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Diamonds, More Than Just A Girls Best Friend! |
By:
jean-paul marchent |
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Diamonds, more than just a girls best friend!
by jean-paul marchent
Diamonds are the hardest substance known on Earth and are good conductors of heat but poor conductors of electricity though some rare forms, particularly the grey-to-blue ones called type IIB, are semiconductors, and are somewhat conductive.
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 atoms cause the amazing reduction of the velocity of light through a diamonds mass which is what gives it the lustre which is what most people find appealing about a diamond.
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.
Due to the hardness of a diamond, jewellery containing diamonds is normally made from 18 carat gold as the setting needs to be of a certain hardness to hold the diamond.
In the 15th century, Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring on their engagement as a romantic gesture. Since this time, diamonds have been seen as a symbol of love, joy and romance. Although it started with a diamond ring, all diamond jewellery is now seen as a token of everlasting love and perfection. It is also traditional to wear diamonds as a symbol of achievement and a symbol of status and success.
Carat is the size or weight measurement of the diamond and unlike gold is not simply so much per carat. Diamond prices vary considerably according to the 3 Cs. These are 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.
Since a diamond displays what is called an 'adamantine' lustre it cannot be continually polished as it will cause it to lose its properties.
Take a look at our website to learn more on buying diamond jewellery, and for more information on how you can cheaply start a diamond selling business. Click here for other unique 'buying diamond jewellery' articles.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article54223.html |
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