Symbolism Of A Diamond

Posted by admin on July 3rd, 2007 at 01:23pm

Historically, it has been claimed that diamonds possess several supernatural powers:

• A diamond gives victory to him who carries it bound on his left arm, no matter the number of enemies.^[27]
• Panics, pestilences, enchantments, all fly before it; hence, it is good for sleepwalkers and the insane.^[27]
• It deprives lodestone and magnets of their virtue (i.e., ability to attract iron).^[27]
• Arabic diamonds are said to attract iron greater than a magnet.^[27]
• A diamond’s hardiness can only be broken by smearing it with fresh goat’s blood.^[27]

Mary of Burgundy is the first known recipient of a diamond engagement ring, in 1477.

Because of their extraordinary physical properties, diamonds have been used symbolically since near the time of their first discovery. Perhaps the earliest symbolic use of diamonds was as the eyes of Hindu devotional statues.^{[citation needed]} In Hinduism Indra uses Vajrayudham or the thunderbolt as his primary weapon.^{[citation needed]} Vajra is the word for diamond and ayudham means weapon in Sanskrit. The diamonds themselves were thought to be endowments from the gods and were therefore cherished. The point at which diamonds began to be associated with divinity is not known, but early texts indicate that it was recognized in India since at least 400 BCE.^{[citation needed]} It is said the Greeks believed diamonds were tears of the gods;^{[citation needed]} the Romans believed they were splinters of fallen stars.^{[citation needed]} Many long dead cultures have sought to explain diamond’s superlative properties through divine or mystical affiliations.^{[citation needed]}

In Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle), diamonds are an important symbol,^{[citation needed]} and the Diamond Sutra is one of the most popular texts.

In Western culture, diamonds are the traditional emblem of fearlessness and virtue,^{[citation needed]} but have also often associated with power, wealth, crime and misfortune. Today, diamonds are used to symbolize eternity and love, being often seen adorning engagement rings and sometimes wedding rings as well. The popularity of this modern tradition can be traced directly to the marketing campaigns of De Beers, starting in 1938.^[28] Prior to the De Beers marketing campaign, engagement rings had no one particular stone associated with them. The first diamond engagement ring can be traced to the marriage of Maximilian I (then Archduke of Austria) to Mary of Burgundy in 1477.^{[citation needed]} Other early examples of betrothal jewels incorporating diamonds include the Bridal Crown of Blanche (ca. 1370–80)^{[citation needed]} and the Heftlein brooch of Vienna (ca. 1430–40),^{[citation needed]} a pictorial piece depicting a wedding couple. Inaccessibility of diamonds to the vast majority of the population limited the popularity of diamonds as betrothal jewels during this period.

The diamond is the birthstone for people born in the month of April, and is also used as the symbol of a sixty-year anniversary, such as a Diamond Jubilee (see hierarchy of precious substances). In a system of heraldry by gemstones occasionally used in the past for the arms of nobles, diamond was used to represent the color sable, or black.^[29]

Diamonds are a common focus of fiction. Notable pieces of fiction include Ian Fleming’s Diamonds Are Forever (1956), Arthur C. Clarke’s 2061: Odyssey Three (1988), F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Diamond as Big As the Ritz” (1922), and Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age (1995). In addition, diamonds are the subject of various myths and legends.

Under Symbolism