Posted by Charles Bruns on September 19, 2002
I believe you may be mistaken
in your explanation.I believe it relates to the making of mead. Originally, the
honeycombs were washed after the initial recovery of liquid honey and the resulting
honey/water mixture was fermented. The hishest quality mead came from the first
washing, or first water, with subsequent washings producing an inferior brew.
The
phrase "of the FIRST water" would seem to have little to do with diamond quality