Did Ian Fleming choose the emblematic moniker 007 for his character James Bond, knowing its relation to diamonds?

Years ago, watching a History Channel program about diamonds, I learned that .007 ounces=1 carat. The fictional secret agent may not have been named with diamonds in mind, yet the stories Ian Fleming wrote and the character he created highlight Bond’s value to MI6 (British foreign intelligence).

The Value of Diamonds

“Diamond Cutting: How It’s Made” aired on The History Channel (cir. 2007).

The maximum value of diamonds depends on Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat. Cut is considered the most important of the ”Four C’s.”

Diamonds are rare crystals, the hardest substance on earth. Superb cut manipulates light, maximizes its brilliance, enhances beauty, and increases a diamond’s value.

The challenge for the diamond cutter is to cut biggest diamond from the rough stone without cutting away value.

1. Cutting; the cutter’s loop has 10X magnification to determine best way to cut
2. Cutter must saw in direction of grain, secure diamond in holder. Only diamond can cut diamond. Diamond dust coats blade used to cut; can take up to four hours to cut in two
3. Polishing is part of the process of forming. Wheel coated with diamond dust removes marks left by the saw (this wheel looks like a record turntable)

Cutting forms facets. The flat sides of various shapes give a diamond its brilliance. Facets are designed to reflect light off each other. Each facet must be exactly the right size and shape and cut at the right angle in relation to other facets for maximum brilliance.

• Table facet is the flat top of a diamond. How the cutter proceeds depends on the size and condition of the stone . . . then come the pavilions, which are the angled facets at the bottom of diamond. If cut too deep or too shallow, light will leak out at bottom, making a diamond “dark in the center and dull overall.” The ideal slope is approximately 42 degrees. Special tools measure the angle.
• Crown facets circle the diamond, directly under the table.
• Girdle is the “faceted rim” that separates crown facets around top of the diamond from pavilions below.
• Weight is measured in carats.
• The quality of cut is the key factor in rating diamonds.
• Clarity––degree of imperfections in stone
• Color––finest is white=no color; rarest colors most valuable
• .007 ounces=1 carat
• Requires 3–4 hours to polish 1 carat diamond
• Diamonds are boiled in acid to remove debris when done

The most common cut is the brilliant cut, consisting of 58 facets. This cut dates back to the 1600s. [1]

How are people’s stories like diamonds?

Years ago, I heard a speaker compare people’s lives to diamonds as a way to illustrate that no matter how much you or I mess up in life, each of us is still before God a diamond in the rough. While sin, he said, diminishes the size of the diamond, the same principles of cutting and polishing would apply so that any life can still shine and reflect light.

That speaker drew parallels to life, arguing that every individual is like an uncut diamond, raw material shaped by choices made in life, whether good or bad or ugly. Bad decisions diminish brilliance. Good decisions maximize value and brilliance. Character gets shaped by choices.

An imperfect illustration, to be sure, but this made sense to me because God’s image (the imago Dei) applies uniquely to human beings.

Unrelated to that brief program I saw, this time last year, I listened to an interview on a podcast with two well-known speakers conversing about their perceived celebrity. They want people to know they have flaws. They are human and have made mistakes. No one claimed to be without sin.

What struck me is how they both admitted that other people see only ”an aspect” of who they are. Strangers and acquaintances form opinions of them based on public persona, impressions, and then augment what they think by considering their words.

This sounds true for how any of us decide who to like, who to trust, who to follow.

But it was their use of the word ”aspect” that made me look for my journal where I had written notes about the diamond’s facets. A diamond shines in the light but no one can focus on every facet at once. Only as the jewel turns in the light does this hardest of all stones reveal its intrinsic beauty.

To truly know someone, you and I will, over time, appreciate more aspects of their story and see how living the life they have lived has polished their character. Or perhaps, diminished their influence. But God knows the difference between real diamonds and fakes.

Eugene Peterson wrote that story is the form of the Bible, and the ”form is formative.” That means, God uses story to inform as well as form us, eyeing how he shapes our own story. Warts and all, the Bible tells the truth about people. The Bible shows as well as tells stories of success and failures because we can learn and be shaped by both.

Although our lives differ in size and shape and experiences, God places inestimable value on his creation. He knows you. He knows me.

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

Psalm 139:13–14, 17

The Master Diamond Cutter works to make aspects of His light shine through each of our lives for other people to see. Every believer operates as a secret agent for God.

[1] https://www.capetowndiamondmuseum.org/blog/2017/02/what-is-a-brilliant-cut-diamond/ for more information about the brilliant cut of diamonds