2 thoughts on “In what dynasty did diamonds appear in China?”
Irvin
Diamonds are fascinating, and the history of diamonds interwoven with various legends and superstitions adds to the mystery of diamonds. The history of diamonds is also a microcosm of the history of human civilization. Here is only a brief outline for the purpose of providing a brief clue for diamond connoisseurs
the beginning of diamonds - India
the history of diamonds originated in India. Before the 17th century, although diamonds were also produced in early Borneo, the production was very small, so it can be said that India was the only place of origin of diamonds at that time. The ancient Indians divided the color of diamonds into four grades. This is the unique caste system in India, which is a division of Indian status and identity: colorless diamonds are called "Brahmans"; The light red diamond is called "chadili"; Light green diamonds are called "barks"; The gray diamond is called "sudra". There are descriptions and records about diamonds in the documents of the fourth century BC. Archaeological studies have found that Indians used diamonds as tools to carve the beads of other precious stones in the fourth century BC. At that time, Indians already knew that when two diamonds collided with each other, some of them would crack or even jump off, which was the beginning of diamond splitting. In the eyes of Indians, everything in the world has a "mystery of life". It is said that the previous life of the diamond was a brave king named bala. He was not only pure in birth, but also did what he did in his life. When he burned himself on the altar of God, his bones became diamond seeds. All the gods came to rob him. When they hurried away, they scattered some seeds from the sky. These seeds were stored in the mountains Hard and transparent diamonds in forests and rivers
The Diamond Road -- from India to the Mediterranean
like the "Silk Road" from ancient China to the west, the "Diamond Road" connects ancient India and the West. The diamond road actually consists of two routes. One is the land route from India to Rome via Iran, Iraq and Türkiye; The second is waterway, crossing the Indian Ocean, passing through Mecca, the holy city of Islam, from Alexandria in Egypt on the South Bank of the Mediterranean, and then crossing the Mediterranean to Rome. Diamonds from the Roman Empire in the first to third centuries were transported from India through these two "Diamond routes". It can be imagined that the best diamonds must be owned by the kings of India first, and then by the rulers of countries along the way. When the end point is reached, there are few remaining diamonds
after the third century, diamonds disappeared in the Mediterranean for about a thousand years. One of the main reasons is that with the decline of the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire rose between India and the Mediterranean. It replaced the Roman Empire and became the main importer of Indian diamonds. In addition, the rise of Christianity was also the death knell of the decline of the Roman Empire. Since most of the previous diamonds were associated with pagan superstitions, the believers who had just converted to Christianity were less interested in diamonds
the new life of diamonds -- Europe
in medieval Europe, although diamonds have been reappeared, people still have various mysterious colors in their minds, such as: some people think diamonds can cure diseases, while others think diamonds are toxic, and swallowing them will lead to death. Some superstitions about diamonds have certain positive significance. For example, soldiers believe that diamonds will bring courage to the owners, and when they wear diamonds in battle, they can be invincible. For example, diamonds can make men love their wives more deeply. However, there are some major events that make diamonds play an important role in European life
(1) when King Louis IX (1214-1270) of France was in office, he issued a saving decree, stipulating that only kings can own diamonds and women are not allowed to wear diamonds. Less than two hundred years later, the mistress of Charles VII violated the laws of Louis IX in public for the first time, and repeatedly attracted attention in court social places with diamonds on her jewelry. This made diamonds more attractive in the eyes of European people, especially women
(2) in 1477, before his engagement to Princess Mary of Burgundy, Austria, Maximilian I received a letter from the princess, which said: on the date of engagement, the princess must wear a diamond ring. Thus, the first wedding diamond ring in recorded history was put on Mary's finger. Since then, the diamond ring has become the supreme keepsake of lovers' faithful love
(3) in 1499, the Portuguese navigator da Gama bypassed the Cape of good hope in southern Africa for the first time, opening up a sea trade route from Europe to Asia. Thus, Europeans can avoid the monopoly of Arab countries in the Middle East on diamond trade, and diamonds from India can appear in large numbers in Europe. In addition to the above-mentioned factors, what makes real diamonds new in Europe is that diamond cutting and grinding technology was first developed in Europe. As an important trade port between Europe and the East, Venice was also the earliest diamond cutting and grinding center in Europe in the 14th century when diamonds returned to Europe. However, its position was soon replaced by Antwerp and soon became an international diamond cutting and grinding center. By the late 15th century, diamond cutters and grinders in Antwerp had begun to polish the surface of diamonds with metal plates coated with fine-grained diamonds; By the 17th century, the cutters and grinders here had been able to cut and grind 58 faces on diamonds; By the 18th century, he had mastered the splitting technology of diamonds. Due to the increasingly perfect diamond cutting and grinding technology in Europe, Europeans are increasingly interested in diamonds. Amsterdam and London have also become important diamond processing centers
