Diamonds are one of humanity's favorite gemstones, and their beauty, rarity, and hardness make them a symbol of love and wealth. But did you know that diamonds have a lot of interesting trivia that you probably don't know. Today, I'm going to reveal the little secrets of these diamonds for you, so that you can have a deeper understanding of this amazing mineral.
Diamonds are made up of a single element, carbon, and the chemical formula is c. Natural diamonds are almost pure carbon (99 percent carbon).95%), the remaining 005% may contain some trace elements, such as nitrogen, boron, etc. Diamonds are formed by the close arrangement of carbon atoms in tetrahedral forms under high temperature and high pressure conditions in the depths of the earth. This structure makes diamond one of the hardest substances in nature.
Although diamonds are very hard, they are not indestructible. In fact, diamonds can burn as long as the temperature is high enough. For a diamond to burn, it must be heated to between 850-1000 degrees Celsius. This temperature can be reached in a house fire or in a jeweler's torch. Once a diamond is burned, it turns into carbon dioxide gas and disappears without a trace.
We usually think of diamonds as colorless and transparent, but in reality, diamonds come in a variety of colors, from white to black, yellow to red, blue to green, you name it. The color of a diamond is due to the fact that it is affected by different elements and radiation during its formation. For example, yellow diamonds are due to nitrogen, blue diamonds are due to boron, and red diamonds are due to intense stress. A diamond's color is an important characteristic of it and an important factor in its value. In general, the rarer the color, the more expensive the diamond.
The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. The word carat comes from the Greek word keration, which means carob tree. The seeds of the carob tree were used in ancient times as the standard weight for gemstones because their weight was relatively stable. However, since there would still be some differences in the weight of the seeds, in 1913, the weight of the carat was prescribed as metric, and one metric carat was equivalent to 02 g or 0007 oz.
Natural diamonds are very old, and they may have formed before the dinosaurs. Diamonds are difficult to determine when they were formed, as they may have been growing underground for millions, or even billions of years. Some diamonds may even come from ancient stars that crystallized carbon after being in the universe.
Diamonds were brought to the surface by volcanoes, not excavated by humans. Diamonds are formed in the Earth's upper mantle, at a depth of about 150-200 kilometers below the surface. For a diamond to reach the surface from that deep, a special type of volcano called kimberlite volcanoes is needed. The eruptions of this volcano are so violent that they can eject diamonds to the surface along with other rocks, forming a type of rock called kimberlite. Kimberlite is the main source of diamonds and the main target of diamond mining.
Diamonds are found all over the world, from Asia to Africa, from Europe to the Americas, and there is hardly a continent that is not found without diamonds. The first place where diamonds were found was in India, around 300 BC. Diamonds are used in India as religious and decorative items, and also as tools for carving other gemstones. Later, diamonds were brought to Europe and became treasures for royalty and nobility.
In the 18th century, as diamond production declined in India, people began to look for diamonds in other places, such as Brazil, Russia, Canada, etc. However, the greatest diamond discoveries were made in Africa, particularly South Africa, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There, the world's largest diamond mine was discovered, as well as some of the most famous diamonds, such as the Cullinan Diamond, the Blue Diamond of Hope, the Star of Africa, and many more.
Now, the production and quality of diamonds vary from country to country, but in general, Russia is the world's largest diamond producer, accounting for about 25% of global diamond production. It is followed by Australia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada, Angola, etc.
The Star of Africa diamond has many uses, not just as jewelry and accessories. Diamond's hardness and abrasion resistance make it an ideal material for industrial use to make tools for cutting, drilling, grinding, polishing, and more. Diamond's thermal and electrical conductivity also makes it suitable for the manufacture of high-end devices in electronics, optics, medical and other fields. Diamond's refractive index and dispersion also allow it to be used to make high-quality lenses, prisms, lasers, and more.
Diamonds can be synthetically synthetic, a great achievement achieved by scientists in the 20th century. There are two methods for synthetic diamonds, one is the high-temperature and high-pressure method, and the other is the chemical vapor deposition method. The high-temperature and high-pressure method mimics the diamond-forming process in nature, placing the carbon source in a high-temperature and high-pressure environment and allowing them to crystallize into diamonds. Chemical vapor deposition is the use of carbon atoms in a gas to grow diamonds on metallic or non-metallic surfaces at low temperatures.
The advantages of synthetic diamonds are that they can control the size, shape, color, purity, etc., and can also reduce the cost and environmental impact of the diamond. However, some in the jewelry industry will argue that synthetic diamonds lack the uniqueness and historicity of natural diamonds, and may also cause confusion and fraud in the market.
Diamonds can conduct heat because their atomic structure is very tight and ordered, allowing heat energy to transfer quickly within the diamond. Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of all substances, it is 5 times more thermally conductive than copper and 4 times more thermally conductive than silver. This means that the diamond can quickly dissipate its own heat, keeping the surface cool. That's why diamonds give people an icy feeling.
Diamonds are a magical mineral that contains infinite charm and mystery. I hope you have learned more about diamonds through this article. If you like diamonds, you might as well find a diamond that belongs to you (of course, man-made diamonds will be much cheaper) and let it add a sparkle and happiness to your life.
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