As a reminder, Culture Jo is our brand new weekly format! The objective: to tell you about the world of Jewelry every week ✨

Let's recap: diamonds went unnoticed for millions of years, before their deposits were discovered and exploited.

The history of diamonds begins in India, over 3000 years ago. 💫

✨ The very first references to diamonds are found there, in Buddhist manuscripts dating back to 400 BC.

At the time, diamonds were used to adorn religious objects, and were attributed magical and protective powers. 🍀

✨ Until the beginning of the 18th century, India was the ONLY source of diamonds in the world!

There were three main areas, and the best known of them was Golconda (the name of the city around which the deposits were located).

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, traveler, merchant, and connoisseur of stones, was the first to visit it in 1640 and bring diamonds back to France. He said that the stones there were the "cleanest and whitest of water".

✨ Even today, Golconda diamonds fascinate collectors and jewelry enthusiasts: some of the clearest and most perfect diamonds in the world were extracted there since the 1720s, before only a few rare stones were found there until its complete extinction around 1948.

Many of the diamonds famous for their incredible quality come from these mines.

✨ The diamond trade from Antiquity to modern and contemporary times therefore exhausted the Indian deposits.

Then, the Brazilian deposits were discovered and supplied the Western market until the end of the 19th century, when the South African deposits were discovered.

Africa became the major exporter in the 20th century, followed by an explosion in the market.

✨ Today, Russia (where the first diamond was discovered in 1829) is the largest producer of diamonds in the world. Next come Botswana, Canada, and Australia (which is also the only known significant source of pink diamonds 🌸).

So, did you know that?

See you next week 💎✨💃🏼