connecting the past and the future -- Brazil
India's diamond production reached its peak in the 17th century, with an annual output of about 50000-100000 carats, of which only a small part reached the gem level. Since then, the diamond production has dropped rapidly. From 1725 to 1730, only 2000-5000 carats of diamonds were transported from India to Europe each year. The European diamond industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Fortunately, in 1730, in another continent far from Europe, Brazil in South America discovered diamonds, and soon replaced India as the largest diamond producer. In the 140 years from 1730 to 1870, diamonds from Brazil dominated the world diamond market. Its output peaked between 1850 and 1859, with an average annual output of 300000 carats. Due to the abundant supply of diamonds, diamonds are no longer just luxury goods for princes and nobles. As long as you have money, no matter what your status, you can buy the diamonds you like in the market
modern diamond industry -- South Africa
Brazil's diamonds once made the world diamond industry prosperous, but its supply was limited. By 1861, the annual output of diamonds in Brazil had dropped to 170000 carats. By 1880, the annual output of diamonds in Brazil was only 5000 carats. The impact of this dramatic drop in production on the diamond industry in Europe at that time is conceivable. At this time, a mysterious continent -- Africa came a happy news. One day in the summer of 1866, a 15-year-old boy at the Dekker farm on the Orange River in South Africa found a 21.25-carat diamond. Later, the diamond was cut and ground into an oval diamond of 10.73 carats. It was originally named "O'Reilly". When this diamond appeared at the world's Fair held in Paris in 1889, it was easily named Eureka. After the emergence of South African diamonds, a large-scale diamond deposit was soon discovered in Kimberley. From 1872 to 1903, the annual output of diamonds mined from various deposits around Kimberley City reached 20-30 million carats, accounting for 95% of the total global diamond output. Due to the discovery of diamonds in South Africa, DeBeers, the largest diamond company in the world, was founded on this basis, and the modern and prosperous diamond industry was created
Chinese diamonds
I don't know when the history of Chinese diamonds began. So far, no conclusion has been reached. In the book of songs, the oldest poem in China, there is a record that "stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade". Many scholars believe that this "stone from other mountains" is a diamond. Since then, in Liezi and the records of the ten continents in the sea, Kunwu swords with "long knives and jade like mud" have been recorded. If the records are detailed, then the Kunwu swords may be made of diamond. However, the above records and the understanding obtained from them are only people's conjectures, and cannot get a clear conclusion. The earliest clear record about diamonds in history is the living note of Jin Dynasty: "in the third year of Xianning, the King Kong was sent to Dunhuang. It was born in gold, and it could be cut into jade and out of heaven.". Later, it was mentioned in the books of Wei, Sui and Northern history that Persia had more diamonds. It can be seen that the earliest diamonds in China did not come from China, but from India
at present, Wafangdian in Liaoning, Mengyin in Shandong and Yuanshui River Basin in Hunan are all important diamond producing areas. In 1983, China's proven diamond reserves ranked sixth in the world. At present, China's diamond output ranks among the top ten in the world. On December 21, 1977, a rural woman in Changlin village, Linyi County, Shandong Province, found the largest "Changlin diamond" in China today, weighing 158.786 carats (slightly larger than ordinary walnuts), which is now stored in the Treasury of the people's Bank of China. There are four diamonds of more than 100 carats found in China, all of which were found in Shandong. The largest diamond found in China weighs 1.4 Liang, equivalent to 218.65 carats. It was produced in 1936 by the Yishu River in Shandong Province. The diamond is crystal clear and golden in color. It is named "golden rooster" diamond. However, during the Second World War, it was taken away by the Japanese invading China, and its whereabouts are still unknown. In August 1981, it was found that "chenbu No. 1" weighed 124.27 carats.
King Kong is an ancient Chinese word. As a term of the five experts, it is used to generally refer to "Qi" which belongs to "Jin". When the word "Vajra" was appropriated by Chinese Buddhism, it still occasionally appeared in some works involving the five elements, especially a kind of "stone" produced in the "West" Guo Pu, a well-known alchemist in the Western Jin Dynasty, wrote in his book Xuanzhong Ji: "King Kong came out of Tianzhu (i.e. India) and the great Qin State (i.e. Rome). He was a jade cutter. He cut jade like an iron knife and cut wood. The big one was about a foot long and the small one was like rice." In the compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen wrote: "diamond comes from the Western fan and the Tianzhu countries; diamond, whose sand can be used to drill jade and mend porcelain, is called diamond."
