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Diamond eyes sounds like a James Bond movie, but it’s not. Who would have thought people would really want a little sparkle in their eyes! The first ever contacts made with diamonds. People can now get contacts that are gold-plated and have 18 diamonds set in each contact.

The new trend is from the Shekhar Eye Research. They are selling contacts that have diamonds. It is said the price of these diamonds are $15,000 for a pair.  To put these contacts on, a person needs a lot of saliene solution.  Eye doctors are speaking out against the use of these contacts stating that they are not healthy nor comfortable for the eye. But there are people out there that will pay for the price of these diamond contacts.

The Cullinan Diamond is a HUGE rough cut diamond discovered in South Africa in the Premier Mine in 1905. Fredrick Wells, a superintendant of the mine looked above him and spotted the 3106 carat diamond in the wall. He scaled the wall and removed the largest diamond crystal ever found.

The Cullinan diamond was cut into 9 major pieces, and 96 smaller diamonds. Each major diamond is part of the British Crown Jewel collection.

Cut from the gargantuan Cullinan diamond, the Star of Africa diamond weighs 530.2 carats. It is pear shaped, with 74 facets.  Today, this beautiful diamond is set in the Scepter with the Cross, and is traditionally used as a part of the coronation ceremonies.

Courtesy of www.royal.gov.uk

The Cullinan II is a 317 carat cushion cut diamond, set in the imperial state crown. The Cullinan III is a 94 carat stone set in the crown of Queen Mary.

We absolutely love these diamonds, and all diamonds for that matter! Which of these is your favorite? Do you have any other famous diamonds that you adore? Would you consider diamonds in your wedding bands?

Have you ever wanted your own Victorian-aged tiara, and matching accessories? Well then you better hop a flight to London this June!  Christie’s auction house is hosting their famous “Important Jewels” auction this summer, and is featuring Victoria age jewels.

Courtesy of Christie's

The very important jewels were owned by the Countess of Rosebery and feature a tiara, brooch, bracelet, wedding band and matching accessories.  The collection of jewels is from the Hannah, Countess of Rosebery and will be the highlight of Christie’s of London’s June auction.  The tiara features both pearl and diamonds, as well as the matching brooch.  Through out the collection both large, natural pearls and clusters of sparkling diamonds wedding bands were used.  These ancestral jewels were made in true Victorian aged fashion, still looking every bit classic and gorgeous pieces. 

These pieces, which will be on display and up for auction in June 2011, are estimated to fetch around $426,000 to $2.1 million dollars when sold.  Want to check out these gorgeous ancestral pieces?  Hop on a flight to London this June!

Diamonds are forever and relatively speaking, they have been around forever!  The diamonds that are set into your beautiful diamond ring are in fact the oldest thing that you will ever own.  The “youngest” of these precious stones that you could be displaying on your finger would be approximately 50 million years old.  This age range for diamonds could be as old as 2.5 billion years, now that’s an antique!

Diamond

Diamonds through out their lifetime have carried several different and ornate histories.  They also carry numerous myths and legends that are associated with history.  Some outlandish myths about diamonds range from the stone having the ability to perform magic, have healing powers, grant protection for the bearer of the stone and in some instances induce poisoning.  Outlandish and remarkable become an understatement for the myths that surround this stone. Diamond, the name itself comes from 12^th Century Greek meaning invincible or unconquerable for its hardness qualities. 

The myths and legendary tales of diamonds began as far back as Roman times.  Those stories were recorded in Roman literature.  Stories suggest that Romans believed that diamonds were in fact tears from the gods and splinters of falling stars.  Myths of this beautiful stone do not end there in Roman literature.  The Romans believed that Cupid’s faithful arrows were in fact tipped in diamonds and thus possessed the ability to have magical powers.  Diamonds also captured the attention of famous philosopher Plato.  He wrote of these gems as living organisms, which possessed celestial beings.  Romans loved to possess diamonds due to the fact that they believed the gem had broad magical powers.  Diamonds, amongst other powers were believed to cure life’s troubles and bring about power, strength, invincibility, bravery and courage to those lucky enough to behold the beautiful gem.

In mid-evil times, kings lead their men into battle donning a breast plate that was to be covered in diamonds along with other gems stones which each had a unique magical power.  Diamonds were important to this plate because they believed diamonds gave magical powers far beyond meaning and power of man.  Therefore, it was essential for kings above anyone else to be donned in diamonds. 

Diamonds were held in particular high esteem from 1214 to 1270 in France, when they were especially designated for use by the king only.  King Louis IX of France established a law that would grant the use of diamonds for the king.  This fact just indicates the rarity of diamonds of the time, and their overall worth through out time.  During this time, diamonds were used for representing honor, strength, invincibility and courage of the leader. 

