The force of being buried under great pressure and heat is what causes carbon to form into diamonds. These are then pushed up to the surface in a rare type of magma called kimberlite and forced out from a diatreme or pipe type of volcanic vent.

Due to the tightly compacted atoms and electrons in the composition of a diamond, it has the ability to reduce the velocity of light that passes through it. This is what gives a diamond its unique lustre.

It was not until almost 300 years ago that it was discovered that diamonds are a form of carbon. Over 150 years later, a method of being able to produce a synthetic diamond was finally discovered.

As there is nothing tougher than a diamond, it is the only thing that can be used to cut another diamond. Because of this, it is used heavily in the industrial sector for cutting, polishing, grinding and drilling. The majority of industrial rock drills have diamond tips. Diamonds are no longer just used in the industrial sector since they are now becoming a more popular material used in 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.

Not all diamonds are colorless. However, the colorless diamonds are more valuable than those that have a colored tint to them, since these colors are caused by impurities. Amazingly enough, one of the main contributing factors to the value of a diamond is the only human contribution to a diamond's brilliance and that is how a diamond is cut. Cutting can be performed in a number of ways such as deep cut, shallow cut and perfect length. Cutting colored diamonds is a different process to clear diamonds though, as the diamond needs to be cut to maximize the color.

A diamond displays the maximum amount of reflectance for a transparent substance, displaying what is called an 'adamantine' lustre. However, it cannot be polished again and again as it loses its properties.