If you’re planning on buying a diamond ring, whether for an engagement, a wedding or any other occasion, it makes sense to learn a bit about diamonds. After all, this is a large purchase you’re about to make. However, when you start to do some research, it’s easy to start to feel overwhelmed by all of the information that’s out there. It’s also common to not know which details are important.
We have a lot of detailed information about diamonds in our education center. This is certainly a good place to start if you are hoping to find out some important information on diamonds. You don’t need to be a diamond expert in order to buy a ring, but having some information and knowledge certainly helps.
In addition to the details we provide in our education center, here are three facts about diamonds that you may never have heard before.
Diamonds CAN Crack or Break
Diamonds are incredibly hard. You may have heard the phrase “Diamonds are the hardest substance on Earth” before. In fact, diamonds are often considered the hardest naturally-occurring substance on earth. That's true. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t break or crack.
While you won’t be able to cut a diamond with a knife, they can be smashed or cracked by a strong blow (such as one coming from a hammer). If a diamond is hit with a hard enough blow at the right angle, it could crack or chip. For this reason, you’ll want to treat your diamonds with care. If you’re doing any sort of activity where they could get damaged, considering taking off your rings.
Diamonds are Made from Carbon
Diamonds are formed at high temperatures and under intense pressure and are made from 100% carbon. The only place on earth where the conditions exist to create diamonds naturally are at great depth under the earth’s crust (around 100 miles below the crust). The pressure and high temperature found in these locations far beneath the earth’s surface causes the carbon atoms to bond in a unique way that creates diamonds.
That said, geologists are still trying to determine the exact process that leads to the creation of diamonds in nature.
The First Engagement Ring Was Presented in 1477
While an engagement ring could have been created and presented earlier, one of the first recorded incidents of an engagement ring was in 1477. Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy with a ring that included diamonds in the shape a letter “M.”
So, if you give her a diamond ring when you propose, you're following a tradition that's been in place for hundreds of years!
