Results: Diamond History and Lore ** Part Two, Brazilian Diamonds: A Historical Perspective of Brazil, which commanded global production in the 1700s and early 1800s, has remained a continuous source of diamonds for three centuries.

For the next 150 years, Minas Gerais was the world's major supplier of gem diamonds. Beginning in the early 1840s, unusual polycrystalline black diamonds (or carbonados) were also recovered, mainly from the state of Bahia (Karfunkel et al., 1994). Have you ever seen a Black Diamond?

Seeking a new trade route to India that did not require passing through the Mediterranean, Portuguese nobleman Pedro Álvares Cabral was dispatched in early 1500 with a fleet of ships. His mission was to reach India by traveling south around the tip of Africa. His fleet landed instead on the coast of Brazil, which he claimed for Portugal on April 22 of that year. As he sailed south along the Brazilian coast, Vespucci realized that the continent was much larger than previously recognized. Brazil would emerge as a major source for dozens of colorful gem species. It would also become, for a period, the world's most prolific source of diamonds. Were you aware of the participation of Portugal in the New World?

In 1572 Sebastião Fernandes Tourinho found green and blue gems (likely tourmaline) along the tributaries of the Jequitinhonha and Doce Rivers in what is now Minas Gerais. The success of Tourinho's discoveries attracted more adventurers. In 1695, at Rio das Velhas, Manuel Borba Gato finally discovered gold, triggering a rush that would lead to the settlement of Vila Rica (later Ouro Preto) in 1698. Early indications of Brazil's diamond potential were sporadic, but there is evidence that crystals were found in Bahia within a century of Columbus's discovery of the New World. Historian Pero de Magalhães Gândavo (1576) mentioned the existence of "certain mines of white stones" such as diamonds. Were you aware that in the search for Gold they found Diamonds?

In 1695, gold was discovered in the mountainous region near Ouro Preto (Southey, 1819), and over the following decade thousands of miners flocked from the coast to the interior in search of the precious metal. Near the village of Arraial do Tijuco in the northern part of Minas Gerais, unusually bright transparent crystals kept showing up in the panned river gravels in the early 1700s. In some cases, the miners disregarded them. Dos Santos (1868) recalled that men sometimes used these crystals as small markers in card games. A similar account says that in 1721 a gold miner secured several of these markers, which were later recognized as diamonds by someone who had traveled in the Golconda region of India. Miners were discarding uncut diamonds while panning for gold, have you ever panned for gold?

Reports of diamonds in Minas Gerais began to reach Europe. Accounts from the colonial governor came to the attention of both King John V and the Catholic Church in Portugal, and the discovery was officially announced in 1729 In Minas Gerais, there was a diamond rush in the many rivers and streams around Arraial do Tijuco. Portugal moved aggressively to control the area, restricting gold and diamond mining and imposing high taxes. The diamonds played a prominent part in shaping the destiny of Portugal. Wealth derived from its diamonds not only helped place that country at the zenith of its glory but also contributed, at a later stage, to its release from the French occupation by paying part of the indemnity exacted by France during the Napoleonic wars (1807-1814). Did you know that diamonds played such a significant part in the fate of Portugal?

J. C. Oakenfull reported that between 1732 and 1771, "at least 1,666,500 carats of diamonds were exported to Europe." That figure represents an average of about 42,000 carats per year. While miniscule by today's standards, it placed Brazil squarely as the world's top diamond producer at the time, eclipsing India's Golconda region. The glut of Brazilian diamonds pouring into Europe caused for a time a steep decline in prices. Consequently, there were efforts to protect the value of the Indian diamonds on the market by disparaging the quality of Brazilian diamonds. Oversupply was put to an end in 1739 when Portugal stepped in to monopolize the Brazilian mines, but by then the Golconda mines had stopped producing. Are you surprised that the Diamond Market has been manipulated since the very beginning?

An arrangement with financiers in Amsterdam ensured a steady supply of Brazilian rough for the city's diamond cutters. And despite Portuguese oversight, smuggled Brazilian diamonds also found their way to London, another major center for rough diamonds and jewelry, When Brazil gained independence in 1822, Portuguese control of diamond mining ceased in Minas Gerais. By the 1880s, production had dropped significantly due to several factors—the low grade of the alluvial deposits, competition from diamonds from South Africa, and Brazil's abolition of slavery in 1888, which meant the loss of cheap labor. Were you aware Brazil abolished slavery in 1888?