Middle
Ages of Diamonds
During the Middle Ages more attention was paid to
the worth of diamonds, rather than the mystical
powers surrounding them. Due to the heightened
public awareness of the value of diamonds, mine
owners perpetuated myths that diamonds were
poisonous. This was to prevent the mineworkers
swallowing the diamonds in an attempt to smuggle
them out of the mines.
The popularity of diamonds surged during the
Middle Ages, with the discovery of many large and
famous st
ones in India, such as the Koh-I-Noor and the Blue
Hope. Today India maintains the foremost diamond
polishing industry in the world.
As the Indian
diamond supply dwindled, smaller finds occurred in
Borneo and Brazil, but these Were not sufficient
to meet the ever-increasing demand for diamonds.
The mid-nineteenth century discovery of diamonds
near the Orange River in South Africa sparked the
world's biggest diamond rush, and helped to
satiate the world's increasing appetite for
diamonds.
