History of the Concept of Birthstone - Term Paper Example

Task: History of the Concept of Birthstone Over the ages, individuals get to notice and appreciate the beauty of the gemstones. In the light of their beauty, people tend to assign these gems exceptional powers. Historians suspect that the first  record on the special powers of the gemstones comes from the Bible; precisely in the book of Exodus, that is, in the Old Testament. In this context, the breastplate of the Hebrew high priest is described as having twelve gems. Each gem, as it is eluded, was symbolic of each of the twelve tribes of Israel. However, over time the gems that had notable colors came to get associated with the 12 signs of the zodiac, which roughly correspond to the months of the year. Each zodiac sign has a unique name and set of characteristics. Some people tend to think that those born under a zodiac sign are influenced by that sign and, to some extent, share some common traits or characteristics with it. The custom of adorning birthstones initially became popular in Poland in the fifteenth or sixteenth century (Hausel and Erlich, 216). Some of the information on the history of the gemstones is hazy. For instance, it can get into the light that individuals might have worn the birthstone for each month. This is valid since most people believed that the powers of the birthstone were heightened during its month. If this were true, to achieve the full effect of the birthstones, one had to get a full set of twelve birthstones and rotate them throughout the year, each in its month. Nonetheless, most of the gem scholars conquer that the tradition of the birthstones began from the Breastplate of Aaron. This religious garment was ceremonial, set with twelve gemstones that were not only representative of the twelve tribes of Israel, but also corresponded to the 12 signs of the zodiac together with the twelve months of the year. It gets to light that the garment was square and folded. On it were four rows of the precious stones, gems. The precious stones were mounted on gold filigree settings and arranged as follows; in the first row, there was a topaz, a ruby and a beryl. In the second row, there was a sapphire, a turquoise and an emerald. The third had a jacinth, an amethyst and an agate while the fourth had an onyx, a jasper and a chrysolite. However, since the ancient people did not categorize these by their mineral species as it is done today, debate arises as to which gem was set on the breastplate and why (Ungaro 19). As such, different cultures came up with their own birthstone list and the modern list available today is only the latest. Further, some people still argue that the most appropriate way to classify gemstones is not according to months but astrological signs. Myths Surrounding My Birthstone April is my month of birth and the birthstone associated with it is a diamond. Diamonds, according to Greek mythology, were believed to be the splinters of the stars that had fallen to the earth. Other, metaphysical and folklore tales associated with the diamond. First, some thought that diamonds were tears of the gods. Further, they also came to believe that Cupid, the god of desire or erotic love and attraction had an arrow that was tipped in diamonds. Over the years, this has come to be clear since people consider diamonds to be the ideal gift to give to a loved one. Diamonds are now believed to be the ultimate gift of beauty. Just as, the ancient believed it, the value of the diamond rises with the increase in intensity as those that seem to be most saturated in color get considered being of the highest value. However, some unscrupulous individuals noted this aspect of value and decide to play around with it (Hausel, and Erlich 196). This is because some individuals introduce color to the colorless diamonds in the lab to let their value appreciate in the jewelry market. Geological History of Diamonds Common belief is that diamond is formed from coal; this is what science classes suggest. The truth, however, is that coal hardly plays a role in the development of diamonds. The most basic of evidence comes from the fact that geologists dated some diamonds to be much older than the earth first plants, yet the plants are supposedly the source material for diamonds. Further, coal seams are sedimentary rocks that occur, as horizontal rock units, yet the source material for diamonds are vertical pipes that were filled with igneous rocks over time. Geologists came up with four processes that they believe to be responsible for the existence of the diamonds. One of these processes accounts for almost 100% of the earth diamonds and renders all the others insignificant. The first theory suggests that the diamonds are formed in the earth mantle. These deposits are believed to have formed within the earth’s mantle and delivered to the surface via volcanic eruptions. These eruptions brought out kimberlite and lamproite pipes that then withered and, from the effects of erosion, resulted in the formation of diamonds. These deposits got contained in the placer deposits of streams and coastlines. The formation process required high temperatures and pressures and thus occur in limited zones of earth mantle at about 150 kilometers below the surface (Ungaro 34). The critical temperature is only believed to be present in the mantle beneath the stable interiors of the continental plates. The diamonds that are formed and stored in these stability zones come to the surface of the Earth via deep-source volcanic eruptions; these tear pieces of the mantle and carry the diamonds to the surface. This theory suggests that coal was not part of the formation process of the diamonds since coal is a sedimentary rock that comes from plant debris deposited at the earth surface. Some geologists also argue that diamond formation occurs in the subduction zones. This applies to the diamond deposits that were discovered in rocks that must have allegedly got subducted in the mantle through plate tectonic processes. These rocks then got back to the surface of the Earth via the same processes. The geologists agreed that this could have taken place as near as 84 kilometers below the surface at temperatures of about 205 degrees Celcius. Further, in Brazil, some diamonds contained minute mineral inclusions that were in concert with the mineral morphology of oceanic bed. In this theory too, coal does not appear to get involved in any step of the formation process (Hausel and Erlich 209). The third group of geologists attributed the formation of diamonds to be at sites of impact. This alludes to the fact that, throughout history, the Earth is hit repeatedly by huge asteroids. When