The Mystique Beautiful diamonds – like these shown off by screen star Sharon Stone – were once considered to have magical healing powers	Considering diamonds, in their chemical composition, are simply plain old carbon exposed to extreme heat and pressure, the coveted gems are clearly more than the sum of their atoms. The Ancient Greeks and the Romans believed diamonds were the tears of gods and the remnants of falling stars. Hindus were so convinced that the human soul could animate the sparklers that they placed diamonds in the eyes of their statues. Others believed that making the sign of the Cross while holding a diamond could cure sickness. As the Middle Ages approached, diamonds became less a mythical entity than a symbol of wealth and power. In the 13th century, Louis IX of France deemed that diamonds should be worn by him and him alone, though by a century later, they'd slipped into the possession of aristocrats and other members of the French royal family. The diamond is the hardest substance known to man and has since become one the most sought-after status symbols. While India was the original source of the stones, today diamonds are mined on every continent except Europe and Antarctica.
	"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs," American billionaire publishing magnate Malcolm S Forbes once said. He famously went on befriend the actress Elizabeth Taylor, so perhaps he too fell under the gems' spell.
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