Diamonds in Literature and Popular Culture

Diamonds have always and continue to be referenced in literature and in popular culture. Hip-hop has brought us “bling” such as diamond-encrusted IPods and even Shakespeare invoked them as metaphors in his writing.Diamonds are possibly one of the best understood metaphorical devices in literature. They can be used to symbolize wealth and accomplishment, beauty and desire and as a way of conveying a subtle beauty that escapes the skills of even the most accomplished writers. Diamonds in the world of literature serve as both motivation for heroes and antagonists and as the central way to convey when great wealth is obtained, lost or on the line.

Diamonds are so renowned for their beauty and luster when exposed to light that similes that invoke this characteristic are universally-understood. “Her eyes shone like diamonds”; “the sparkles on the snow were like diamonds”; “the stars twinkled like diamonds; all of these phrases appear in innumerable examples of literature, particularly poetry, and serve to illustrate how ingrained in the human imagination is the beauty of diamonds. After all, there are few, if any, poems in which the stars twinkle like Cubic Zirconia!

Diamonds, owing to their high value, are oftentimes used as a way of making humorous references to wealth that is so vast that its exact measure cannot be comprehended. F. Scott Fitzgerald immediately calls to mind such an image with his short story “A Diamond as Big as the Ritz”. Were any other object used in place of the diamond, the powerful set of meanings conveyed by the title would not be so apparent to the reader.

The most famous of English-language writers used diamonds as both a means to convey fortune and tragedy. In the play Timon of Athens, Shakespeare uses diamonds to convey, in metaphor, both fabulous wealth and worthlessness. “One day he gives us diamonds, the next day stones.” The fact that diamonds are instantly recognized as being the exact opposite of worthless is exploited by The Bard, and to great effect.

In modern culture, diamonds are often used by performers to demonstrate their wealth and, quite frequently, to imply that this wealth is the inevitable result of their skills. One of the most popular hip-hop figures, Sean Combs, sports a diamond-encrusted IPod. Of course, as technology constantly changes and diamonds, of course, are forever, one can only hope that those diamonds are destined to be reset in a new music player once their current setting goes out of vogue.

Movie stars have always enjoyed sporting the most expensive and fashionable diamond jewelry possible. This is an incarnation of diamonds being used as a corollary to success and wealth and a very powerful one. The most popular designers, old and new, vie with one another to persuade the stars to wear their jewelry to the most popular Hollywood events. The starts oftentimes go to great lengths to make sure their choices are both cutting edge and in line with the current trends and to wear the most eye-catching jewelry on the red carpet.

Interestingly, diamond jewelry reflects society in as many facets as it does light. During times when the economy tends to be very productive and people tend to have money to spend and to have a positive attitude toward consumption, such as the 1950′s, 1990′s and parts of the early 21st century, the stars tend to turn out wearing incredibly extravagant examples of diamond jewelry, exemplifying the most exclusive form of indulgence in which one may engage. In times that are more characterized by generally positive attitudes toward subtlety, elegance and understatement, the stars tend to wear smaller pieces such as diamond stud earrings and small bracelets. Diamond jewelry is an art and, like all art, it is a product of its time.

Today, diamond jewelry is characterized by both elegance and trendiness. While smaller stones with very intricate and modern cuts may be in vogue, non-traditional choices in metals in which to set those diamonds are also very popular. Platinum rings are very popular settings today. Some more artistic pieces, such as the 7,000 gem diamond necklace Nicole Kidman wore to the 2006 Oscars, featured both unfinished and cut diamonds, possibly something that would have been unheard of in the past but which shows the versatility of the modern aesthetic.

Interestingly, the shape commonly described as a diamond would seem to resemble a diamond very little to a modern eye. Diamond jewelry styles have evolved as diamond cutting technology has improved. In the very early days of diamond cutting, the only viable cut was in the shape to which we still refer as a diamond. Diamonds, in both the literal and the metaphorical sense, do seem to have remained popular enough to make it seem as if they are, indeed, eternal.