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Can Diamonds Be Unlucky?

Diamonds tend to come with a substantial reputation attached to them. On the one hand, they are a sign of luxury and a lavish lifestyle. A true status symbol, if you will. 

But depending on who you ask, diamonds can be viewed as just regular gemstones – that could bring good or bad luck. 

Now, if you don’t believe in such things, this all may seem a bit strange to you. Why would we even talk about such irrelevant things? 

Well, here’s the deal: Diamonds – and other gems – have been around for a long time. Certain myths were bound to be created.

A lot of people, even today, will find meaning in gemstones and their supposed powers. Because of this, we decided to do a little research to try and answer the question that seems to be on people’s minds the most – can diamonds be unlucky? 

Well, how about we find out? Let’s get this thing started!

Can Diamonds Be Unlucky?

So, in order to get started, we need to address the elephant in the room: 

There’s no scientific evidence to support these odd claims that any type of gemstone could bring a person good or bad luck. There’s no evidence to say that these gems can affect your life in any way, as a matter of fact.

But, even though there’s no evidence to back any of it up, millions of people still find it difficult to believe. So, why is that? 

Well, it’s a mix of many things. 

Some people swear that they had experiences in which they had nothing but bad luck while being an owner of a diamond. How severe the bad luck has been – or what type of diamonds we’re talking about – changes from one account to the next. 

These stories are present today and have been a part of many cultures for about as long as we’ve used diamonds as jewelry. These gems do have a powerful presence to them – some would call it “je ne sais quoi” – so it’s pretty understandable that people would think that they’re mystical in some way, shape, or form. 

We’ll get back to the most famous legends about the gem – but we have to mention that a lot of the stories originally came from the country of India. 

That’s no surprise, as the country was the number one provider of diamonds in the east and the west for a long time. Obviously, other places have their own stories – like Africa and South America – but we’ll get to those in a moment.

The truth is that while all gems have certain mystical reputations to them, diamonds seem to bring a negative connotation to any sentence they’re mentioned in, for some reason. 

Opals are, for instance, the gem that is usually connected to good luck – but even that depends on the context. Read More: Is Opal Worth More Than Diamond?

It’s important to differentiate between personal stories and myths carried from generation to generation since they have a more serious effect on modern-day cultures. All in all, there just seems to be something off with these stones – and we plan on finding out what it is! 

But to do that, we have to go through a short history lesson. 

Diamonds Throughout History & Cultures

We don’t have a clear grasp on where exactly the stories about bad luck and diamonds started – but a good guess is India. There are numerous tales of families whose legacies were ruined because of diamonds getting passed down to each generation. 

And while these stories are the most common, we can’t say that they’re the only ones.

There are many kinds of diamonds, as well. 

One of the more infamous ones is Black Diamond. You can imagine how these got the bad press throughout history; they just look dark and evil. 

The most famous stories say that they represent the eyes of a poisonous snake. Those who have these dark yet beautiful gems are cursed to a life of bad luck.

Regular translucent diamonds were even thought to attract thunder and lightning at one point in history. But it wasn’t all bad for the reflective gem in India, though. 

Some stories go in a different direction, stating that they bring good luck and fortune to those who have them. 

There is even a legend about the deity Krishna giving his love Radha a big diamond for protection, saying, “He who wears a diamond will see danger turn away.” The legend is so famous that it is even a saying in India to this day! 

You can see then that the stories sort of come and go. Some represent the gems as the definition of evil and bad luck, while others see them as protectors and bringers of good fortune. 

The same goes for Africa and South America. 

The locals always have scary stories about diamonds bringing bad luck – or even them being poisonous! For years, it was believed that licking a diamond is so toxic that it would kill whoever did it by the end of the day. 

These stories are, unfortunately, much less mythical and mysterious than they seem at first. In many of these countries, big companies and empires were mining for diamonds while leaving the country’s inhabitants sick and poor. 

The myth that diamonds are poisonous to lick was probably created by mining companies who didn’t want the workers to steal the diamonds. 

To this day, there are many cases of miners eating diamonds so they could sell them later, as they are usually not paid well, nor are they living in good condition on these mining sites. 

That’s actually the common thread between all the places that produced the myths of diamonds bringing bad luck. It’s simple; they really did seem to bring bad luck. 

Imagine a big company arriving at your home, working you to the bone to mine diamonds that they’re going to sell for money that you’ll never see. 

That sounds like bad luck to us!

Because of this, many cultures wanted nothing to do with any sort of diamonds. The risks were just too high.

Learn More:

Modern Myths And Legends

The bad luck diamonds can bring to us during the modern-day – or at least the stories of it – are separated into two groups: 

Legends that have been created during the 20th century and the one that focuses on the stories of crystals and their magical powers. 