the asteroids get to the Earth, extremely high temperatures are produced and are accompanied by similarly high pressures. High pressure and temperature conditions in such impacts are enough to facilitate the formation of diamonds. The above theory got supported by a discovery made at the impact sites of the greatest historical asteroids (Ungaro 58). The discovery was of the tiny diamonds at the edges of the impact zones. Further, the recent discovery of sub-millimeter diamonds at the Meteor Crater found in Arizona does well to substantiate this theory. The final aspect of geological history of diamonds comes from NASA researchers. This suggests that diamonds are formed in space. This followed the discovery of large amounts of nanodiamonds in meteorites. Scientists also agree that about 3% of that carbon content found on the meteorites come as nanodiamonds. However, logically, these nanodiamonds are quite small and cannot get used as precious stones. Nonetheless, it still remains a source where diamond material can surface. In an attempt to justify the formation of diamonds in space, scientists and geologists tend to agree that this results from high-speed interactions similar to that which results in the formation of diamonds on Earth. The geological history and formative processes of diamonds may raise some questions. However, all the geologists agree to the fact that the processes do not involve coal. All the processes put forward by the geologists suggest that the formation of diamonds took place in the Precambrian Eon and the Cambrian Period, during the formative years of the Earth itself. This makes it valid to believe that the gas-rich magmas or molten rocks within the earth’s mantle are responsible for the diamonds we see today. Desirable Qualities Diamond, like all the other precious stones, has certain desirable qualities pertinent to it. Some of these qualities are unique to diamonds while others are common to other precious stones in the market and the world at large. The first desirable quality of diamond is the brilliancy. Brilliancy, in this case, confers diamonds an ability to stand out in the presence of other precious stones. The stone’s brilliancy attracts the attention of the buyers in the market. However, there are instances when the stones appear to lack brilliance. This is attributed to impurity of the diamonds, poor cutting or other imperfections witnessed with regard to diamond examination. It is evident that the stones that lack brilliancy, whether extremely valuable or not, do not demand the expected attention from buyers. Those stones that have brilliancy, on the other hand, appear to fascinate the market and demand attention (Ungaro 76). The second desirable quality that diamond has is color. The most valuable color with regard to diamond is the bluish white. The next in value is the pure white that got coined river goods. The latter gets associated with purity of color. Other colors that are relevant to diamonds include pink, violet, brown, orange and canary yellow. The other quality of diamonds is the cutting. This complements many aspects that are relevant to the jewelry. These aspects include the weight, color and brilliancy. This is because, after cutting, each facet and the angle are designed to confer a given refractive property. However, cutting is not an easy endeavor, and it involves the employment of a professional cutter. Another desirable quality of diamonds is the clarity. This gets determined by the amount of flaws of inclusions found inside the diamond when the sample is examined under magnification. This is important since a majorly flawed diamond does not sparkle as much as the flawless diamond does. The clarity of diamonds is rated on a defined scale, and it ranges from internally flawless to the slightly included (Ungaro 29). All these diamonds are not visible to the naked eye. Another desirable quality of diamond is given by the carat. This depicts the weight of the cut diamond. The price of the diamond increases exponentially with the carat weight. Though size is a vital aspect of diamonds with regard to items such as engagement rings, it is worth noting that quality is not entirely dependent on it. Further, carat weight of a diamond also relates to its cut. This is because a well cut diamond may appear larger than its carat weight and this is attributed to the sparkle. Poorly cut diamonds, on the other hand, may appear smaller than their carat weight. Fluorescence is also one of the desirable qualities of diamond (Hausel, and Erlich 188). This is a hugely valuable quality that hardly is discussed as much as the other characteristics. Fluorescence refers to the blue light that is emitted by some diamonds when they are under a black ultraviolet light. In essence, some diamonds emit a terrifically strong blue glow while others only emit a moderate glow. However, some diamonds do not emit any glow. As much as fluorescence is a desirable quality n diamonds, some case arise, in which it is not considered as such. This explains why this attribute is not commonly discussed with regards to the qualities of diamond; though it seems the most obvious. Finally, one other desirable quality of diamonds is hardness. Diamond is considered to be the hardest substance on the surface of the earth. This attribute explains why it finds use in such industries as glass cutting. Diamonds are the most precious stones of the world. They get formed under harsh conditions of temperature and pressure but come out as the most valued. It is a widespread fact that diamond has four C’s: color, carat, cut and clarity. In essence, this summarizes the qualities of diamond and establishes its beauty and explains why it still remains the most relevant gift and token of romance. Work Cited Hausel, Dan and Edward Erlich. Diamond Deposits: Origin, Exploration and History of Discovery. London: SME Publishing, 2002. Print. How Do Diamonds Form? | They Dont Form From Coal! News and Information about Geology. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013 http://geology.com/articles/diamonds-from-coal/ What is a Gem Diamond? | Gem. Gem Diamonds. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2013 http://www.gemdiamonds.com/gem/en/about/diamonds/what-is-a-gem-diamond/ Ungaro, Ellen. Diamonds. Pelham, NY: Benchmark Education Company, LLC, 2011. Print. Characteristics of Diamonds | eHow.com. eHow-Style. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2013 http://www.ehow.com/about_5426410_characteristics-diamonds.html NTS Fact Sheet - Astrology. Astrology Fact Sheet. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013 http://www.ntskeptics.org/factsheets/astrolog.htm Read More