Waking early, I went up to Monreale, the beautiful Norman cathedral on the hill above Palmero. As I stepped out onto the piazza, the cathedral stood triumphant. Before the doors opened, I walked up and down past the railings outside that were decorated with a series of circles with winged tips where the circles met. Imagining a flight of angels, my Volo d'Angelo was thought up. In my Volo d'Angelo jewels I set lapis lazuli, garnets and diamonds where the circles joined in necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

One of the most renowned and romantic stones of all, the diamond has a rich and sparkling history. A symbol of eternal love famed since ancient Greece, etymology denotes that the word diamond comes from the Greek 'Adamas' meaning unconquerable, and so it is, as the hardest of all gemstones.

The birthstone for April, these jewels are believed to increase energy, detoxify the body from impurities, and bring you inner courage. In shades varying from colourless, pale yellow to green, red, pink and blue, diamonds are found in lots of colours across South Africa, Australia, as well as Namibia, Russia and China. The most prized, pure diamonds are colourless and all are composed entirely of carbon.

They are graded by the 4 C's, carat weight, colour, clarity and cut. Diamonds are faceted to display a unique combination of this adamantine lustre and fire, displaying a higher degree of dispersion than any other natural colourless gemstone. A high degree of skill is required to ensure precision, proportion, and precise facet edges, as well as sharp scintillation. A popular cut is round brilliant, with 57 well-proportioned facets to show off the optical effects of brilliance and dispersion, but there are other cuts including square, pear, marquise and oval.