Diamond (Hiraka)

Hardness 10, specific gravity 3.5, refractive index 2.42, dispersion 0.044.
 
Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth. They are four times harder than corundum (rubies and sapphires are transparent varieties of this mineral), the next hardest mineral. Diamonds can be cut because they possess cleavages. A diamond’s cleavage is perfect in four directions, making it an octahedron. Diamonds have the highest refractive index of any gem. They also have one of the highest dispersions of any colorless stone; it is this dispersion that gives them the play of color known as “fire.”

Diamonds are 3.5 times as heavy as water, making them one of the heaviest minerals. Their optic character is singly refractive, and their crystal system is cubic.Diamonds are composed of crystallized carbon, like graphite, the soft mineral used in pencils. What makes the difference between the two is how they bond chemically—the chemical bonding in diamonds is strong, in graphite, weak.

Nowadays, diamonds are most often found in Australia, South Africa, Zaire, Botswana, and Russia. About ninety percent of the diamonds on the market come from one of these five places. Australia and Zaire are the biggest producers, but only about five percent of the diamonds mined in these places are of gem quality; the rest are used industrially. The expensive pink diamonds are mined in Australia. South Africa was once first in world diamond production, but now it ranks fifth. About half the gems mined in Botswana are gem quality. Other places in Africa where diamonds are mined: Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Ghana, Angola, and Tanzania. Diamonds are also found in Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana. India and other parts of Asia were once major diamond producers, but they no longer rank among the world’s larger producers.

Asia is an important center for cutting and polishing diamonds. Many gems are processed in Thailand and Hong Kong, although other places in China are also becoming popular.

Diamonds can be white, yellow, red, pink, black, green, blue, purple, or a rosy color. Colorless diamonds are usually considered the best, unlike with other gems. The color in a diamond is caused by tiny amounts of nitrogen (mostly yellows) or boron (blues) in the mineral deposit that becomes a diamond. The diamonds generally used to make jewelry are both colorless and flawless. The clearest, whitest diamonds are considered most valuable, but less than one percent of all diamonds mined are this color. Blue-white stones are also highly regarded. Most diamonds have a yellow or brown tint to them, which is usually not considered good.

Color and clarity are considered more important than weight when considering a diamond’s value. Flawless diamonds with stronger colors are known as “fancy diamonds,” and are sometimes more valuable, because it is rare to find a flawless diamond of certain colors. The bright red ones are the most expensive. A valuable diamond can go for as much as US$20,000 per carat.

It is important to note that diamonds color enhanced by irradiation or heat treatments should be marked as such and should not be used for astrological remedies.

To ascertain a diamond’s color, look through its side against a white background; artificial light can mask a diamond’s true color, so always examine a diamond in sunlight. A good quality diamond is ascertained by its hardness: no other gem or metal should be able to scratch it.

Because larger diamonds are rare, a diamond’s value usually more than doubles when it doubles in size. A one-carat diamond may cost about $1,000; the same quality two-carat diamond will cost about $3,000.The quality of the cut also increases the diamond’s value. Diamonds may be cut into round, pear, oval, or emerald shapes. The round cut is the most popular. It is also known as the “brilliant” cut.

The bright luster of a diamond is caused by light reflecting from its hard crystal faces or facets. Diamonds both reflect and refract light from their facets. A facet is a flat, polished face. The average diamond has 58 facets. Luster is increased by light within the diamond because of strong refraction, which causes internal reflections.

A diamond is considered flawless if no inclusions are visible though a lens or loupe with 10x magnification. A diamond is considered to have flaws if it possesses dots or droplet-shaped impressions.

If a jeweler vaporizes inclusions with a laser, or files a fissure to make them less visible it has to be disclosed to the buyer. These processes usually make a diamond unsuitable for use in astrological remedies.

Astrological Effects of Diamond
Diamonds are one of the most powerful gems and can give quick results to their wearers. Diamonds strengthen a weak Venus, enhance the color indigo, and are related to the number 6. Diamonds effect water and our sense of taste, and work with the Vishuddhi chakra (base of the neck).

Venus rules diamonds. Wearing diamonds is good for those for whom Venus is lord of an auspicious house in the birth chart (that is, with a well-placed Venus). Diamonds will help to neutralize the bad effects if Venus, as the lord of an auspicious house, is badly disposed or afflicted. Some authorities say that diamonds are good for those with Taurus rising, or for those with Leo or Aries on the ascendant.

A flawless diamond will benefit the wearer greatly. A flawed stone, however, can bring great misfortune. Only rulers should wear fancy yellow or pink-tinted diamonds. Such diamonds will bring others misfortune. But if a ruler wears a high-quality diamond, that diamond will enhance their ability to rule and help them to gain wealth. Usually, diamonds bring women unhappiness.

A diamond is believed to have beneficial effects if it shines through water like a ray of light, is glossy (shiny), has a luster like lightning, and has fire like a rainbow. A colorless diamond with a blue tint that sprays blue and red rays, and which does not have black dots, is the most auspicious to wear.

Flawed diamonds should not even be kept in the house. Diamonds have a negative effect if they are scratched, have double facets, are discolored, have dirt in the middle or in their corners, are covered in bubbles, mixed with colored substances, have fractured edges, have rough surfaces, are lusterless, split at the points, perforated, or are oblong. If a diamond has dots that resemble the shape of a crow’s claws, it is considered particularly inauspicious and will cause the wearer to die. If a diamond has a dot or what resembles a drop of water, consider it badly flawed. Black dots are inauspicious, and red dots are very inauspicious. White dots are considered less so. Those who wear diamonds with red spots or that reflect a reddish glimmer can lose all their wealth and become ruined.

