Facts
On February 10, 1908 the famous Asscher's Diamond Center in Amsterdam seemed to be holding its breath. Its founder, Joseph Asscher, stood near the Cullinan diamond, the largest diamond ever found in the world. Mr. Asscher was about to strike.

A doctor stood nearby to him. Mr. Asscher had requested that the doctor be present. He was afraid of what would happen to his heart should he slip up while trying to cut this 3,106 carat gem that he had been studying for the past six months.

This diamond was not only the largest diamond ever discovered, it had been bought for $800,000 (an enormous amount of money at that time) by the Transvaal government months earlier and presented to King Edward VII for his 66th birthday. It was sent to England after being insured for $1,250,000, and the king then entrusted his new treasure to the Asscher company for cutting.

Slowly Mr. Asscher picked up the steel cleaver and placed it into the groove that had already been etched in the diamond. The stillness was almost tangible as he tapped the stone. Everyone drew their breaths. The blade had broken. That meant the first attempt had failed.

But - nothing had happened to the diamond. It was time to breathe again and try once more. This time, the diamond broke apart in exactly the right places.

But it still wasn't possible to congratulate Mr. Asscher. The head of the famous diamond company had fainted.

Men and Gemstones
Since the beginning of time, man has gone to the greatest lengths to procure for himself these magical, precious treasures of the earth. The ancient Pharaohs worked thousands of laborers in their turquoise mines. They also enslaved the people of St. John's, an island in the Red Sea, forcing them to dig for Peridot. The avaricious rulers valued these shiny green stones so highly that they posted guards and ordered them to kill any unauthorized persons approaching the island.

Ancient mines also included the diamond mines of India, the opal mines of Hungary, sapphires in Ceylon and Sri Lanka, the valley of rubies in Burma, and many pockets across the vast continent of Africa. A large array of gemstones specifically opals that were mined in Mexico, Peru, and Honduras, emeralds in Colombia and other magnificent crystals, including amethyst and citrine that were dug out in Brazil.

Catherine the Great of Russia loved amethysts so much, she sent thousands of laborers to work in the Ural mountains to find these sparkling, purple stones for her. She then had an entire room made of this precious gem.

When an eighteenth-century prospector happened upon a mountain in Brazil with pockets of gleaming, amethyst quartz crystals, there was an immediate frenzy of activity as people began flocking there to mine the newfound treasure.

And after all these years, man's fascination for gemstones has only grown.

Even today, for example, opal workers in Australia, choose of their own free will to endure the hardships involved in attaining these shimmering stones. Living in very dry, high temperature zones, they work alone using small tools - even pocket knives - to loosen opals from the sandstone and claystone in which they are embedded. The heat gets so bad that the opal worker has to dig himself an underground shelter to protect himself.

Yet he goes ahead with it.

Like millions of men before him, he goes to any lengths to get hold of another glittering, brilliant, alluring stone.

Gems throughout the ages
Precious stones have always been man's treasures. And for a very good reason. After all, how many other material objects can make this claim to fame:

A gem is just about the most beautiful possession you can own - and its beauty never fades. In addition, its value never depreciates, and you can pass it down from generation to generation without end.

No matter how far back you go in time or how far you may travel, you will find that gemstones have always been part of people's lives. Descriptions of gems and gem jewelry are recorded in many ancient texts and illuminated manuscripts.

Thousands of years ago they were used by the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. They played important roles in the lives of the American Indians, especially the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans. They were located all over the intriguing coast of Africa, not to mention the Chinese, Indian and other Asian civilizations.

Ancient Egyptians are believed to be one of the first who set stones into jewelry. And during all the bygone eras, gems were given as gifts, served as social symbols and were even laid in graves alongside dear, departed ones.

Although stones were used as ornaments, they were used largely for their powers. They were made into amulets and talismans, and they were no less effective when crushed into powders and ointments. They protected against illness, injuries and accidents, and certain stones were even used to protect one's belongings. According to testimonies, the stones would change color to warn their owners of approaching danger.

Ancient Greek and Roman doctors used precious stones to help them in their work. Soldiers took them to war. Even in the modern era they could be found on the battlefield, like during the Crimean and Russo-Japanese wars.

Gemstones were used most often by kings and queens and the top segments of society. In fact, during medieval times in Europe only the rich or high-ranking officials were allowed to wear gemstones since they were a sign of wealth and power

For beauty
Gems. Jewels. Precious Stones. A thrill runs up your spine. Diamond, sapphire, emerald, ruby, opal, amethyst...The list goes on and on. Hold that shimmering gem - one of earth's rarest and most stunning crops - in your palm. Watch the lustrous flashes of color leaping out at you from every angle.

Beauty is certainly one of the most important parts of a gemstone. The richness of its color, how much light it scatters when you tilt it in different directions, its degree of brilliance and how it has been cut and polished.

It's no wonder then that gemstones have always glittered on fingers, around wrists, under necks and off the tips of ears.

But besides being commonly displayed in necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and brooches, gemstones have adorned royal crowns, tiaras, headdresses, armbands, buttons, shoe buckles, sword hilts, watchcases, snuff boxes, seals, purses, thimble cases, cane handles, fans, picture frames and even cigarette cases.

They have been affixed to knights' coat-of-arms, men's cloaks and women's dresses. In fact, Elizabeth I had over 2000 dresses, each one studded with pearls and gemstones. Another ruler, the Dowager Empress of China, Tz'hsi, (who ruled China from 1861-1908) wore a cape embroidered with 3500 pearls, each the size of a canary's egg.

Czar Alexander III even started a tradition of presenting a jeweled Easter egg to his wife and mother. These gold, silver and jewel-studded creations often contained something inside like a locket, miniature statue or mini portraits.

Of course you can't talk about gemstones without mentioning birthstones. Everyone knows about birthstones, but not everyone knows their origin.

The concept seems to go back to the twelve stones set into the Hebrew high priest's breastplate, one for each tribe. As time passed, people wanted to own these twelve stones and after acquiring them, began wearing them in different pieces of jewelry, a different one each month. Eventually, either to express individuality or because they couldn't afford all twelve, people chose to wear one - the one associated with their birthday month.

For power
Never was there a king or queen without a crown. (In Finland, though, there is a crown without a king!) But kings and queens did not only set gems into their crowns for beauty; they used them for their potencies and powers, to increase their control, wealth and fame.

Gemstones have long been known to influence human destiny. Just about every gemstone there is comes with a list of powers. Surprisingly, modern science has not rejected these assumptions. On the contrary, increasing evidence has been found to support gemstones' therapeutic properties.

For value
Precious stones comprise one of the greatest concentrations of money in the world. A tiny stone can be worth a small fortune. And since gems are easy to carry and easy to sell since they are recognized everywhere, royalty and wealthy families have always invested part of their wealth in stones.

The most magnificent collection of royal jewels in the world can be viewed in Iran. These thousands of treasures are even more unique than the British crown jewels that are magnificent in their own right. One of the most fascinating items in the Iranian treasury is the famous jeweled globe, a gold globe weighing 34 kilograms and measuring one meter in height and 66 centimeters in diameter and studded with over 51,000 gemstones! Seas and oceans are formed with emeralds, and land masses are comprised of diamonds, amethysts, rubies and sapphires. The globe was made in 1869, reportedly as a way of keeping track of the loose gemstones in the treasury!

But no matter how powerful they were, kings and queens in centuries past were not always able to procure for themselves all the gemstones they wanted. Even Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and Louis XIV the Sun King could not lay their hands on the unlimited and huge supply of jewels available to the average person today.

Today, no matter your budget, style and even color preference, you are sure to find the gemstone that was made just for you.