Lets learn about Diamonds starting with its History

Diamonds have been a source of fascination for centuries. The word "diamond" comes from the Greek word “Adamas”, meaning "Unconquerable". Diamond is a transparent gem made of carbon, which is one of the Earth's most common elements.

The diamond is the hardest known substance in the world. Billions of years ago, in a deep layer of the earth, a unique combination of chemicals, pressure and changes in temperature, created diamonds out of pure carbon.

The Diamond is uniquely resistant to damage by heat or scratching, and can be cut or polished only by another diamond. The diamond is thousands of times harder than corundum, the next hardest substance from which rubies and sapphires are formed. Even after many years of constant wear, diamonds will preserve their sharp edges and corners when most other stones will have become worn and chipped. However, many people expect a diamond to be unbreakable. This is not true. A diamond's crystal structure has "hard" and "soft" directions. A blow of sufficient force, in an exact direction, can crack, chip, split or even shatter a diamond.

Early History

The first recorded history of the diamond dates back some 3,000 years to India, where it is likely that diamonds were first valued for their ability to reflect light. In those early days, this stone was used in two ways, firstly for decorative purposes, and secondly as a talisman to ward off evil or provide protection in battle.

The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages more attention was paid to the worth of diamonds, rather than the mystical powers surrounding them. Due to the improved public awareness of the value of diamonds, mine owners perpetuated myths that diamonds were poisonous. This was to prevent the mineworkers from swallowing the diamonds in an attempt to smuggle them out of the mines.

The popularity of diamonds surged during the middle ages, with the discovery of many large and famous stones in India, such as the Koh-I-Noor and the Blue Hope. But when the Indian diamond supply dwindled, smaller finds occurred in Borneo and Brazil, but these were not sufficient to meet the ever-increasing demand for diamonds. The mid-nineteenth century discovery of diamonds near the Orange River in South Africa sparked the world's biggest diamond rush, and helped to satiate the world's increasing appetite for diamonds.

Recent Times

On October 2nd 1979, geologists found the Argyle pipe near Lake Argyle: the richest diamond deposit in the world. Since then, Argyle has become the world's largest volume producer of diamonds, and alone is responsible for producing over a third of the world's diamonds every year.

Currently, most diamonds are mined in the following countries: South Africa, Zaire, Russia, Canada, Australia, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, Brazil, Ghana, and China. The major cutting centers of the diamond world are in Antwerp, Bombay, Tel Aviv, and New York.

Diamond – The Symbol of Love

Now-a-days Diamond has become ‘The Symbol of Love’ through out the world. The tradition of giving diamonds as tokens of love and commitment began at the end of the 15th century when Austrian Archduke Maximilian gave a diamond ring to his fiancé. They chose to place the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand because legend held that this finger provided a direct link between tokens of love and the heart.

The diamond's strength and pure transparent beauty have always represented the purest emotions of human heart -- commitment and deep lasting love.

Fun Facts About Diamonds

The Diamond is the hardest natural substance found on the Earth and incredibly it is the only Gemstone made of just one element – Carbon. Read some more interesting facts about Diamonds…

Diamond is the hardest natural substance found on Earth.

Incredibly, diamond is the only gemstone made of just one element – carbon.

Most diamonds, found in nature, were formed 1 to 3 billion years ago due to extreme heat and pressure. These diamonds were formed 100 to 200 miles below the surface of Earth. Volcanic activity brings diamond crystals much closer to the earth's surface.

A rough diamond looks so much like a pebble that most people would pass it by without a second glance.

The Diamond is the most effective heat conducting material, which expands very little when subjected to high temperatures, unlike most other conducting materials.

In order to burn a diamond, it must be heated on more than a thousand degree Fahrenheit and it will simply vanish, without leaving ash. Only a little carbon dioxide will be released.

However, many people expect a diamond to be unbreakable. This is not true. A diamond's crystal structure has ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ directions. A blow of sufficient force, in an exact direction, can crack, chip, split or even shatter a diamond.

Diamonds were first mined in India over 2,800 years ago.

It is estimated that only 500 tons of diamonds have ever been mined in recorded history to date.

More than 250 tons of ore need to be blasted, crushed and processed to produce just one carat of rough diamond.

In one-thousand polished diamonds, only one will weigh more than one carat.

The largest Diamond ever found is the Cullinan with 3,106 carats.

On average, each stone will lose 50% of its original weight during cutting and polishing.

Diamonds come in a spectrum of colors. Colored diamonds are called “fancies”. Blue and pink diamonds are among the rarest whereas yellow and brown are among the most common.

80% of the world's diamonds are not suitable for Jewelry. These are used for the industrial purposes.

Diamonds are one of the world’s, and specifically Africa’s, major natural resources.

An estimated US$13 billion worth of rough diamonds are produced per year, of which approximately US$8.4 billion are from Africa (approximately 65%).

The diamond industry employs approximately ten million people around the world, both directly and indirectly, across a wide spectrum of roles from mining to retailing.

Global diamond jewelry sales continue to grow, increasing three-fold in the past 25 years, and are currently worth in excess of US$60 billion every year.

Australia accounts for producing the most diamonds in volume.

The most recent diamond discoveries were made in North America - in the Northwest Territories of Canada and in Colorado.

