Diamonds are formed from carbon that is held deep in the Earth under great pressure and heat. The altered carbon is then forced up to the surface from the mantle in a uniqe form of magma called kimberlite which erupts from diatreme and pipe volcanic vents.



The strongly bonded electrons and the compact arrangement of its atoms account for the remarkable reduction of the velocity of light through its mass thus giving a diamond its appeal.

It was not until 1796 that people found out diamonds were a form of carbon, and it was over 150 years later that finally a method of synthesising diamonds was created.

Since diamond is so hard that only a diamond can cut other diamonds, it has many uses in industry. Diamond is a fundamental industrial material that is used to cut, grind, and polish most hard substances and therefore is used mainly in the cutting heads of industrial rock drills. Diamond, however, is also a high-tech super material for our technological age and will be showing up in more and more products in the future, probably in your home electronics, appliances, and automobiles.

Diamonds are also one of the most popular stones used in jewellery. Jewellery made from diamond is deemed to be classic jewellery and is used from weddings, engagements, anniversaries, right down to celebrity award ceremonies.

Since gold needs to be of a certain hardness to set diamonds into, diamond jewellery is generally made from 18 carat gold.

Diamonds have been recognised as a symbol of love, joy and romance since the 15th Century. This all came from a romantic gesture by Archduke Maximilian of Austria giving Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring on their engagement. Since this time, all forms of diamond jewellery have been deemed to show everlasting love and affection. Diamonds are also used to portray great wealth, status and success and are worn to show this.

Although diamonds are measured by carat, unlike gold, this is not the main factor in deciding the cost of the diamond. Diamond prices can differ quite a lot based on color, clarity and cut.

Diamonds often contain other elements that can affect the color and those that are colorless are more valued than those that have color. Although how a diamond is cut is the only human contribution to a diamond's beauty it is one of the most important as it is responsible for its brilliance. Cutting colored diamonds is different from clear ones, because the ultimate goal is maximizing the color. Cutting can be performed with deep, shallow or with perfect length.

The reflectance that is shown with a diamond is called an 'adamantine' lustre. However, if you continually polish a diamond the adamantine properties gradually diminish and the diamond will lose its lustre.