5 Things You Must Know About Diamonds

Diamonds are famous because they are shiny, sparkly, and super expensive. The diamond is a symbol of love and affection. It is also the hardest known substance in the world. With all that beauty and durability, it’s no wonder why they are so coveted.

Diamonds are the most popular jewellery stone in the world due to their visual appearance, hard crystalline structure, and high value. But what is not as obvious is their history. Have you ever been puzzled about how diamonds are formed? Here are five (5) more fun facts you may not know about diamonds.

Diamonds are over a billion times old

A diamond is more than a billion years old and has been around since the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. In fact, the oldest diamonds are more than three billion years old – that’s older than any dinosaur, even T-Rex!

Diamonds are one of the hardest and toughest natural substances on Earth

Diamond has a molecular structure making them one of the hardest substances on Earth. With that, diamonds can only be shaped and cut with another diamond. Diamond cutters have an edge made of diamond dust. Diamonds are formed from carbon-containing substances under extremely high pressure, and temperature conditions that exist only about 100 miles below the Earth’s surface, where the molten rock is present is called magma.

Diamonds are formed with just one component: carbon

Diamonds are made from 100% carbon atoms arranged in a cubic (isometric) crystal structure called “cubic diamond” or “isometric diamond”. This makes them extremely hard and incredibly brilliant.

A Diamond Loses Almost 50% Carat Weight After Being Cut and Polished 

The cutting and polishing of a diamond are what transforms the rough stone into a masterpiece. It is rare for a loose diamond to retain its original rough carat weight during this process. A diamond loses almost 50% of its original carat weight after being cut and polished into different brilliant diamond shapes that we know today.

Diamonds in our Space

Scientists have discovered that there are diamonds in space. The discovery came about after scientists observed the white dwarf stars, essentially the dimly glowing core of a dead star. When a star dies, and its inner core is exposed, it cools down to form what is known as a white dwarf. Scientists had long assumed that these stars’ cores were made up of pure carbon and oxygen, but this latest discovery revealed that each of these white dwarfs has a diamond core. The largest of them all was calculated to weigh 2.27 thousand trillion tons and hold around 10 billion carats in weight. That’s one huge diamond!

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It’s important that you learn a lot of information about diamonds before you buy them. And a great way to start is by consulting with a professional jeweller at your local jewellery store like Diamond mart Aside from the fact that they have a lot of detailed information about diamonds, they also have the necessary skills to evaluate the diamonds you are eyeing to purchase.