India, Feb. 21 -- Tiffany & Co. and De Beers - you may know the names of these Western companies due to their undisputed hold on the global diamond industry for centuries.

However, what may startle you is India's deep-rooted tryst with diamonds that dates back to the 5th century BC. You may as well find their mention in ancient Sanskrit texts and manuscripts written between 320 and 296 BC.

The nation was the primary source of diamonds for the world until the late 1720s when Brazil discovered the vanity rock on its turf. Despite the rise of new diamond-producing nations, India's role in diamond export has always been extraordinary. Notably, we have given this world some of the rarest diamonds on Earth - the Pink Agra Diamond, The Kohinoo...