On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:25:54 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Ganesh
wrote:

I am from India and I have not heard of magical stories associated
with diamonds other than the ones from India, which makes it unique
and special. There's nothing biased here about it. I did quote what
I've so far gathered from my surroundings. I have come here to gather
more information. Here in India diamonds are worn mostly to ward off
evil effects of planets only upon consultation of an expert
astrologer.

Certainly, the rich lore regarding diamonds from India is relatively unique to
India. But I'd note that similar traditions equally exist in other cultures
regarding other gems. The key is simply that in antiquity and forward, diamonds
were well known in India, while not so well known elsewhere, so they had the
chance and time to develop those traditions. To the extent that diamonds were
known to other cultures, there certainly were stores and lore. It's just not
such a rich tradition.

And it's worth pointing out too, that the differences here do not suggest
differences in diamonds themselves, or the diamonds from India as different from
diamonds from elsewhere. What is different is not the diamonds, but rather the
rich lore and culture that grew up around them. When you talk about magical
stores, remember that the important term there is "stories". It's about the
lore, and the culture and the history, rather than about the diamonds
themselves. At the time that lore and culture was developing, the only diamonds
known to that culture were from India, so it's not surprising that the lore
develops only around stones from that source. As I've said from the beginning
of this thread, there is no doubt that the long history of diamonds in India is
important and unique to India. When you look, however, at the lore and history
of other gems in other parts of the world, the Greek and Roman world for
example. you equally find lots of magical stores and lore, and in fact, a little
of that tradition includes diamonds too (or we would not have a current name,
"diamond" derived from a Latin term, "Adamas". Even in ancient times in the
Greek and Roman world, the hardness and unique qualities of diamond were well
known, and given special status. But given it's relative rarity in that world,
much less tradition could grow up around it. But there are indeed some stories
about diamond that did not originate in India. At one time, especially in the
middle ages and renaissance, it was thought that diamond powder was a deadly
poison, for example. Who knows where that originated. But it likely had more
to do with european alchemy than with India. And we have a good number of
diamonds about which myths have grown, such as good or bad luck being associated
with them. Some, such as the myth regarding the famous Hope diamond, are about
stones that originally came from India. But not all. And that myth, and
others, did not necessarily originate in India...

Peter