A Curious Detail of Natural Magic

[ecosophia]

These days people in most Western countries assume as a matter of course that engagement and wedding rings have to have diamonds on them. That didn't become the universal custom until after the Second World War, though; it was in 1947 that the DeBeers diamond syndicate launched the first of a series of massive ad campaigns under the slogan "Diamonds Are Forever." Well, maybe they are, but...

In the lore of natural magic, every kind of gemstone has a different effect on consciousness; these are normally categorized by the old scheme of the seven planets. Diamonds correspond to the planet Mars. Their magical virtue is that they give strength and victory in battle, but they are also traditionally unlucky, and make their wearers unhappy. 

Maybe it's just pure coincidence, but I find myself noticing that it was right after a stone of war and unhappiness became standard wear for married women that the divorce rate began to soar, and many branches of the feminist movement took on a distinctly angry and bitter tone. 

If you want a better-omened stone for an engagement or a wedding ring, the magical lore suggests going for an emerald. Emeralds correspond to Venus, and are fortunate for love; they were held to strengthen the eyes and the memory; and they make the wearer truthful and difficult to fool by trickery, all of which would be helpful in marriage. I'm sure the diamond merchants won't approve, but it might be worth trying to reverse the trend...

Comments

[methylethyl]

Always thought diamonds were a racket. Why pay so much for something that isn't even pretty? I like color! I forbade my now-husband to get me anything with diamonds on it. My engagement ring has three little stones: citrine, peridot, and aquamarine. Hardly ever wear it, because I'm just not much of a jewelry person. But now I'll have to go look those up...

[ecosophia]

Let me know what you find; I wasn't able to find anything on peridot when I wrote The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic.

[methylethyl]

re: Peridot: It doesn't look like there's much to find! Poking about, it seems to have been conflated with either topaz or emerald for a lot of history. If anything (and internet sources are sketchy at best), it may have been used to ward off enchantments and evil spirits.