Diamond

Diamond

Properties

  • Mineral: Diamond
  • Chemistry: C
  • Colour: Colorless
  • Refractive Index: 2.42
  • Birefringence: None
  • Specific Gravity: 3.52 (+/-0.01)
  • Mohs Hardness: 10

About Diamond

Undisputedly the most well-known gemstone in the world, diamonds are actually made from the same material as the tips of pencils. A material called carbon. The difference is the formation process. Diamonds form under high temperature and pressure about 200 kilometres beneath the earth’s surface. The extreme conditions in the earth’s mantle forces the diamond’s carbon atoms to bond in the same way in all directions in a structure that makes diamonds the hardest mineral in the world. The formation process of diamonds occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years. Diamonds are then brought close to the Earth’s surface through deep violent volcanic eruptions by magma, which cools into igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites.

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History

The history of diamonds began in India. Diamonds were discovered from the country’s rivers and streams. There’s evidence that India was trading in diamonds as early as the fourth century BC. By the 1400s, Indian diamonds were becoming fashionable accessories for Europe’s elite. By the early 1700s, India’s diamond supplies began to decline. Diamonds then emerged from the rivers of Brazil. Brazil dominated the diamond market for more than 150 years. In the late 1800s explorers unearthed the first great South African diamond deposits in the late 1800s which are still producing diamonds to this present day.

Sources

South Africa has remained the major source for diamonds since the late 1800s however other mines have since been discovered. Diamonds are also mined from Russia, Congo, Botswana, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Tanzania, Angola, Namibia, Australia and Canada.

Quality

A diamond’s quality are graded using the 4Cs which are carat, colour, clarity and cut of a diamond.

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