Barry Peterson Jewelers

A well-informed customer is a joy to work with. Here is information which will help you understand the process of choosing and caring for diamond jewelry. And be sure not to miss the links to industry resources, below, as you research your jewelry purchases.

Diamonds are the hardest of all gemstones, yet they are also the simplest in composition, formed from common carbon. Billions of years of tremendous heat and pressure transform the carbon deep within the Earth's core, creating the diamond when the boiling mass erupts near the Earth's surface and the crystals cool. It is estimated that 500 tons of diamonds have been mined, and of those mined today, only around 50% are judged to be of gem quality. Even fewer are large enough to be polished into marketable diamonds.

For centuries diamonds have been associated with romance and legend. The word "diamond" comes from the Greek "adamas" meaning "unconquerable," suggesting the eternity of love. The ancient Greeks believed the "fire" in the diamond-the observable bursts of color-reflected the constant flame of love. It was also believed that Cupid's arrows were tipped with diamonds that held unequaled magical powers.

The tradition of diamond engagement rings began in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy. The reason a woman wears it on the third finger of her left hand dates back to the early Egyptian belief that the vena amoris (vein of love) ran directly from the heart to the top of the left "ring finger."