Diamonds are a shining testimony to the miracles of nature. Loved by women of all ages and opinions, diamond is one of the few things that most people agree on. If you are reading this article, you probably are one of those people who rarely pass up on an interesting read about diamonds. So, to satiate your hunger of knowledge on these sparkling beauties from the earth’s core, here is an assembly of information nuggets. Reading this article will help you know a little more about the world’s most precious gemstone.
- All of us know that diamonds occur deep in the earth’s core, but information on the exact layer is scant. Diamonds occur in the Mantle of the earth, which lies right beneath the earth crust. It is where the earth cooks diamonds in a broth of molten metal in high pressure conditions.
- As for the place of origin of diamonds, it is a hotly debated topic. While some believe that it was the continent of Africa, others think that the discovery happened in the Far East. Records state that the first diamond ever discovered was in India, and that is supported by the fact that India is the first country to begin trading these stones.
- When people talk about diamonds, the discussions automatically steer towards Africa, the homeland of the world’s most exquisite diamonds. There is no denying that Africa has given the world most of its prized diamonds, it is however, not in Africa that the world’s largest mine stands.The world’s biggest diamond mine is Russia.
- So when was the first diamond formed? No one really knows, but we have some pretty neat idea. The oldest fossil confirmed is 3.5 million years old. Next is diamonds, which according to studies were believed to begin to form about 1.3.3 billion years back. Pretty old, yeah!
- If you are interested in mining stories, you probably will be interested in the processes of mining too. Diamonds are mined in two ways, pit mining and alluvial mining. In pit mining, geologists spot out diamond pipelines and start extracting soil from the profitable areas. Alluvial mining is what is strictly done in the river banks which is where diamonds end up carried by water following a nearby volcanic eruption.
- The process of cutting a diamond is more elaborate than you know. It can be broadly divided into four stages, namely cleaving and sawing, bruiting, faceting and finally finishing.
