The Mystique of Diamonds The Diamond Course Diamond Council of America © 2015 The Mystique of Diamonds In This Lesson: • Magic and Romance • Nature’s Inspirations • Adding to the Spell • Diamonds and Time • Diamond Occasions • Diamond Personalities MAGIC AND ROMANCE In most diamond presentations, it’s important to cover the 4Cs. A little information about topics such as formation, sources, mining, or cutting can often help, too. In every pre- sentation, however, it’s essential to identify and reinforce the factors that make diamonds valuable and important – in other words, truly precious – to each customer. After all, purchase decisions involve the head, but the desire to own or give a diamond almost always springs from the heart. That’s the realm of magic and romance. The emotional meanings of diamonds have many origins and they have evolved over thou- sands of years. Diamond’s unique beauty and remarkable properties have helped create some of the deepest meanings. Others have come from cultural traditions, the glamour of celebrities, and the events of individual lives. In a sales presentation, you need to The desire to own or give diamond determine which of these elements will resonate for the cus- jewelry springs from the heart, not from the head. tomer you’re serving. Photo courtesy Andrew Meyer Jewelry. The Diamond Course 14 Diamond Council of America © 1 The Mystique of Diamonds It’s important to remember that people most often buy diamonds to symbolize love or to celebrate personal mile- stones. Sometimes the motivation for buying is obvious – for example, with an engagement ring. Other times, you will identify it by involving the customer in a conversation about themselves and the occasion, and about the notions or feel- ings the customer wishes to express. That will tell you exactly what he or she wants the diamond to “say.” Once you understand the primary motives for a pur- chase, you can tickle them in appropriate ways. This lesson provides information and ideas you can use for that purpose. It will give you the keys you need to open the magic and romance of diamonds to your customers. People most often buy diamonds to symbolize love or personal milestones. Photo courtesy Lazare Kaplan. Lesson Objectives When you have successfully completed this lesson you will be able to: • Link diamond symbolism to value factors. • Share diamond myths and folklore. • Present diamond as a birthstone. • Explain the origins of diamond occasions. • Discuss famous people associated with diamonds. The Diamond Course 14 2 Diamond Council of America © The Mystique of Diamonds NATURE’S INSPIRATIONS Diamond’s nature and amazing characteristics have inspired some of the oldest and strongest elements of its allure. You’ve already learned that diamond is the hardest material known. It’s also very tough. Reflecting these properties, the name of the gem itself comes from the Greek word adamas, which means “unconquerable.” For centuries, most people regarded diamonds as indestructible. One old story says if you place a diamond on an anvil and strike it with a hammer, the hammer and anvil will break, but the diamond Diamond is the hardest material in the world and is also very won’t be harmed. Through a process of mental association, people tough. Its name comes from the came to believe that diamonds bless their owners with strength, cour- Greek word “adamas” meaning age, success, and enduring love. “unconquerable.” Even today some consumers mistakenly think dia- monds are unbreakable. Of course, you need to advise your customers that any gem requires proper care and make sure they know how to take care of diamonds they own or purchase. (You’ll find out more about this in Lesson 16.) On the other hand, you can stress the benefit of diamond’s superior hardness and toughness – that is, its excellent wearability. If customers are curious, you might tell them some of the beliefs tradi- tionally linked with diamond’s durability, too. You need to advise your customers that every gem requires proper care, but you can stress the benefit of diamond’s superior hardness and toughness and its excellent wearability. Photo courtesy JCK. The shapes of diamond crystals have always caused wonder and speculation. As you learned in Lesson 9, scientists now know that the carbon atoms in diamond crystals are arranged with almost perfect symmetry. Under favorable growth condi- tions, this structure produces geometric crystal forms of great The shapes of crystals have caused wonder and speculation through the beauty. One of these is the octahedron, which looks like two pyr- ages. Diamond octahedrons and amids joined base-to-base. similar crystals seemed to embody the supreme order of the universe. The Diamond Course 14 Diamond Council of America © 3 The Mystique of Diamonds To philosophers in the past, diamond octahedrons and other geo- metric crystals represented