Ooooooooh – pretty! Well, pretty if polished and cut. Polished and cut facts coming right up!
- Diamond is one of the rarest and prettiest stones in the world.
- Diamonds are made from carbon.
- Diamond is the hardest natural material ever discovered. The hardness results from the strong carbon atom arrangement.
- Originally, the main diamond producers were India, Africa and Brazil but currently, Australia and Russia have the greatest supplies and mine more diamonds than any other country in the world.
- Diamond is normally found in rivers or in a type of rock called kimberlite.
Polished, Cut Diamond
Image courtesy of Anusorn P Nachol/ Free Digital Photos
- Diamonds are bought and sold using a measurement called carats, which is equal to 0.2 grams.
- Before kimberlite was discovered, diamond was often dug out from the sand.
- Now people use x-rays to separate diamond from kimberlite rock.
- 75%-80% of people’s engagement rings contain a diamond.
- Nearly 80% of the diamonds that are mined are used for tools or other equipment since they are not suitable to be used as gemstones.
Bibliography:
Diamond 12 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond>
Herbert, S 1980, Diamonds, Wayland Publishers Limited, England
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