It’s always fun to hear what famous people of yesteryear (and yesterday) have to say about jewelry. You’ll see that people have felt the same way about adornment for quite some time:
I have always felt a gift diamond shines so much better than one you buy for yourself. ~Mae West
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond. ~Mae West
No gold-digging for me; I take diamonds! We may be off the gold standard someday. ~Mae West
There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or of fire quickened by oil. ~Pliny, on the opal
There are worlds in an opal. ~Astrid Alauda
Perhaps time's definition of coal is the diamond. ~Kahlil Gibran
The earth is like a beautiful bride who needs no manmade jewels to heighten her loveliness. ~Kahlil Gibran
Let us not be too particular. It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all. ~Mark Twain
There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self. ~Benjamin Franklin