Rare, pure and eternal, diamonds are the ultimate symbol of love. For 1,000 years, starting in roughly the 4th century BC, India was the only source of diamonds. In 1725, important sources were discovered in Brazil, and in the 1870s major finds in South Africa marked a dramatic increase in the diamond supply.

 

 It was in Europe in the 15th century that the romantic tradition of offering a diamond ring as a token of love and commitment was born. In 1477, Princess Marie of Burgundy received this first proof of love from Archduke Maximilian of Austria. She placed the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand as, according to the Egyptian belief in the “vein of love”, the left ring finger is connected to the heart by this vein. Diamonds still symbolise love centuries later.