The Myth and Lore of Diamonds

The Myth and Lore of Diamonds
Diamonds are the most popular symbol for engagement and commitment.
Diamonds Myth and Lore:

Diamonds have a mythology and lore that makes them a fascinating symbol for engagement.

There’s something ineffably magical about the sparkle, beauty and power of diamonds. They are the most popular symbol for engagement and commitment. Their beauty holds ennobling aspirations for our most intimate of relationships and we wear the ring in part to show this to our community.

Yet, usually we do not consider what beneath its sparking surface that makes them so attractive. Human beings and diamonds are both carbon based. Carbon is the building block of life on earth, but how diamonds and humans are created is universes apart.

We as humans emerge to life from a watery womb, nurtured by mother’s milk and love. Our bodies are in constant flux; from the time we are born until our death. We live on carbon, food that grows under sunlight and is nourished by water and the earth. The relationships that allow our life to exist are the result of millions of years of evolution and adaptation.

Diamonds, on the other hand, are born from intense volcanic pressures that change their carbon molecules into something very distant from our sentient selves. They are pure crystalized carbon, and one of the hardest natural substances on earth. The Greek term for diamond is adamas, which means, “invincible” or “extreme hardness”.


Diamonds come from the bones of the ancient god, Vela, spread out over the earth. The bones of the deity symbolize the solidification of chthonic and elemental force into something immutable and divine.

In myth and lore, the theme of the immutable hardness of diamonds is found across many cultures. In Tibet, the word for diamond is Vajra, which means “thunderbolt”. The Vajra is also a state of immutable consciousness. In the ancient Vedic mythology, diamonds come from the bones of the ancient god Vela, spread out over the earth in a great battle when he was conquered by demigods. The bones of the deity symbolize the solidification of chthonic and elemental force into something unchangeable and divine.

Stories of diamonds also point toward their power. Alexander the Great sought the valley of the diamonds. He believed that obtaining those gems would make him unconquerable by enemies, evildoers and all opponents. Even in the last hundred and fifty years diamonds have built powerful financial empires and even funded wars.

The myth and lore of diamonds also points toward an otherworldly and divine vivacity and also to eternality. Diamonds are bones of an ancient deity. Yet despite, or perhaps because of our own vastly different nature, diamonds have come to represent the promise of betrothal and everlasting love.


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