gems, diamond, Roman diamond, ancient jewelry

Archaeological excavations in the 1990s at Vallerano, on the southern outskirts of Rome, uncovered a Roman-era cemetery that included the tomb of a young woman believed to be of Syrian origin. Among the many everyday items and jewels buried with her was a gold and diamond ring. The diamond was analyzed using portable gemological and spectroscopic instruments, and infrared spectroscopy identified it as a type Ia diamond, showing evidence of both B aggregates and probable A aggregates.