Diamonds have been around roughly since 800 B.C. The ancient Greeks used to look at diamonds as splinters of stars that had fallen from the sky and that the fire that was in the diamond was there to represent the flame of love. For this reason, many battles were fought and lost for diamonds and in the beginning, they were kept only as talismans. Later, they were set into diamond rings.

It was roughly around 1074 when diamonds were really starting to be used as jewelry and it was the Indians who were responsible. It wasn't until around the 1300s when both French and English royalty started to wear diamond jewelry.

Today diamonds are mainly given as engagement rings and this tradition was set back in 1477. It was when the Austrian Archduke Maximilian gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy that diamond engagement rings really took off.

Why Diamonds Are so Expensive

The main reason why diamonds are so expensive is because of how rare they are. Now there are different types of diamonds as well as different cuts, so it all mainly depends upon the individual diamond as to how expensive it actually is. Some diamonds can be purchased for a good price but they will not be as clear as a more expensive diamond.

The main things that will affect the price of a diamond include:

- Cut
- Color
- Clarity
- Carat

The above are known as the four Cs and they each affect how expensive a diamond is. There are different types of cuts for example including the princess cut. The main reason why the cut makes a difference is because if they are cut the right way, the light will travel through perfectly giving the diamond a better appearance.

The color also affects the price and you can purchase quite a number of different colored diamonds. There are pink, champagne and blue diamonds to name just a few and each will cost a different amount of money.

The clarity is also important and you will pay a lot more money for a clearer diamond than you would for a cloudy one. Finally the carat makes a difference because obviously the more the diamond weighs, the more expensive it will be.

Diamonds are beautiful and some are very rare. However, it all really depends upon the four Cs as to how expensive the diamond jewelry actually is. No matter what diamond jewelry you do choose however, you certainly cannot go wrong if you are giving it as a gift. Diamonds will always remain to be a woman's favorite choice of jewelry and nothing says 'I Love You' more than a diamond.

BlueWaterArticles.com: - Diamonds A Perfect Choice

About the Author

Being a real pro in jewellery, Alex Olson wrote a number of articles on this issue. In them she explains what jewellery is better, how to choose it and she speaks about diamonds.