Diamonds have long been a source of fascination and have earned a permanent association with love, romance and even glamour.The hardest substance known, the word diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning “unconquerable.” A transparent gem made of carbon, diamonds began to form very early in earth’s history when the condensation of solid matter became our planet.
The center of the earth was subjected to extreme pressure and temperatures and these unique conditions caused deposits of carbon to crystallize deep in the earth. As magma far beneath the earth’s surface began to rise to the surface, it brought with it the carbon diamonds that had been formed. These “pipes” that carried hot magma to the surface, eventually cooled, forming diamond infused rock.
While most diamonds are found below the earth’s surface by open-pit mining, some diamonds are transferred to other areas from surface erosion and weathering. Some diamonds are found in “alluvial” areas where they have been washed away by rivers and streams – far from their original locations.
Although diamonds are the hardest substance known, they are not indestructible. The diamond is thousands of times stronger than the next hardest substance of corundum. This element is present in precious gems such as rubies and sapphires, and these gemstones are considered close favorites to diamonds.
Given the strength of their chemical makeup, diamonds will maintain their sharp edges and corners when most other stones will suffer chips and breaks. However, a diamond’s structure does contain soft spots. A sufficient force in the weakest part of a diamond will chip, crack, or even shatter a diamond.
The first diamonds were discovered as far back as 3000 to 6000 years ago in India, although effective mining methods were not developed until the early 20th century. Today, there are diamond mines all over the world including Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, India, Russia, Australia, and North America.
Africa provides the largest percentage of the world’s rough diamonds at approximately 49 percent, while Australia provides the market with up to 95 percent of the world’s pink diamonds. India, Borneo and Brazil originally provided the rough diamonds for the market, but as demand surpassed supply other countries were surveyed.
It was in the mid-19th century when the discovery of diamonds around the Orange River in South Africa, sparked the largest diamond rush in history. Further exploration for viable diamond resources continued and in 1979, the Argyle pipe was located in northwest region of Australia.
Since the Argyle discovery, this region now supplies about one-third of the world’s diamonds. The diamonds mined from Argyle are especially unique and come in a wide range of colors including soft pink, raspberry pink, rich cognac, champagne and white.
Australia and South Africa continue to provide the market with large concentrations of diamonds, while the Siberian region provides the remaining largest concentration of the world’s diamonds. Although mining the Siberian region has proven to be challenging given the harsh conditions and permanent ground freeze, mining efforts have been greatly improved.
Other areas around the world operate diamond mines, but produces much smaller quantities as compared to the three major resources mentioned above. North America has numerous resources of diamonds but has engaged in strict mining regulations limiting or banning such processes.
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