Diamond Watches

Many people would probably not think that diamonds and watches go well together. Diamonds are usually known and used for luxury purposes while watches are functional pieces of equipment.

Diamonds are definitely more scarce than watches. They have been cherished as treasures since antiquity, which is a far longer time than the watch, whose development came much later. The combination of the two, the diamond watch, is an even more recent creation but one that seems enduringly popular.

The history of diamonds begins in India, where they were first mined and used in religious ceremonies. In time, civilizations grew to treasure these gemstones for their adornment purposes. South African civilizations also found and used diamonds to adorn their temples and make jewelry for the nobility.

In addition, they also served some more functional uses, such as cutting and engraving. The medical profession has used diamonds in their cutting equipment, like scalpels. Today, diamonds are still one of the most valued gemstones for jewelry while some eighty percent of mined diamonds are confined to industrial purposes.

Diamonds in watches serve mostly adornment purposes. Watches with gemstones built into them are prettier to look at and are therefore prized highly by consumers. Being very scarce, these also gemstones add greatly to the value of the timepiece. Since the value of diamonds has held up well, buying diamond watches also serve as an investment. These aspects are what draw socialites as well as businessmen to purchase them.

While diamonds are foremost on the minds of consumers today when they think of precious stones, diamonds were not actually the first gemstone to be put into watches. Rubies were used first. Also, diamond watches were not really popular until the late 19th century. Prior to this time, portable timepieces were mostly pocket watches, which were already costly by themselves.

The design of diamond watches were different before. The first design was actually a diamond bracelet with a timepiece attached to it. The watch of Queen Elizabeth was like this. At first, wrist watches confined to use for females only, but during WWI, pilots had to use them in order to track time and estimate fuel use. This led to the acceptance of wrist watches among both sexes and paved the way for the development of diamond watches.

As wrist watches steadily became fashionable, diamond jewelry also became popular. Watchmakers started adding diamonds into timepieces, making them functional devices as well as potential engagement presents for men and women. Three companies have stood out with their watch design. These are Cartier of France, Citizen of Japan, and Movado of Switzerland.

Within the recent trend of combining elegance and luxury with functionality, the diamond watch is a top notch design that holds appeal for a lot of people. Many have taken to wearing these as part of their formal get up. These have also proven excellent gifts for special occasions. What stands out about the design is the high class it evokes and the durability of their construction. This guarantees that the popularity and the value of these timepieces will endure.