Diamonds have long been a symbol of man’s greatest hopes and dreams, the most aspirational and desired of all gem stones with an investment value that transcends time, place or currency. Forged deep beneath the surface of the earth’s crust, up to 3.3 billion years ago, under conditions of extreme heat and pressure, diamond is the hardest natural substance known to man. In fact, the word diamond evolved from the Greek word ‘adamas’ which was used to describe the hardest substance known.

The ancient Greeks and Romans believed diamonds were tears of the Gods and splinters from falling stars. They weren’t wrong about the star part, as meteorites can contain diamonds formed by impact pressure. The most ancient meteorite material contains star dust (remnants of the death of stars), and some of this star dust is made up of extremely tiny bits of diamond older than the solar system itself – more than 5 billion years. No wonder they say a diamond is forever.

Today, the majority of the world’s diamonds are unearthed from African soil, so what better place to source these dazzling symbols of lasting love and purity?