The giving of greeting cards dates back to ancient China as well as ancient Egypt. The Chinese used to exchange cards on the New Year whilst the Egyptians used to convey greetings to each other using papyrus scrolls. It was in India that the first references to diamonds came from and these references were in Sanskrit texts like the Arthashastra of Kautilya which discussed the gemstone trade in detail. These early references to diamonds refer to them as adornments or ornaments but do not mention using them as cutting tools, something which they are also used for. In Europe greeting cards have been used to as a means to convey greetings since the early 15th Century and the Germans were printing New Year's cards using woodcuts from at least 1400. Although they were originally quite expensive, by the middle of the 19th Century they were affordable to all due to technological advances and reduced postage rates. The technological advances in question were those that occurred in regards to mechanization and printing and the reduced postage rates were largely attributable to the introduction of postage stamps. Although gemstones like the 365 Diamond were originally only seen as being of importance for their aesthetic qualities it was not long before they began to be used for their physical properties, particularly their ability to scratch other metals and this development occurred somewhere between the 3rd and 4th Century BC and the south-central Indian city of Golconda was an important trading centre for these gemstones.
For quite some time India remained the only major source of the gemstones from which diamond eternity rings could be crafted until they were discovered in Brazil. These gemstones were traded to both the east and west of India and reached Rome and although there were later discoveries in Borneo in 700AD these were not substantial enough to warrant as much attention as the Indian gemstone trade. Christmas cards began to appear in 1843 when Sir Henry Cole enlisted the talents of John Calcott Horsely to design a greeting card that he could send to his acquaintances, colleagues and friends. The idea was immensely popular and in the 1860s companies began mass producing Christmas cards. High quality gemstones like those from which gorgeous jewelry like diamond stud earrings could be created were discovered in Brazil in 1725 and South Africa in 1867. These discoveries were largely attributable to the fact that India's diamond resources had finally been depleted after many centuries of intensive gemstone mining. Further technological developments like colour lithography made the printing of cards even cheaper and in the 1940s and 1950s humorous greetings cards began to appear and are still popular to this day. Large companies like Hallmark Cards, a company that is still a leader in cards, began to appear in the early 20th Century and quickly cornered the market with their popular designs and quickly standardized the style of cards to such an extent that many other companies could not compete with the Hallmark look.
Although India's gemstone resources were depleted quite some time ago, it still remains an integral part of the gemstone trade. Antwerp in Belgium may be the diamond centre of the world, over 92% of the world's diamonds, but the gemstones used in many Engagement rings princess cut, are still cut and polished in India, mostly in Surat. The First and Second World Wars brought cards with patriotic greetings and themes and many of these are collector's items today. E-cards are the latest additions to the world of greeting cards and the big names in the business like the Hallmark, were quick to corner their share of the market. E-cards aren't only popular because they are easy to send, usually via email, but they are also increasing in popularity because they are seen to be environmentally friendly, something which many are placing much importance upon. Something else that's made e-cards popular is that they are much more versatile than standard greeting cards due them being of a digital nature. Many e-cards feature moving images, sounds or music and can even be quite long in length. The Diamond Quarter in Antwerp has over 380 workshops and employ over 12000 cutters, highly skilled workers who serve over 1500 firms and over 3500 brokers. Last century synthetic diamonds were created but have not proved to be as popular as their naturally occurring counterparts and steps have been taken within the industry to ensure that a distinction between the two is made when they're sold.
Precious gemstones continue to be popular today and nowhere is this more apparent than in regards to the amount of retailers who both advertise and conduct business online. Engagement rings diamond set shoulder are highly sought after as are wedding bands, made of white or yellow gold, silver or platinum. Although e-cards appeal to many people, they will never make greeting cards obsolete as there is a particular feeling that only comes with receiving a greeting card in the mail. There are many card manufacturing companies besides the well known ones like Hallmark and these smaller companies usually design more unique cards than those of the more established companies. Gemstones are weighed in carats with each carat being 200 milligrams but there are many other factors that will come into play when pricing a gem besides the weight. When looking at purchasing gems and jewelry be sure to not only take into consideration the carat, but also the cut of the gem, the precious metal that forms the bracelet, earrings, necklace or ring as well as the workmanship that's gone into it. Official Christmas cards are also available and have steadily increased in popularity since their advent in 1840. The first official cards began with Queen Victoria and in 1953 the Americans got in on the act with White House cards. The range of cards available nowadays is enormous and many are easily ordered online so finding the perfect card has never been as easy as what it is now.