What Are Diamonds?

Have you ever wonder where diamonds come from or how diamonds are created? A diamond is the oldest thing you will ever own, a diamond is the symbol of love and is the purest gemstone. Diamonds are eternal and a diamond is Forever.

Diamonds are a mineral,Guest Posting a natural crystalline substance, the transparent form of pure carbon or nearly pure carbon. Diamonds have extraordinary qualities. Diamonds have a broad colour range, high refraction, high dispersion of fire, very low reactivity to chemicals, rarity, and of course, extreme hardness and durability. Diamonds are known as the “king of gems” they glitter, dazzle, and symbolize purity and strength.

A diamond is the oldest thing you will ever be able to own, probably about 3 billion years in age and two thirds the age of the Earth. A salt and pepper diamonds is a strategic and high-tech super material for our technological society. Diamond is the birth stone for the month of April.

A diamond is composed of the single element carbon, and it is the arrangement of the C atoms in the lattice that give a diamond its amazing properties. Both diamond and graphite are composed of just carbon. However a diamond is the hardest known material and graphite is one of the softest known materials, this was caused by a rearrangement of the way a diamonds atoms are bonded together. Diamond carbon atoms are linked in a regular three-dimensional lattice with a repeating or crystalline pattern.

Diamond belongs to the cubic, or ‘isometric’ crystal system. The most commonly seen crystal structures or arrangements are: – Octahedron (8 faces) – Cube (6 faces) – Dodecahedron (12 faces)

A diamond is the ultimate gemstone, having few weaknesses and many strengths. It is well known that diamonds are the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that diamonds are four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum – sapphires and rubies.

Natural diamonds are formed deep within the Earth’s mantle layer from the element carbon, about 180km below the surface, where high temperatures and pressures exist. Some diamonds form at depths of 300-400 kilometres, or even deeper, but these diamonds are particularly rare.

The earths mantel is made up of molten rock, metals and other materials. The temperature is very high at this depth – between 1100 degC and 1400 degC. The high pressures needed to form diamonds are produced by the weight of 180 km of rocks pressing down. Besides carbon, there are very small amounts of other substances, such as nitrogen and sulfur that can become trapped in the crystal when it is formed in the mantel. These impurities can give color to the diamond. One of the most rare is pink diamonds. Natural diamonds are classified by the type and level of impurities found within them.

Due to its unique internal structure and powers of light reflection, when cut to proper proportions, diamonds gather light within itself and then sends it back in a shower of fire and brilliance. The ‘life’ of a polished diamond is regarded as the amount of light that is reflected back to the viewer. The term ‘life’ is also referred to as ‘brilliance’. If the diamond is cut with good proportions then the brilliance will be increased. Lustre refers to the surface gloss on a polished diamond. Fire the play of colours that can be seen from the crown of a polished diamond. As light enters the diamond it is refracted and broken up into the colours of the spectrum and reflected back. The resulting rainbow-like colour flashes are called ‘fire’.

The hardness of diamond is an important property. As an industrial tool it has many uses and modern industry is highly dependent upon it. As a gemstone, it is resistant to scratching and abrasion, which ensures that a finished gem will retain its brilliance and polish. Because of its hardness and the unique way in which it is manufactured, a diamond polishes very slowly. It forms an unusually flat, finely-polished ‘adamantine’ surface, with very sharp, straight edges between facets. No other gemstone can match a diamonds standard of polish.

Diamond has the highest coefficient of thermal conductivity of any other known substance because of their closely-packed crystal structure which is able to conduct heat very quickly. The thermal conductivity of diamond is five times higher than that of copper. This explains why a diamond feels cold to the touch when first picked up but quickly becomes warm from the heat of your fingers.