Spring has finally sprung. Flowers are starting to grow, and snow is hopefully in our past. However, if you live here in Michigan, who knows?! Soon we’ll be gathering with our families for Passover and Easter, where we’ll watch the children hunt for Easter eggs and win some gelt for finding the afikomen. The best part about the transition into spring is that the ice cream shops open up for everyone to start enjoying. The sprinkles come in a variety of colors, just like you can find diamonds in every shade of the rainbow. Most commonly, you will find a diamond to be bright, white, and shiny.

April Birthstone:

Diamond

 The history of the diamond dates back to the beginning of the universe, a phenomenon we know as The Big Bang Theory. This is when the heat and pressure below the Earth’s surface bonded carbon atoms (the single element diamonds are composed of) and created the beautiful diamond we all know and love today. The ancient Greeks believed that these precious stones were tears cried by the Gods or from falling stars, while the ancient Romans believed that Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds (perhaps the earliest association between diamonds and romantic love). However, diamonds form about 100 miles below the ground and have been carried to the Earth’s surface by deep volcanic eruptions. The only thing that can scratch a diamond is another diamond, and they are the hardest natural substance known to man. The strength and power derived from the diamond and its creation symbolizes the strength and power we need in the month of April.

Fun Facts:

• The tradition of wearing an engagement ring on the fourth finger on the left hand, originated in Egypt, when it was believed a person’s “vein of love” ran directly from the heart down to that finger.
• The first diamond given as an engagement ring dates back to 1477, when the Archduke Maximilian of Austria fell madly in love with Mary of Burgundy and gifted her with a gold ring, an exquisite “M” formed out of diamonds.
  • Do you think the “M” was for himself, Maximilian or for her, Mary?
• The word “Carat” is thought to be derived from the Carob Bean – an ancient unit of weight. The weight is so uniform and consistent that it was used as a counter weigh when balances were used to weigh an item.
• Scientists have recently discovered a star that is essentially a diamond of ten billion trillion trillion carats. They named the star Lucy after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”