The Hope Diamond and diamond symbolism

The Hope diamond gets its name from Henry Philip Hope and it is ironic that the Hope diamond is a curse to anyone who owns it. Diamond is one of the primary symbols of marriage, and is the center stone in almost all engagement rings. And if marriage expresses anything it is hope. As Samuel Johnson once said, "A second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience."

In contrast, to the Hope diamond symbolizing evil, the diamond throughout the Christian tradition has been seen as an image of the righteous soul. more... A diamond has been designed to reinforce this spiritual symbol of the diamond as representing the soul, it is called the "Cross of Light Diamond". Since the principal virtues embodied in the Christian faith are: Faith, hope and love, perhaps it could have been named the Hope diamond as well. The Cross of Light Diamond is the only diamond that has been designed as a gift to the whole person. A tribute to both ones inner beauty and outer beauty.

The forms of the cross that make up the three images were chosen for a specific purpose. Each cross is intended to signify a slightly different spiritual reality. The three forms include the Greek cross, a form referred to as the Star cross and the well known Maltese cross. The traditional Greek cross is intended to signify divine love for the world that is sacrificial in character and involves voluntary suffering. The cross described as the Star cross is intended to symbolize nativity, and more generally, point to a divine presence throughout the world. The eight points of the Maltese cross represent the eight beatitudes, which when internalized, point to transfiguration. It represents the divine within us. more...

The cross is the best known and most widely used Christian symbol. It is for this reason that cruciform images were designed into the pavilion of The Cross of Light Diamond. The images serve to reinforce the perception of the diamond as a spiritual symbol. Taken together, the three cross images symbolize an underlying spiritual reality that is present in both the physical world and in the human soul. This divine presence is to be understood as a sacred and eternal desire for relationship and union.

Diamond symbolism need not simply reflect prevailing values and customs. It can be influenced through the intentional use of design. The Cross of Light Diamond was cited as an example that illustrates this use of design. In this illustration, other spiritual symbols were designed into the faceting pattern to augment its perception as a symbol of divine life. None of the aesthetic values that are so important to secular art were compromised in process.