BBCnews is carrying this article on the discovery of the oldest known use of diamond in history. By examining highly polished paleolithic jade axes found in China, scientists have determined the only material capable of creating such a smooth surface was not quartz as originally thought, but diamond. Even then, modern techniques are not capable of achieving the finish found on these objects. At 4500 before present (bp), they are a full two thousand years older than the previous known use of diamond, in India around 500 B.C.