- Diamonds eventually spread throughout the world, even though India had remained the only major source of the gemstone until the discovery of diamonds in Brazil in 1725.The hardness of diamond and its high dispersion of light – giving the diamond its characteristic “fire” – make it useful for industrial applications and desirable as jewelry. The immense hardness of Diamond contributes to its suitability and importance as a gemstone. Because of its hardness, a Diamond is immune to scratching, as the only thing that can scratch it is another Diamond.
- Diamond is the most important gemstone in the jewelry industry. The colorless stone is most often used for jewelry, although yellows and browns are also used. Other Fancies are too rare and expensive for the mainstream jewelry industry, and are exclusively reserved for the high end consumer. Black, opaque Diamonds are occasionally faceted into a black gemstones with a sub metallic luster.