Diamond

Birthstone for April

Diamond is pure carbon, compressed under extraordinary heat and pressure deep in the Earth's mantle over billions of years, then carried to the surface by volcanic eruptions. It is the hardest natural substance known — a ten on the Mohs scale — and this extreme durability is what gives it both its practical value as a cutting tool and its symbolic weight as a token of permanence. The tradition of diamond engagement rings dates only to the 1940s, but the fascination with the stone goes back millennia. Diamonds are found primarily in Africa, Russia, Australia, and Canada, and no two are exactly alike.