During the 14^th century, a small number of diamonds began to be seen in European regalia and jewelry designs.  Diamonds, at this time, were seen as a sign of love and devotion.  Many of the designs used pearls as an accent gem along with the diamond.  Although the popularity of diamonds was becoming more mainstream, noble and large diamonds were still privileged to Royals and houses of the affluent. 

Since the beginning of diamond’s popularity, they were said to contain numerous characteristics and were able to grant the beholder numerous qualities that they may not have possessed without the stone.  Some virtues that were instilled within the stone were that diamonds are supposed to impart virtue upon its holder, and bring a generous heart to the owner.  Diamonds were also said to bring their owners luck and success.  Diamonds through out their history were talisman, to ward off the potential of poisoning, and overall protection for the traveler. 

Overall the gem of diamond has a full and illustrious history of myths and legendary tales from its inception and its use in cultures.  There is an immense amount of knowledge and characteristics that surround this beautiful stone.  When purchasing diamonds be sure to keep in mind all the myths, legends, and folklore that surrounds this bright, shiny, beautiful gem!

Amethyst

February is filled with love and happens to be quite a popular month to give that special someone a great piece of jewelry!  Amethyst is a beautiful precious stone that will bring joy to anyone receiving them. 

Amethyst, the birthstone of February, is a beautiful purple hue that has been the favorite among royalty for centuries.  The royal color has had many different stories and tales linked to the gorgeous gem, but none rival the legend that surrounds the stones origin.  This story dates back to the days of Greek mythology.  As the story goes, Bacchus, the God of Wine, was angered by a mere mortal and swore revenge on the next mortal who dared cross his path.  Unbeknownst to the lovely young Amethyst, who was on her way to pay tribute to the Goddess Diana, she was the next mortal to cross the angered Bacchus’ path.   In order to make the next mortal pay the price for angering a God, Bacchus created deadly tigers to attack the next passerby.  Seeing the impending danger for young Amethyst, the Goddess Diana turned the beauty into a statue of crystalline quartz in order to save her from the tigers reach.  Seeing this beautiful young girl, forever immortalized into statue form, Bacchus wept tears of wine, staining the statue of young Amethyst purple.   

The history and legends of this beautiful stone doesn’t end there.  This gem is in the British Royal jewels collection held in the Tower of London.  Leonardo Da Vinci also adored this gem. He said it had power to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken one’s intelligence.  Amethyst is not only a popular stone for everyone, but it is closely tied and celebrated especially by the clergy.  Amethyst is said to encourage celibacy and symbolize piety, core strengths and values of the clergy.  From these traditions, amethyst became a very important ornamentation within the Catholic Church and has been through out the ages.  Amethyst has also been popularized by Bishops, earning it the nickname, the “Bishops Ring”, as it symbolizes the core values of the Church. 

This stone has legends as notorious as its supposed mythological beginnings.  With the tale of Bacchus, the God of Wine, being the creator of the colored stone, it is only fitting that the most notorious legend behind that of amethyst is the tale of its antidote against drunkenness.  Through the years, amethyst has become the gem that has symbolized sobriety and has became the popular choice amongst individuals to prevent drunkenness, as well as the symptoms and side effects of drunkenness.  Due to this element, amethyst has been the gem of choice for decorating the goblets that are used during various ceremonies in which wine is consumed by individuals.  This has become a popular tradition when wine is used for ceremonial efforts.  

With amethyst’s immense popularity through out the centuries, sources of this precious purple stone are equally as popular.  Amethysts are mined all over the world in such exotic locations as Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Zambia, Madagascar and Uruguay. These beautiful stones are sought after for their beautiful display of color ranging from the deepest purples to light, delicate lilac hues.  The most valuable types of amethyst range in the deep purples of the color scale.  Even more rare amethysts with deep purple characteristics along with flashes of a beautiful rose color throughout fetch an even greater price.  

With such brilliance and beauty you will want this stone to last you a lifetime and beyond.  Therefore, cleaning and caring for this precious stone is a must.  Over time the brilliance and luster of the stone itself can dull and fade away.  Periodic cleanings of amethyst become an integral part of caring for the life of your stone.  In order to keep your stone clean, use a soft cloth along with warm water.  

This stone has priceless beauty that would be a delightful gift for anyone!  This stone, which is rich in history, would make the perfect gift for your special Valentine or loved one with their birth date in February.  The pretty purple amethyst also is a perfect stone for adding a bit of color to your jewelry collection.   

P.S.  At Wedding Bands.com we can make amethyst wedding rings, diamond amethyst wedding bands and amethyst diamond anniversary bands.