What do you know about diamonds?

Diamonds have a wide variety of uses since they are the toughest substance to date on Earth. However, under normal circumstances they are not any good for conducting electricity unless they are of the rarer form type IIB. Diamonds can however be used to conduct heat.

The force of being buried under great pressure and heat is what causes carbon to form into diamonds. These are then pushed up to the surface in a rare type of magma called kimberlite and forced out from a diatreme or pipe type of volcanic vent.

Due to the tightly compacted atoms and electrons in the composition of a diamond, it has the ability to reduce the velocity of light that passes through it. This is what gives a diamond its unique lustre.

It was not until 1796 that people found out diamonds were a form of carbon, and it was over 150 years later that finally a method of synthesising diamonds was created.

Due to the toughness of a diamond, only a diamond can cut other diamonds. However, due to its tough nature, it has many industrial uses from cutting and polishing to grinding and is heavily used in the production of industrial rock drills. Although mainly used in the industrial sector, diamond is also a high-tech material that is beginning to be used more often in home electronics, appliances, and automobiles.

Diamonds are also very popular as jewellery as they portray a classic look in design. Diamond jewellery is used throughout all forms of celebration from weddings, engagements, anniversaries and even sometimes for awards ceremonies.

Due to the hardness of a diamond, jewellery containing diamonds is normally made from 18 carat gold as the setting needs to be of a certain hardness to hold the diamond.

The romantic tradition of giving diamond rings as tokens of love and commitment began in the 15th century when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring on their engagement. Since then diamonds are always projected as symbols of love, joy and romance. In fact all diamond jewelry is generally treasured as a symbol of Everlasting Love and Perfection. Diamonds are also a traditional and conspicuous signal of achievement, status and success.

Like gold, diamonds are measured by the carat. However, unlike gold, there are 3 other deciding factors on how much a diamond is worth. These factors are color, clarity and cut.

There are often impurities in diamonds that cause them to have a hint of color rather than being clear. These diamonds are generally less expensive than a clear diamond, however, depending on their cut may still demand a reasonable price. Cutting colored diamonds requires that the diamond is cut to enhance the color. In the case of a clear diamond, it can be cut with a deep cut, shallow cut or perfect length. This is the only human contribution that helps determine the price of the diamond.

Since a diamond displays what is called an 'adamantine' lustre it cannot be continually polished as it will cause it to lose its properties.

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