Mysticism of Diamond

  Surprised by wonderful hardness and durability of this semi precious stone and astonished by the shine of its radiant rays, Indians devoted this stone to their deities. They attributed great merits to it and put it at the head of precious stones. During festivities it was the main decoration of attire and luxurious clothes. They believe that diamonds originated from five initial elements: earth, water, sky, air and energy. It seems that namely for this reason Indians distinguish in diamonds five positive and four negative characteristics. The positive ones are the availability of six peaks, eight even borders, lightness, purity and sharp angles. The negative characteristics are insufficient purity, spots, feathers, crow's feet. Such impure diamonds, according to Indians’ beliefs bring leprosy, icterus and lameness to their owners.
  On the other hand, good diamonds believed to drive off enemies, destroy the danger of lightning and poison, and the ability to provide the man with all kind of goods.
  The diamonds of premium quality have six or eight peaks and sharp edges. Their color is hailstone white, the color of silver clouds and moon color.
  After testing its characteristics on their own experience the ancient people attributed fantastic properties to this amazing stone. It was considered as a stone of courage and strength of character. Gaius Plinius Secundus asserted that diamond destroys the effect of poison, allays vacuous fantasies, releases from vacuous fear and adds the man confidence and strength.
  Well, what the diamond is? Is it the jellied sunlight or the hardest precious stone?
  One of Indian books about stones (“Lapidaria” – from Latin “lapis” – stone) says that “Diamonds grow together one small and one big. They (male and female diamonds) grow together without the man’s influence. They eat sky dew and produce small children that multiply and grow.” In the tales “Arabian nights” a seafarer Sindbad speaks about a valley swarm with snakes and peppered with diamonds. The diamonds were taken from there by using an original method. People threw the pieces of meat into this valley. The meat stuck to stones and then birds took the meat with diamonds to their nests. Then people collected diamonds from the birds’ nests.
  Diamond has a nickname of “eagle’s eye”. It was given to diamond because the diamond seekers seem to cover the nest of the eagle with the nestling by the glass plate. The eagle could not get into the nest and attempts to understand what people want from him. He wheels around the nest for the long time and thereafter comes back with diamond. When a sufficient number of diamonds will be gathered the diamond seekers take away the glass plate. After some time the diamond seeker put the glass plate back to the eagle’s nest and he brings diamonds again.
  This fantastic version has an explanation. It is well known that birds attracted by shine of diamonds peck them. They were repeatedly found in the crops of hens and pigeons.
  Academician V. Severgin in his “The first foundations of mineralogy” asserts: “Diamond could not be melted in the hottest fire. But first it becomes dim and darker. Thereafter it receives shining whiteness and at last emits sharp vapor and shows bubbles. This continues till it finally evaporates and disappears. Diamond disappears in the clay vessels tightly closed from all sides.
  Such tests over diamond were conducted by France I, Emperor of Rome, and his brother Carl, archduke of Lotaringia in 1750… Some French chemists liken this property of diamond to fire and therefore it is added to combustible bodies. Others liken the vapor coming out of diamond to the vapors of hydrofluoric acid.
  From the Bible we know that confidant of Judaic Priest, a ritual object representing a linen bag, in which secret Urim and Thummim were placed and which were used by high priest to explain the commands of Jehovah and its deeds in favor of children of Israel, was decorated with twelve stones in filigree golden mountings with engraved names of twelve generations of Israel.
  Here is how this is described in canonical variant of Bible (Exodus, chapter twenty eight): “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it. It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width. You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes.”