From the Greek term "adamas" meaning unconquerable, the word diamond has always signified durability and superiority. Even before the science and art of cutting were developed, uncut diamonds have already been cherished by people from all walks of life.

Ancient royalty used uncut diamonds to reinforce their breastplates. As they still did not have the technology and the knowledge we now know, people of long ago wore them as is, without ever knowing the true beauty these diamonds possessed within.

Uncut diamonds can present challenges to gem artisans. The type of cut is only determined after a careful study of the uncut diamond's shape, plus its inclusions and where the flaws to be removed are located. They also need to determine which cut should preserve the uncut diamond's weight the most.

Another factor that gemologists need to consider is the popularity of a diamond's shape. There are certain diamond shapes that significantly raise or lower the value of a gem.

When the uncut diamond is in the shape of an octahedron, the preferred cut is a round brilliant. On the other hand, fancy cuts are used for uncut diamonds that are irregularly shaped. There is a significant loss of weight after an uncut diamond is shaped into a finished product. At times, the diamond's symmetry is sacrificed in order to eliminate inclusions found in the uncut diamond.

The largest uncut diamond ever discovered and authenticated is the Cullinan diamond, found by a Supt. Wells in the afternoon of January 26, 1905. He was making his regular inspection when he noticed something that reflected light in the shaft. He pried it out using a pocketknife and up until the time he had it analyzed, thought it was a practical joke played on him by the miners.

This uncut diamond had a weight of 1.5 pounds and was eventually split into 9 major pieces. Joseph Asscher was tasked to work on the uncut diamond and years later was honored with a diamond cut named after him - the "Asscher cut."

Recently, a massive 7,000-carat rock believed to be a diamond was discovered in South Africa. If authenticated, this faint green stone that's nearly the size of a coconut would become the largest uncut diamond ever to be discovered in all history.

Manufactured diamonds are preferred by many because of their affordability. Popular figures such as Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis and Princess Diana were known to alternately wear genuine diamonds and manufactured diamonds. This is because they occasionally have the desire to wear costume jewelry, and manufactured diamonds are perfect for this purpose.

This is because costume jewelry are often ornate and make use of massive stones, and it's highly impractical to use mined diamonds on such large chunky pieces.