America buys more than half of the world’s total gem quality diamonds, accounting for the world’s largest diamond market.

The largest diamond ever found in the US was discovered in 1924 in The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas – the “Uncle Sam Diamond” that weights 40.23 carats.

The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas is the world’s only diamond mine open to the public and this is a dig-for-fee operation for tourists and rock enthusiasts. An average of 74,000 visitors comes to the park each year. About one out of 100 visitors find a diamond.

It is estimated that less than one percent of women will ever wear a diamond of one carat or more.

Follow the Journey of a Diamond

Everyone knows that diamonds are among the most precious items on earth. But not everyone realizes that journey of this stone is very long and difficult and lots of efforts are required to develop its beauty from a rough stone to a beautiful faceted gem.

Here is a brief recount of a diamond's incredible trip from Earth to the retail market.

A diamond's story begins deep in the earth - 100 to 200 miles below the surface. Approximately 3 billion years ago, these stones were formed as a result of unbelievable heat and pressure placed on carbon crystals.

Basically diamonds have two main uses: in Jewelry (due to their rarity and beautiful appearance) and in Industrial Applications (due to their unique molecular properties). In terms of quantity, about 30% of diamonds are of gem quality and are distributed to experts for cutting, polishing and jewelry production. The remaining 70% of diamonds are sold to industries for cutting, drilling, grinding and polishing in industrial applications.

Journey of a Diamond from the Earth to Retail contains several stages which are explained as under:

Exploration

Due to powerful volcanic activities, 'Pipes' are formed which are nothing but openings in the earth and through these pipes, some diamonds and other minerals such as kimberlite etc. are forced up to the surface whereas most of the diamonds which are forced up through the earth settled back into the kimberlite rocks in these pipes.

In this process, Diamond Prospectors explore the possibility of diamond existence deep below the Earth and normally search for kimberlite rocks by testing the ground for changes in magnetic fields.

Although diamonds are found in numerous exotic locations around the world, Australia, Botswana, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Russia and South Africa account for some 80% of the world's diamond supply.

Mining

Once kimberlite or diamonds are discovered after the process of exploration then mining operations are used, to extract these minerals.

In Mining operations following few methods are mainly used to extract diamonds:

Open Pit Mining - This is a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit. In other words, an open pit mine refers to an excavation or cut made at the surface of the ground for the purpose of extracting ore. Open pit mines are used when deposits of minerals are found near the surface or along kimberlite pipes.

Underground Mining - It refers to various techniques used to mine gems, minerals, and ore bodies by tunneling underground and creating underground "rooms" supported by timber pillars of standing rock.

Marine Mining - This is a method of excavation of diamonds from the seabed. Now-a-days due to enhancement in technology, marine mining has also become commercially viable.

Artisanal Mining - This is a non-industrial method of mining where individuals, families and communities are involved in mining by using the most basic equipment, such as sieves and pans.

After the extraction, the ore containing the rough diamonds goes through many stages of blasting, crushing and processing, including advanced x-ray techniques, to release the diamonds. It is estimated that it takes more than 250 tons of ore to produce just one carat of rough diamond. Over 120 million carats of rough diamonds are mined each year, out of which only about a quarter will be considered gem quality.

Sorting

Once the rough diamonds have been mined and processed, the next step is to sort, classify and value them. In this process of sorting, these rough diamonds are grouped, according to their size, shape, quality and color, in to thousands of categories.

Cutting & Polishing

The next step for the rough diamonds are cutting and polishing. This is a great skill, with meticulous techniques that have been practiced for ages. Gem quality diamonds are usually distributed to one of the main diamond cutting and trading centers in Antwerp, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, New York, Johannesburg, China or Thailand.

Although some of the polishing process is computerized, most of the work is still performed by hand. Firstly, the cutter uses cleaving, sawing or laser cutting to separate the original rough into smaller, more workable pieces. Then, the girdler uses a process called Bruting that grinds away the edges of stone and provides its outline shape. Faceting follows, usually in two steps. The first 18 facets (table, culet, bezel and pavilion of a stone) are cut and polished by the blocker. The brillianteer cuts and polishes the final 40 facets, including the star, upper girdle and lower girdle. Finally, the cut gem is boiled in acids to remove dust and oil.

Jewelry Manufacturing

Once polished, most diamonds are sold and traded in the 24 registered diamond bourses around the world. At this point, the polished diamonds are ready to be set into finished pieces of jewelry, which is the manufacturer's job. USA, India, China, Italy, Spain, Thailand and Turkey have established a reputation in jewelry manufacturing.

Retailing

Finally, diamond jewelry is either sold to a wholesaler, who works as a middleman to sell the goods to the retailer, or sold directly to the retailer. Lastly, retailers sell the diamond jewelry to the consumers.

The value of diamond jewelry sold each year exceeds US$60 billion, which includes the cost of the diamonds, precious metals and other gems. USA represents the largest market share (55%), followed by Japan (15%), Europe (10%), Asia Pacific (5%), Asia Arabic (5%) and other countries (10%). According to independent research, diamond jewelry is the most highly sought-after category of luxury goods, both by women for themselves and by men for gifts. The diamond industry employs approximately ten million people around the world, both directly and indirectly, across a wide spectrum of roles from mining to retailing.