Welcome, February, and your birthstone—the diamond.
Diamonds have always been the "crown jewel" of the "cardinal gemstones," a designation which includes diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires (and, at one time, amethysts).
Diamonds are very old. Most were formed between 1 and 3.5 billion years ago, deep within the Earth (some 90-500 miles down). More recently (say hundreds of millions of years ago), the Earth's volcanic activity shifted the substrate, slowly moving some of those diamonds closer to the surface of the Earth (where miners could find them). And some diamonds were created by the heat and pressure of meteorites crashing to the Earth.
Diamonds are also very hard. Very few diamonds are suitable for jewelry (which must be nearly perfect). However, second and third rate diamonds are useful in industry for lasers, drill bits and grinding materials.
The most valuable diamonds are colorless though other colors of diamonds are mined and marketed: blue, yellow, green, purple, pink, orange, red, black and brown (which, until recently, only had been sold industrially). Colored diamonds are the result of defects, impurities or exposure to damaging substances.
Good, natural diamonds are quite rare. However, thanks to the British diamond company DeBeers (which has controlled much of the worldwide diamond market since its founding by Cecil Rhodes in 1888), stringent control of output has ensured that diamonds remain expensive in the retail market.
The letter sorter, shown above, proudly advertises the "Diamond" brand. It is made of cast iron, with a steel spring. The curved feet will hold a pen or a pencil. Use it to arrange outgoing mail, keep business cards at-hand, organize "to-do" lists, or display a grouping of favorite photographs. Click on the photo above to learn more about it..
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.