Diamonds, formed deep within the earth, are the world’s hardest substance. They are created more than a hundred miles below the crust of the earth thanks to the great pressures that exist there.They are brought to the surface with volcanic eruptions. The diamonds that people find and mine are hundreds of millions, and in some cases billions, of years old. This is a lot of history to be sitting on someone’s finger or sitting in a locked vault somewhere, but that is just what happened to a great many of the world’s diamonds.
Some of the world’s largest and most famous diamonds, such as the Hope Diamond that resides in the Smithsonian Institute, are on display for the world to see. Others, such as the 101 carat diamond that was recently sold at an auction in Hong Kong, are kept in private collections and are only brought out when they are resold.
Diamonds are used for a variety of purposes, most of which actually have nothing to do with collecting or jewelry. They affect everyone in their daily lives. In fact, more people in the world can’t get through at day without either seeing or somehow interacting with a diamond or a piece of equipment that contains diamonds.
Diamonds in Industry
Of all of the diamonds found in the world, only about twenty percent or so are used in the jewelry business, which may be surprising to some people. The remaining eighty percent, as well as synthetically formed diamonds, are used in different industries. Four times the amount of the mined diamonds are created in labs to help supplement the industry. This equates to about 1500 or more metric tons of diamonds are created each year in laboratories. As technologies advance, these synthetic diamonds are becoming more and more like the real thing.
As the hardest substance known to mankind, diamonds can be used to polish, grind, and cut most other materials, including metal, stones, and ceramics. It is used in blades for cutting as well as microchips that are in the computers that you use everyday. Even the needled on some record players were made with diamond tips.
Because diamonds have such a long life, they far outweigh the cost of buying diamond tipped drills, saws, and other equipment.
Diamonds are even being used in the Hadron Collider, a device being used by scientists to study the smallest particles in existence, particles that they didn’t even know existed until fairly recently.
Diamonds as Jewelry
Of course, the most popular use of the diamond in many peoples’ minds is for jewelry. Most engagement rings have diamonds, and Valentine’s Day just wouldn’t be the same without the precious little stones!
If you are looking for a diamond for that special someone, it can be very tricky, especially if you don’t know their tastes. You need to know a bit about the 4 Cs – cut, color, clarity, and carat.
A diamond comes in many different colors, from the clear that most people conjure in the mind’s eye to blue, yellow, green and pink. Just because their favorite color is blue doesn’t mean that they want a blue diamond. Hint around or flat out ask the color of diamond they like. Color can make a difference in the price of the diamond.
Knowing the color is only a small portion of the battle. You also need to know the different kinds of cuts that a diamond can come in, and which one the recipient will prefer. Does a heart shape, a princess cut, or an oval shaped diamond work better for your situation? Knowing this well in advance will save you time, money, and a lot of frustration.
The clarity of diamond, as well as the cut, can affect the price of a diamond greatly. The clearer the diamond and the larger the cut, the higher the price of the diamond will be in most instances. It pays to learn a bit about these so that you know what the jeweler is talking about when you are looking at diamonds.
If you want, you may even wish to buy a loose diamond and then let the recipient choose the metal for their ring. This can be a lifesaver if you don’t know whether they prefer gold, silver, platinum or some other type of precious metal.
As always, you want the one you love to be happy. This may even mean letting them pick out the diamond themselves. This ensures that they get exactly what they want, and that makes everyone happy.
From uses in industries as varied as computers and drilling to the symbol of romance that the stone has become, it is fair to say that the world wouldn’t be the same without diamonds.
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