New Delhi, March 24 -- Across cultures and centuries, the natural diamond has served as a marker for life's most meaningful milestones. Its appeal runs deeper than just sparkle; it is a symbol, an affection that transcends surface value.

Consider its origins: a diamond is a billion years in the making. That longevity speaks to a fundamental human desire-the longing to forge things that endure: a marriage, a family, a lasting legacy.

And yet, in a world hyper-focused on financial metrics, we often default to judging this billion-year relic as we would a modern financial product. We benchmark it against gold, mutual funds, or other market-linked assets. To be sure, natural diamond prices have demonstrated remarkable resilience, growing at...