's indomitable hardness. Early descriptions of vajra date to the 4th century BCE which is supported by archaeological evidence. By that date diamond was a valued material.
Writings: The earliest known reference to diamond is a Sanskrit manuscript, the Arthasastra ("The Lesson of Profit") by Kautiliya, a minister to Chandragupta of the Mauryan dynasty in northern India. The work is dated from 320-296 before the Common Era (BCE). The "Ratnapariksa" of Buddha Bhatta is a 6th-century text on gems. The manuscript summarizes Indian knowledge about diamond, which it introduces through an origin myth -- a window into the culture's cosmology and values. Buddha Bhatta describes the hierarchy of diamonds, their powers and virtues, and their distribution among the castes.
The significance of the wedding ring was clearly defined in the 7th century by the bishop and chronicler Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636): "It was given by the spouser to the espoused whether for a sign of mutual fidelity or still more to join their hearts to this pledge and that therefore the ring is placed on the fourth finger because a certain vein is said to flow from thence to the heart."
Archaeology: No diamonds have been found in ancient sites, but holes in ancient beads show diamond's "footprint," cylindrical holes with conspicuous concentric grooves left by a twin-diamond drill. The holes are unlike the marks of any other modern or ancient drilling technique -- a signature of this diamond technology. Beads from sites in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Yemen and Egypt show the marks of diamond drills prior to 700 CE and as early as the 4th century BCE in Yemen.
About the Author:
Eternity Rings Platinum has the most beautiful and affordable emerald cut eternity ring and citrine eternity band on the web!. Also published at Not Just For Plain Diamonds Anymore: the Emerging Eternity Ring.
No comments:
Post a Comment