The first mention of diamonds in written records dates back four millennia, appearing in ancient Indian writings, where they were referred to as "Azira" (indestructible) or "lohajit" (conqueror of metals). References to diamonds in antiquity tell stories and legends attributing many amazing qualities to this unique stone. The Persians spoke of diamonds as divine stones and believed they were made of heavenly dew. For the Greeks they were the frozen tears of the gods; while the Romans thought they were slivers of falling stars which Cupid, the God of love, used for the tips of the arrows he shot at lovers to bring them together.

The earliest mining of diamonds was in India and historically is thought to have dated from around 500 BC. Golconda , Borneo and Indonesia were the worlds producers of stones until the discovery of diamonds in Brazil in the 18th century. It was only with the discovery of diamonds in Australia in the mid 19th century and, more importantly the discoveries in South Africa around the turn of the century, that diamonds began to fall into the price range of ordinary people.

Since then diamonds have been found in large quantities in Africa - in Angola , SW Africa , Zaire , Sierra Leone and more recently in Russia.