Diamonds are fascinating, and the history of diamonds interwoven with various legends and superstitions adds to the mystery of diamonds. The history of diamonds is also a microcosm of the history of human civilization. Here is only a brief outline for the purpose of providing a brief clue for diamond connoisseurs
the beginning of diamonds - India
the history of diamonds originated in India. Before the 17th century, although diamonds were also produced in early Borneo, the production was very small, so it can be said that India was the only place of origin of diamonds at that time. The ancient Indians divided the color of diamonds into four grades. This is the unique caste system in India, which is a division of Indian status and identity: colorless diamonds are called "Brahmans"; The light red diamond is called "chadili"; Light green diamonds are called "barks"; The gray diamond is called "sudra". There are descriptions and records about diamonds in the documents of the fourth century BC. Archaeological studies have found that Indians used diamonds as tools to carve the beads of other precious stones in the fourth century BC. At that time, Indians already knew that when two diamonds collided with each other, some of them would crack or even jump off, which was the beginning of diamond splitting. In the eyes of Indians, everything in the world has a "mystery of life". It is said that the previous life of the diamond was a brave king named bala. He was not only pure in birth, but also did what he did in his life. When he burned himself on the altar of God, his bones became diamond seeds. All the gods came to rob him. When they hurried away, they scattered some seeds from the sky. These seeds were stored in the mountains Hard and transparent diamonds in forests and rivers
The Diamond Road -- from India to the Mediterranean
like the "Silk Road" from ancient China to the west, the "Diamond Road" connects ancient India and the West. The diamond road actually consists of two routes. One is the land route from India to Rome via Iran, Iraq and Türkiye; The second is waterway, crossing the Indian Ocean, passing through Mecca, the holy city of Islam, from Alexandria in Egypt on the South Bank of the Mediterranean, and then crossing the Mediterranean to Rome. Diamonds from the Roman Empire in the first to third centuries were transported from India through these two "Diamond routes". It can be imagined that the best diamonds must be owned by the kings of India first, and then by the rulers of countries along the way. When the end point is reached, there are few remaining diamonds
after the third century, diamonds disappeared in the Mediterranean for about a thousand years. One of the main reasons is that with the decline of the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire rose between India and the Mediterranean. It replaced the Roman Empire and became the main importer of Indian diamonds. In addition, the rise of Christianity was also the death knell of the decline of the Roman Empire. Since most of the previous diamonds were associated with pagan superstitions, the believers who had just converted to Christianity were less interested in diamonds
the new life of diamonds -- Europe
in medieval Europe, although diamonds have been reappeared, people still have various mysterious colors in their minds, such as: some people think diamonds can cure diseases, while others think diamonds are toxic, and swallowing them will lead to death. Some superstitions about diamonds have certain positive significance. For example, soldiers believe that diamonds will bring courage to the owners, and when they wear diamonds in battle, they can be invincible. For example, diamonds can make men love their wives more deeply. However, there are some major events that make diamonds play an important role in European life
(1) when King Louis IX (1214-1270) of France was in office, he issued a saving decree, stipulating that only kings can own diamonds and women are not allowed to wear diamonds. Less than two hundred years later, the mistress of Charles VII violated the laws of Louis IX in public for the first time, and repeatedly attracted attention in court social places with diamonds on her jewelry. This made diamonds more attractive in the eyes of European people, especially women
(2) in 1477, before his engagement to Princess Mary of Burgundy, Austria, Maximilian I received a letter from the princess, which said: on the date of engagement, the princess must wear a diamond ring. Thus, the first wedding diamond ring in recorded history was put on Mary's finger. Since then, the diamond ring has become the supreme keepsake of lovers' faithful love
(3) in 1499, the Portuguese navigator da Gama bypassed the Cape of good hope in southern Africa for the first time, opening up a sea trade route from Europe to Asia. Thus, Europeans can avoid the monopoly of Arab countries in the Middle East on diamond trade, and diamonds from India can appear in large numbers in Europe. In addition to the above-mentioned factors, what makes real diamonds new in Europe is that diamond cutting and grinding technology was first developed in Europe. As an important trade port between Europe and the East, Venice was also the earliest diamond cutting and grinding center in Europe in the 14th century when diamonds returned to Europe. However, its position was soon replaced by Antwerp and soon became an international diamond cutting and grinding center. By the late 15th century, diamond cutters and grinders in Antwerp had begun to polish the surface of diamonds with metal plates coated with fine-grained diamonds; By the 17th century, the cutters and grinders here had been able to cut and grind 58 faces on diamonds; By the 18th century, he had mastered the splitting technology of diamonds. Due to the increasingly perfect diamond cutting and grinding technology in Europe, Europeans are increasingly interested in diamonds. Amsterdam and London have also become important diamond processing centers
