Top 10 Diamond Facts By Melanie Stone At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

In recent years, much attention has been given to the diamond industry, in light of conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds. While the story of conflict diamonds is heartbreaking, it is at odds with the ever-alluring beauty of “girl’s best friend.” No matter what happens between the creation of a diamond and the sale of one, the mystique and appeal of a diamond will probably always remain.

We’ve compiled a list of top ten facts about diamonds, in no particular order. The sources are varied, as is the information, but it’s all very interesting. Keep reading!

1. In Botswana, the revenues from the diamond industry enable every child, to age 13, to receive a free education. This aid is necessary due to insufficient tax revenue to provide free public education, the way it is provided in the U.S. and elsewhere. After the age of 13, the government pays approximately 95% of educational expenses.

2. Diamond revenue is used in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Diamond revenue in Southern Africa helps provide counseling, testing, and free Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART).

3. A diamond may be up to three billion years old! The diamond crystallization process starts at approximately 200 kilometers, or 320 miles, beneath the surface, and typically rises to the surface in volcanic rock.

4. Only about 25% of the world’s diamonds are suitable for gemstones. The remaining 75% are used for industrial purposes—anything from coating drill bits, enhancing the performance of semiconductors, to use in phonograph needles! Wait, who uses phonographs?

5. Although diamonds are most often seen in their white/clear variation, they can include the whole color spectrum from clear to black! Most often they’re brown and yellow; most rarely they’re blue or pink. Also, most are tinged with yellow, so they are often set in yellow gold to mask the yellowish gem color, believed to be caused by Nitrogen.

6. Extensive diamond mining began in India but now occurs in approximately 25 countries including these top seven: Australia, Botswana, Zaire, South Africa, Russia, Angola, and Namibia.

7. In ancient times, diamonds were believed to give the wearer powers of courage, strength, and invincibility. These days, those adorned with diamonds are more prone to be seen as possessing riches and power.

8. The United States has a diamond mine that is open to the public! Since 1906, over 70,000 diamonds have been dug at The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. This includes one that was over 40 carats in weight (the “Uncle Sam Diamond” of 1924).

9. Visitors to realdiamondfacts.org and diamondfacts.org may be confused by their similarity in appearance but highly-different content. That is because one is affiliated with the diamond industry (diamondfacts.org) and one is affiliated by Diamonds for Africa (realdiamondfacts.org). We encourage you to look at both objectively and consider the sources.

10. The largest diamond in the universe is 2,500 miles wide and found 50 light years away in the constellation Centaurus. Imagine the number of engagement rings that could be made out of that rock!

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