“Diamond Legends by De Beers traces the most iconic diamond myths through four exceptional High Jewellery diamond sets”For centuries, diamonds have been at the heart of mythological tales that transcend history and span cultures. In ancient stories, diamonds were imbued with magical properties and connected to the most essential virtues, such as love, strength and eternity. This led to the belief that diamonds were godly creations, descended from the heavens and bestowed upon the earth. The legends that now surround diamonds reveal how, for thousands of years, diamonds have been viewed as precious treasures – both natural and supernatural at once. Today, De Beers pays tribute to the most iconic of these diamond legends with four exceptional High Jewellery sets, each one named for its godly or heavenly origin. Through Cupid, Ra, Celestia and Vulcan, the mythical ties that bind diamonds to ancient gods are expertly retold with fancy-cut and fancy colours diamonds, alongside exceptional rough diamonds in a variety of natural hues.
“The Diamond Legends by De Beers High Jewellery Collection showcases De Beers’ diamond mastery of natural rough and polished diamonds. The four exceptional sets – each one inspired by an iconic diamond legend and its godly origins – are made possible by our meticulous diamond hand-selection techniques and technical excellence. This new High Jewellery Collection is the ideal way to celebrate 130 years of De Beers heritage as the Home of Diamonds since 1888.” François Delage, CEO, De Beers Jewellers.
De Beers’ interpretation of these fascinating diamond myths were revealed during Couture Week in the De Beers salon, located on Rue de la Paix, Paris. An architectural setting brings each legend at the source of De Beers’ High Jewellery creations to life, by drawing inspiration from rays of light falling on a faceted surface and placing the collection between the sky and the earth.
The Diamond Legends by De Beers High Jewellery collection is presented alongside the historic Eureka diamond, which is recognized as the first diamond to be formally discovered in South Africa. This significant 21.25 carat diamond, which sparkles as a 10.73 carat cushion-cut diamond, is thought to have been found accidentally by Erasmus Jacobs on the banks of the Orange River. Once authenticated as a diamond, the Eureka passed through many hands, crossed oceans and became a symbol of a new era for the African continent. The Eureka diamond was acquired by De Beers some 100 years after its discovery, and later was returned to South Africa where it was displayed in Kimberley. This fascinating legacy perfectly complements the Diamond Legends by De Beers High Jewellery collection, which similarly celebrates the power of diamonds to capture significant facets of history.
CUPID
“To create an infinite and eternal love, Cupid, the Roman god of desire, used precious diamond-tipped arrows.”
In Roman mythology, when Cupid met the mortal Psyche he was wounded by one of his own diamond arrows, causing him to fall irrevocably in love. This timeless connection between diamonds and true love is captured in the Cupid set, offering a contemporary interpretation of the classic Toi & Moi aesthetic. Contrasting diamond cuts express the duality of Cupid and Psyche, with the geometry of princess-cut diamonds paired with the organic shape of marquise-shaped diamonds. Through these contrasting diamond cuts, the Cupid necklace evokes the Roman god’s outstretched and feathery wings, adorned with the modern combination of a fancy orange brown pear-shaped and fancy light grey green pear-shaped diamond drop. Two Cupid rings and a pair of ear cuffs, set with a detachable 1.80 carat pear-shaped diamond drop, complete the set.
Inspired by the unique characters of fancy-cut diamonds, our experts use hand-selection methods honed over generations to choose the finest diamonds. Together, these diamonds create a spectacle of light-reflecting sparkle that is both contemporary and timeless.
RA
“In Ancient Egypt, the sun’s power as the origin of all life on earth was reflected at the center of the sacred ankh cross, a symbol of eternal life, in the form of a diamond.”
For the Ancient Egyptians, the sun was the ultimate manifestation of eternal life. The sun god, Ra, was considered the creator of the world, and his image was adorned with the sacred ankh cross; an iconic symbol of divinity set with a diamond to represent a diffusion of the sun’s energy to create life. The Ra set draws inspiration from the Egyptian sun hieroglyph and the ankh motif, both recreated in an array of pear-shaped yellow diamonds and yellow diamond pavé forms. A medallion radiates with the sun-like energy of a 3- carat yellow diamond, set on a sautoir chain of yellow round brilliant diamonds, white marquise-shaped and princess-cut diamonds suspended between white pavé motifs, inspired by the sacred ankh. With a detachable central and outer motif, this medallion can be worn in multiple ways as a pendant or brooch, while the chain can also be worn alone. The joyful exuberance of yellow diamonds is also captured in two pairs of earrings and a ring, set with a 2.04 carat yellow diamond.
As some of the rarest treasures on earth, fancy color diamonds blend sparkling light with a unique sense of character and charisma. At De Beers, we hand-select only the most exceptional colored diamonds with beautiful depths and saturation.
CELESTIA
“Meaning ‘heavenly’, Celestia conjures the tears of the gods and their journey from the divine world above to the earth below.”
The Ancient Greeks and Romans looked upon diamonds as tears from the gods, fallen from the heavens and imbued with strength, love and light. This fantastical journey, also known as Celestia, is recreated with the Celestia set, where bezel-set round brilliant diamonds slowly turn to pear-shaped diamonds like tears falling from the sky. A central tassel motif creates the shape of a single droplet of water in an exceptional necklace and earrings, symbolizing an accumulation of tears and the ultimate gift of diamonds from above. This beautifully fluid and flexible necklace, which can also be worn without the diamond tassel, is accompanied by a ring and a bracelet.
Drawing inspiration from the timeless beauty of hand-selected diamonds, our jewelry designers do each one justice with beautifully flexible and fluid designs that celebrate the women who wear them. Our meticulous diamond setting skills ensure each wondrous piece sparkles from every angle in an eternal display of Fire, Life and Brilliance.
VULCAN
“The Olympian god Vulcan, blacksmith of the gods, used the strength of diamonds to forge treasures in the depths of volcanoes”
Legend says the Olympian god Vulcan, known as the blacksmith of the gods, was working away at the heart of a sleeping volcano when a spark was struck from his tools. Diamonds embedded in kimberlite rock were thrown from the depths of the volcano and a powerful spectacle of flowing lava ensued. The Vulcan set evokes molten lava flowing from a crater with polished round diamonds, pouring to fancy color diamonds, pear-shaped diamond drops and rough diamonds, with textures that hint at the surface of volcanic rocks. The spectacular Vulcan necklace is set with five pear-shaped diamonds, alongside three lines of diamonds in a variety of shapes and colours. The two outer lines of rough and polished diamonds can be detached to reveal a classic polished diamond line necklace. This balance of color, shape and texture can also be found in the rings, earrings and bracelet from this set.
With meticulous skill, our experts hand-select rough diamonds with beautiful natural colors and shapes to complement the artistry of our designers. The pairing of rough and polished diamonds reflects the diamond mastery at the heart of De Beers.
Each collection boasts a signature variety of necklaces, rings, earrings and cuffs, bracelets and more. For more details on the collection please visit: debeers.com/high-jewellery/collections/diamond-legends/
Featured Image: De Beers Ra Necklace