connecting the past and the future -- Brazil
India's diamond production reached its peak in the 17th century, with an annual output of about 50000-100000 carats, of which only a small part reached the gem level. Since then, the diamond production has dropped rapidly. From 1725 to 1730, only 2000-5000 carats of diamonds were transported from India to Europe each year. The European diamond industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Fortunately, in 1730, in another continent far from Europe, Brazil in South America discovered diamonds, and soon replaced India as the largest diamond producer. In the 140 years from 1730 to 1870, diamonds from Brazil dominated the world diamond market. Its output peaked between 1850 and 1859, with an average annual output of 300000 carats. Due to the abundant supply of diamonds, diamonds are no longer just luxury goods for princes and nobles. As long as you have money, no matter what your status, you can buy the diamonds you like in the market
modern diamond industry -- South Africa
Brazil's diamonds once made the world diamond industry prosperous, but its supply was limited. By 1861, the annual output of diamonds in Brazil had dropped to 170000 carats. By 1880, the annual output of diamonds in Brazil was only 5000 carats. The impact of this dramatic drop in production on the diamond industry in Europe at that time is conceivable. At this time, a mysterious continent -- Africa came a happy news. One day in the summer of 1866, a 15-year-old boy at the Dekker farm on the Orange River in South Africa found a 21.25-carat diamond. Later, the diamond was cut and ground into an oval diamond of 10.73 carats. It was originally named "O'Reilly". When this diamond appeared at the world's Fair held in Paris in 1889, it was easily named Eureka. After the emergence of South African diamonds, a large-scale diamond deposit was soon discovered in Kimberley. From 1872 to 1903, the annual output of diamonds mined from various deposits around Kimberley City reached 20-30 million carats, accounting for 95% of the total global diamond output. Due to the discovery of diamonds in South Africa, DeBeers, the largest diamond company in the world, was founded on this basis, and the modern and prosperous diamond industry was created
Chinese diamonds
I don't know when the history of Chinese diamonds began. So far, no conclusion has been reached. In the book of songs, the oldest poem in China, there is a record that "stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade". Many scholars believe that this "stone from other mountains" is a diamond. Since then, in Liezi and the records of the ten continents in the sea, Kunwu swords with "long knives and jade like mud" have been recorded. If the records are detailed, then the Kunwu swords may be made of diamond. However, the above records and the understanding obtained from them are only people's conjectures, and cannot get a clear conclusion. The earliest clear record about diamonds in history is the living note of Jin Dynasty: "in the third year of Xianning, the King Kong was sent to Dunhuang. It was born in gold, and it could be cut into jade and out of heaven.". Later, it was mentioned in the books of Wei, Sui and Northern history that Persia had more diamonds. It can be seen that the earliest diamonds in China did not come from China, but from India
at present, Wafangdian in Liaoning, Mengyin in Shandong and Yuanshui River Basin in Hunan are all important diamond producing areas. In 1983, China's proven diamond reserves ranked sixth in the world. At present, China's diamond output ranks among the top ten in the world. On December 21, 1977, a rural woman in Changlin village, Linyi County, Shandong Province, found the largest "Changlin diamond" in China today, weighing 158.786 carats (slightly larger than ordinary walnuts), which is now stored in the Treasury of the people's Bank of China. There are four diamonds of more than 100 carats found in China, all of which were found in Shandong. The largest diamond found in China weighs 1.4 Liang, equivalent to 218.65 carats. It was produced in 1936 by the Yishu River in Shandong Province. The diamond is crystal clear and golden in color. It is named "golden rooster" diamond. However, during the Second World War, it was taken away by the Japanese invading China, and its whereabouts are still unknown. In August 1981, it was found that "chenbu No. 1" weighed 124.27 carats.
King Kong is an ancient Chinese word. As a term of the five experts, it is used to generally refer to "Qi" which belongs to "Jin". When the word "Vajra" was appropriated by Chinese Buddhism, it still occasionally appeared in some works involving the five elements, especially a kind of "stone" produced in the "West"
Guo Pu, a well-known alchemist in the Western Jin Dynasty, wrote in his book Xuanzhong Ji: "King Kong came out of Tianzhu (i.e. India) and the great Qin State (i.e. Rome). He was a jade cutter. He cut jade like an iron knife and cut wood. The big one was about a foot long and the small one was like rice." In the compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen wrote: "diamond comes from the Western fan and the Tianzhu countries; diamond, whose sand can be used to drill jade and mend porcelain, is called diamond."