The first one is mainly situated in the west and is the result of a marketing campaign that has turned diamonds into one of the most expensive materials in the world! 

See, diamonds weren’t always the most sought-after thing in the world. Back in the 1800s, they were basically just another gem that you could buy. 

However, some clever marketing and persistence managed to turn this particular gem into a giant industry.

So, how was it done, and who did it? 

Well, the DeBeers corporation, that’s who! And as for how, well, let’s just say that they went through the whole book until they found the trick that worked. 

Diamonds are now on pretty much every engagement ring that we buy for our partners. But did you know that engagement rings weren’t even part of the tradition until the beginning of the 20th century? 

That’s right, not only did the DeBeers folk manage to get us all to buy rings for an engagement, they made us spend at least two salaries on them! 

You know how it works: You must save up for two months for an engagement ring, or else your marriage is doomed to fail! 

Well, you might be appalled to learn that that statement was basically just a catchphrase used on billboards that just happened to sneak its way into modern traditions. Imagine being pressured to buy an overpriced diamond ring during the Great Depression; that couldn’t have been fun! 

Because of the general sense of greed in the whole situation, diamonds gained a bit of a bad rep in some circles of western society. The rich and the famous didn’t mind, though; they were buying them by the dozens. 

But the working-class people were telling different stories. As far as they were concerned, diamonds brought nothing but bad luck for those who bought them – and everyone they knew.

Related Read: Is It Bad Luck to Buy a Used Diamond Wedding Ring?

The Power Of Gemstones

So, now that we have the first part of the story covered, it’s time to take a look at crystal healing. This pseudoscientific alternative medicine uses gems like crystals, quartz, and opals to heal, cleanse auras, and get rid of bad energy. 

While we don’t want to sound too harsh here, there is a multitude of things we’ll have to disagree with here.

See, while you might not consider a diamond a crystal, it is still believed that they cause bad luck and bring on “bad energy” to those who own them. 

While multiple kinds of diamonds have this reputation, black diamonds probably suffer from the bad rep more than any other gem out there.

Firstly, there is no scientific proof to back up the claims that practitioners of this alternative medicine swear by to this day. Not only that, but the definition of a crystal generally doesn’t make sense when you think about it. 

The most often used gems are semi-precious ones like crystals, quartz, and opals. But here’s the problem with that – the definition was made after diamond prices got artificially inflated in the 20th century.

Related Read: Diamond Vs. Quartz: ​Comparison Guide

The only reason why we think that diamonds aren’t “crystals” is because we had a hundred years of people telling us that they’re special. But here’s the not-so-special truth:

Diamonds are nothing more than a bunch of carbon atoms packed together into a crystallized formation. Sure, they’re hard to scratch, but they shatter easily, just like all the other gems.

So, while we really don’t want to knock the wind out of anybody’s sails, the claims of diamonds bringing bad luck or energy are as believable as opal bringing good luck and energy. 

If you believe in one, you’ll probably believe in the other. But hey, if these practices help you in any way, more power to you. 

Don’t expect too much change if you’re having a couple of bad days and then decide to get rid of dome diamonds you own, though. Heck, maybe it will give you good luck instead of bad; it won’t hurt your aura to try. 

But we’ll tell you one thing, though: If you try to resell a diamond, you might start feeling even more unlucky – these shiny stones aren’t as good of an investment as people think they are! 

How Does This All Affect You?

Whether or not diamonds bring good or bad luck kind of depends on how superstitious you are and what you believe in. There are no rules for what people should believe in, of course – and sometimes these beliefs can help people get through a bad period in their lives. 

So, how does this affect you, the owner of diamonds? 

Well, it depends on what you want to do with it. If you just have diamonds that you like and you don’t believe in good or bad luck, none of this will affect you whatsoever. 

But if you feel that your gem is negatively affecting your life, we guess it’s time to look into some of these myths and legends more seriously.

Related Read: Side Effects Of Wearing Diamond

Final Words

So, there you have it! Can diamonds be unlucky turned out to be a pretty fascinating discussion, huh?

Of course, the idea that diamonds would bring you good or bad luck isn’t supported by any kind of scientific evidence. But then again, these kinds of beliefs usually don’t even need evidence. 

The proof is usually based on a personal belief and experience, and that kind of thing doesn’t need any confirmation. People sometimes believe what they believe – and that’s it.

If you feel that your diamond is giving you some bad vibes, sell the darn thing! Get yourself an opal or some other gemstone. If the rumors are true, it might even bring your luck around – and who wouldn’t want some good fortune in their life?

Learn More: Who Should Not Wear Diamonds?