DIAMOND
from Tropical Gemstones of Thailand & SE Asia
Diamond is crystallized carbon, the hardest substance in nature. It has been associated with purity and fearlessness since anicent times and, more recently, with loves.
India was an important source of diamonds for centuries. Unit the 1700s, the mines of northern India were especially prolific. The island of Borneo, which today is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia, also had abundant diamond mines, from as early as about A.D, 600, although the stones were small. rarely more than one carat in weight.
The abundance of the Borneo diamonds before the turn of the century created a fetish for the gems among the Malaly aristocaracy and the Staris Chinese of Malaysia, Singgapore and Indonesia. Wealthy women considered a stock of personal diamonds essential to their well-being. Amark of great status was having berlian sama kachang puteh-diamonds sa numerous sa peanuts.
Edmond Lin, in his book "Gilding the Phoenix: The Straits Chinese and their Jewellery " write that one wealthy woman, determined to stand out in her bejewelled crowd, had her diamonds set into her teeth , in place of gold fillings. Society ladies of the time wore diamond encrusted brooches called kersosang to hold together their fashionable, buttonless jeckets, know as kebaya . Each brooch was unique and custom made. According to Lin,after a matron chose a design, she might send a child or other relative with time on their hands to the jeweler work and ensure no substitutions were made.
While very few diamonds originate from Asia today, it has become an inportant world center for the cutting and polishing of diamonds from Africa, Australia, Russia and other parts of the world. India, Thailand and Hong Kong-and, incressingly, other part of China-are known for the skilled at their diamond cutting factories
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