Knowledge of diamond and the origin of its many connations starts in India, where it was first mined. The word most generally used for diamond in Sanskrit is translitereated as vajra, “thunderbolt,” and indrayudha, “Indra’s weapon.” Because Indra is the warrior god from Vedic scriptures, the foundation of Hinduism, the thunderbolt symbol indicates much about the Indian conception of diamond.

The flash of lightning is a suitable comparison for the light thrown off by a fine diamond octahedron and a diamond’s indomitable hardness. Early descriptions of vajra date to the 4th century BCE which is supported by archaeological evidence. By that date diamond was a valued material.

Diamonds are the hardest of precious stones. The word “diamond” itself is a derivative of the Greek word adamas, which means “unconquerable”. It is the undiminished beauty of diamonds that has made them so highly prized throughout several centuries. This does not mean that a diamond cannot be damaged only that they are difficult to damage requiring a very precise strike in an exact location in order to damage the surface.

There was a powerful king of the Danavas named Bala, endowed with great strength and who proved his valor by conquering the three worlds. In more than one battle, Divaspati was vanquished by him, and the wife of Heros, Sachi, was not able to raise her head with pride. The gods could not defeat this indomitable warrior in open combat; so they requested him, in the guise of a favor, to become the victim of their sacrificial ritual (yagna).

Archaeology: No diamonds have been found in ancient sites, but holes in ancient beads show diamond’s “footprint,” cylindrical holes with conspicuous concentric grooves left by a twin-diamond drill. The holes are unlike the marks of any other modern or ancient drilling technique — a signature of this diamond technology. Beads from sites in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Yemen and Egypt show the marks of diamond drills prior to 700 CE and as early as the 4th century BCE in Yemen.

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