In which country were diamonds first gathered from the country's rivers and streams?

The world's love of diamonds had its start in India, where diamonds were gathered from the country's rivers and streams. Some historians estimate that India was trading in diamonds as early as the 4th century BC.

The country's resources yielded limited quantities for an equally limited market- India's very wealthy classes. Gradually though, this changed as Indian diamonds found their way along with other exotic merchandise to Western Europe in caravans that traveled to Venice's medieval markets. By the 1400s, diamonds were becoming fashionable accessories for Europe's elite.

In the early 1700s, as India's diamond supplies began to decline, Brazil emerged as an important source. Diamonds were discovered in the pans of gold miners as they sifted through the gravels of local rivers. Once it reached its full potential, Brazil dominated the diamond market for more than 150 years.

The story of the modern diamond market really begins on the African continent, with the 1866 discovery of diamonds in Kimberley, South Africa. Entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes established De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited in 1888. By 1900, De Beers, through its mines in South Africa, controlled an estimated 90% of the world's production of rough diamonds.

Much has changed since then, but diamonds still flow from mines through cutting centers, and ultimately to retail customers.