A defective diamond causes great trouble to the wearer. If a white diamond is flawed with a white, island-shaped mark, it destroys wealth and happiness. If the island-shaped mark is black, wealth will be destroyed. Diamonds with fractures, dark flaws, or discolorations are inauspicious. Defective diamonds destroy peace of mind, and cause disease and disasters. If the only diamonds available are flawed, better to wear one of the less expensive substitutes.

Varaha Mihir states that a triangle-shaped diamond, or a diamond shaped like a buttock, will help a woman conceive a son.

Wearing diamonds promotes material happiness, life span, prosperity, comfort, good harvests, artistic ability, creativity, marital happiness, physical and mental purity, patience, fearlessness, and good manners. Diamonds also create good feelings in social and family life, help the wearers make proper decisions, help alleviate legal difficulties, build determination, help the wearers to move up in the world and to not waste time. They make wearers successful, ambitious, and able to live a luxuriant life. They bring influence that helps wearers control their enemies for good causes, create feelings of loyalty, pleasantness, and innocence. Wearing diamonds also protects against evil spirits, curses, a snakebite, and Tantric curses. A good diamond can protect wearers from thieves, fire, floods, and poisons.
Diamonds make the wearers loyal to their mates, and increase the ability to feel love and devotion toward others. The diamond signifies faithfulness between lovers. Diamonds can support successful marriages. Sometimes, if a person is living an indulgent lifestyle, wearing a diamond may have too powerful an influence on the person, thus bringing on disease and other problems.

Diamonds and other colorless gems transmit indigo as their cosmic color. Indigo influences the body’s watery elements, such as sperm and mucous. Thus diamonds work with the lymph system, hormones, semen and mucous.

Diamonds also work with the bones and the reproductive system. They help one develop a lustrous complexion, and are good for diseases of the skin, genitals, uterus, and for diabetes.It is recommended that actors, dancers, artists, and singers wear diamonds to attain success and popularity. They are also good for those interested in the arts and music.

Some authorities say that if a woman wants to be blessed with having a son, she should wear a good white diamond with a slightly blackish tint. Other authorities, however, say that women should never wear this type of diamond.

According to some authorities there are three types of diamonds—male, female, and eunuch (neutral), and that the male is the best, the female next best, and the eunuch inauspicious. Also, some authorities say that there are four types of diamonds—Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.A male diamond has six or eight angles, is free of dots and lines, is round but clearly shows all eight faces, is lightweight but looks large, and when it is reflected on water, it displays the seven colors of the rainbow.

A female diamond has dots and lines, is slightly elongated, but otherwise has the qualities of a male diamond.

A eunuch diamond is large, round, is heavy, and has only three angles, which are turned.

A Brahmin diamond is white (colorless) and is flawless. One who wears a Brahmin diamond will be a scholar of the religious scriptures and receive great respect from others. Such a person will be born a Brahmin for his or her next seven births. It is good for those who perform spiritual, religious, and public activities to wear Brahmin diamonds.

A Kshatriya diamond is white with a slight red tint. Those who wear Kshatriya diamonds will be good political leaders, good soldiers, competent diplomats, and good administrators. Thus such diamonds are good for kings, political leaders, and leaders in any high position to wear.
Vaishya diamonds have a yellow hue.

Businessmen who wear Vaishya diamonds will become wealthy and taste luxury. Businessmen or bankers who wear Vaishya diamonds gain success.

Sudra diamonds have a black tint, and those who wear them become intelligent and prosperous.
Depending on a person’s occupation, different tints of diamond—yellow, blue, pink—can be worn. Priests, teachers, scientists, and intellectuals should wear white. Rulers, soldiers, and administrators should wear pink.

Businessmen, bankers, and farmers should wear yellow. Laborers, artisans, and servants should wear black or blue.

The diamond chosen should not be less than one carat, but it is better if it is more than 1½ carats. The diamond should be set in silver, platinum, or white gold (some include yellow gold in this list), as a ring, and worn on the little (this finger is ruled by Mercury) or middle finger of the right (some say the left hand for women) hand. The diamond should be worn for the first time on a Friday morning during the bright half of the lunar month (when the Moon is waxing), and put on an hour before sunrise.
The ring should be made when Venus is exalted in Pisces, in Taurus, in a friendly sign, in its own sign, or when it is in a constellation favorable to Venus.

To install a diamond, the following mantras should be chanted: Om shum shukraya namah om. And for Mercury: Om budhaya namah. The stotra of invocation for a diamond or its substitutes: Om hima kunda mrida labham, daityanam paramam gurum, sarva sastra pravantaram, bhargavam pranamami aham. These mantras should be chanted on a Wednesday or a Friday.

If one cannot afford or find a suitable diamond, then white zircon, white sapphire, white spinel, natural turquoise, white topaz, beryl (goshenites), or white tourmaline may be substituted, but the gem chosen should not weigh less than three or four carats. Rock crystal quartz can also be used, but it should weigh at least eleven carats.
As Venus in not compatible with the Sun and Moon, diamonds or their substitutes should not be worn with rubies or pearls or their substitutes. Some authorities say that diamonds should also not be worn with yellow sapphire or red coral. Exception: when one is wearing a Navaratna ring (consisting of all nine planetary gems).

Certain demigods rule over certain tints of diamonds. White diamonds are ruled by Varuna, the lord of the oceans. Indra, the king of heaven, rules yellow-colored diamonds. Surya, the Sun god, rules over green-tinted diamonds. Agni, the fire god, rules over brown-tinted diamonds. The Maruts, the wind gods, rule over copper-colored diamonds.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides