bristol diamonds
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Brilliant crystals of colourless quartz found in St. Vincent's Rock, Clifton, near Bristol.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bristol diamonds” mean?
Brilliant crystals of colourless quartz found in St. Vincent's Rock, Clifton, near Bristol.
Is “bristol diamonds” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.