Diamond has astonishing optical characteristics because of its rigid lattice. However, it can be contaminated by impurities such as Boron and Nitrogen. Diamond is known for its clarity, colorless appearance, and wide transparency. Diamond has a relatively high optical dispersion or the ability to disperse light of different colors which results in its characteristics luster. Excellent optical and mechanical properties, combined with efficient marketing, make diamond the most popular gemstone.
Diamond is less stable than graphite. However the conversion rate from the diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions. Diamond is renowned as a material with superlative physical qualities, most of which originate from the strong covalent bonding between its atoms. It has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material. Those properties determine the major industrial application of diamond in cutting and polishing tools.
Where do these diamonds originate?
Diamonds usually originate from New England area in New South Wales, Australia. These diamonds are somewhat small, and their hardness is often associated with the crystal growth form.
Diamonds are excavated from the earth level through four main types on mining. These diamond withdrawal methods vary depending on how the minerals are situated within the earth.
The standard methods of mining for diamonds are:
1. Hard Rock Mining - refers to a variety of techniques used to mine precious stones & gems, minerals.
2. Marine Mining - methods to take out diamonds from offshore placer deposits.
3. Open Pit Mining - a technique of extracting rock or minerals from the ground by taking away from an open pit or hole.
4. Placer Mining - utilized for hauling diamonds and minerals from alluvial derived deposits. Placer Mining is a variety of open-pit or open-cast mining utilized to haul out minerals from the surface of the earth devoid of the usage of tunneling.
Did you know that…
There’s a park in the United States where diamonds are immensely produced. It opens throughout the year except for New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Exciting thing is that the diamonds you find are yours to keep. How does that sound to you? Then the park staff provides free identification and certification of diamonds. The first diamond was found in this place in 1906 by John Huddleston, the farmer who owned the property that time.
Hardness
Among the minerals, diamond has the hardest natural material known. It hardness is defined as resistance to scratching and is graded between 1, the softest, to 10, the hardest using the Mohs Scale. The hardness of the diamond has been known since antiquity, and is the source of its name. The hardness of this gem depends on its purity. One can scratch the hardest diamonds using any kind of materials, for instance, boron nitride. Moreover, the hardness of diamond contributes to its suitability as a gemstone because it can only be scratched by other diamonds. It is also well-suited to daily wear because of its resistance to scratching, so it is the preferred gem for wedding rings.
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