the order of the universe. They symbol- ized the highest levels of mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. Consumers today see diamonds after they’ve been cut and polished. You can say, however, that cut styles such as the round brilliant and princess cut mirror the internal symmetry of the crystal. Therefore, a diamond’s outward form still conveys the classic meanings. The visual qualities we prize in diamonds have given rise to other associations. When discussing the 4Cs, you might mention that dia- mond’s clarity has long been equated with peace of mind and purity Diamond’s clarity and colorlessness of heart. The same is true of diamond’s colorless appearance. Its bril- have long been equated with liance and fire have been seen as tokens of enlightenment and the peace of mind and purity of heart. energy that sustains all living things. ADDING TO THE SPELL To the symbols and meanings derived from diamond’s natural character- istics, human cultures have added many others. Around the world and throughout the ages, people have fallen under diamond’s spell. Each genera- tion has woven new strands of romance for those who follow. According to some old legends, diamonds are born from heavenly rain or lightning. This belief may be echoed by one of India’s ancient languages. In Sanskrit, the word vajra means both “diamond” and “thunderbolt.” Other traditions say that diamonds are splinters of broken stars. They’re supposed to bestow wealth, friendship, eternal youth, and happy marriage. The Romans believed Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds, and a poem from the 2nd century reads: Various cultures have contributed many symbols “The Evil Eye shall have no power to harm and meanings derived from diamond’s natural Him that shall wear the diamond as a charm, characteristics. No monarch shall attempt to thwart his will, Photo courtesy H.V. Guenther. And even the gods his wishes shall fulfill.” The Diamond Course 14 4 Diamond Council of America © The Mystique of Diamonds As time went on, the list of diamond’s magical attri- butes kept getting longer and longer. Eventually its pow- ers were said to include the ability to bring sweet dreams, ward off evil spirits, make the wearer invisible and even to raise the dead! An old English ballad credits diamond with being able to signal a lover’s infidelity. In the ballad, a princess gave her hero a diamond ring before he left on a voyage. While he was at sea, he noticed the diamond had lost its gleam. He took that to mean that his lover had been unfaithful so he hurried back home just in time to stop her from marrying another man. Like many gems, diamonds were once used for Some traditions say diamonds are splinters of medicinal purposes. (They were usually crushed into broken stars, possessing the ability to bestow powder and then swallowed.) In Europe during the wealth, friendship, eternal youth and happy marriage. Middle Ages, diamonds were supposed to cure bladder Photo courtesy Jordan Meryl. infections, insanity, jaundice, leprosy, and plague. The higher the quality, the more effective the treatment. During the same period, symbolists found hidden meaning in “diamante”, the Italian word for diamond. From it they deciphered “amante de Dios,” which trans- lates “lover of God.” Meanwhile, in India, Hindus believed that offering a diamond to the god Krishna would guarantee eternal life in the highest heaven. Today’s customers are likely to head for the door if you start talking about infectious disease, but some might be interested to learn that people still believe dia- monds have healing powers. New Age gem therapists use diamonds to increase personal clarity and balance the physical, psychological, and spiritual sides of life. Like many gems, diamonds were used for medicinal purposes to cure bladder infections, Many customers are intrigued by colorful tidbits of insanity, jaundice, leprosy and the plague. diamond lore. When you share these – whatever they are – you might add that a number of cultures have believed a diamond’s magic is enhanced when it’s given as a gift. The Diamond Course 14 Diamond Council of America © 5 The Mystique of Diamonds DIAMONDS AND TIME Associations between gems and time go back to the dawn of history and have existed in almost every culture. The oldest asso- ciations were to the sun and moon, the visible planets, and the constellations of the zodiac. In this primal system, dia- mond was the gem of the sun, and pearl belonged to the moon. These galactic concepts marked the passage of time for our early ancestors. As time evolved, emphasis shifted to assigning gems to the months of the yearly calendar. There have also been gems delegated for the seasons, the days of the week, and even specific hours. At first people wore certain gems at certain times – for example, January’s gem in January and February’s gem in February.