Top Gemstone Myths and Legends from History

The precious gems and stones are already on earth’s crust ever since the world began. This is the reason why ancient civilizations used them as part of their lives. Aside from simply being ornaments, accessories, and embellishments, these precious gems have also been associated with beliefs, myths, and legends.


Amethyst Myths

Throughout the years, this gemstone is believed to protect people against infidelity, plagues, locusts, hail, storm, thieves and nightmares. If you are the type of person who always has a busy schedule, this gem is right for you because of the fact that it also encourages calmness. Don’t you want to fall in love foolishly? This gem is also perfect for you.

Amber Myths

The myth associated with this gem is that it is worn on the throat in order to prevent asthma, hay fever, and nasal congestion. According to ancient beliefs, this gem makes a woman smell more attractive to her lover. Some say that this can also heal diseases and ailments such as plague, deafness, loss of teeth, indigestion, goiter, erysipelas, asthma, and whooping cough.

Flawless 100-carat diamond sells for $22.1m at NY auction

An eye-popping, 100-carat diamond, the highlight of a magnificent jewels sale in New York on Tuesday, sold for $22.1 million, Sotheby’s auction house said.
The perfect classic emerald-cut D color diamond, which is about the size of a walnut and was mined by De-Beers in southern Africa, was purchased by an anonymous buyer via a telephone bid. It had a pre-sale estimate of $19 million to $25 million.

Rio Tinto’s Zim diamond production falls 42% in Q1

Rio-Tinto said production at its Murowa diamond mine in Zimbabwe fell 42% in the first quarter after a planned shutdown and a decision to cut output as it sought clarity on a new export tax.
Zimbabwe’s government in January introduced a 15% export tax on unrefined platinum and there was confusion on whether the levy also applied to diamonds.

Famous Kimberley diamond brooch to be auctioned soon

The magnificent brooch was a gift from Colonel Sir David Harris, pioneer of the South African diamond industry, Director of de Beers for 40 years, to his wife, Rosa Gabriel of Pomerania (Prussia), whom he married in 1873.

The brooch composed of seven flower-heads, the centre claw set with an old brilliant cut diamond weighing approximately 3.20 carats, enclosed by yellow and white old brilliant- and old European cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 10.80 to 11.30 carats, mounted in gold and platinum, width approximately 37-mm.

Hong Kong is Turning its Dead into Diamonds

It sounds outlandish at first. Even obscene.
But why not turn the cremated ashes of your loved one into a beautiful diamond you can take with you instead of entombing his or her ashes in a gloomy columbarium?

It's not as impossible as it may sound. An American company named Life-Gem has been transforming the ashes of the dead into diamonds since 2001.
LifeGem says over 5,000 people have transformed their loved ones into LifeGem "Memorial Diamonds". Based in Chicago, LifeGem says its beautiful "cremation jewelry" is a unique way to embrace a loved one's memory day by day.