July 15, 2026. Here is the full clue ladder for this puzzle, gentlest first. Each rung is worth fewer points, so open only what you need. The answer stays hidden until you click.
I am among the oldest things you will ever hold, formed more than a billion years before the dinosaurs.
Ancient volcanoes are the elevators that carried me from far underground up to where people could find me.
Most of me is too rough and flawed to wear, so I am crushed into grit that cuts almost anything.
In a lab I can now be grown from a seed in weeks, identical to one that took a billion years.
Set atop the band that seals a promise, I catch the light and throw it back in cold, brilliant fire.
7 letters, starts with “D”.