Diamonds are carbon, the same substance as charcoal, with the difference being in the way the carbon atoms are structured.
Diamond is the hardest substance known that occurs naturally. There are other substances that are harder that have been synthetically created. Ultra hard Fullerite and Aggregated Diamond Nanorods are 1.17-1.52 times harder than diamond.
Practically all diamonds came from India before 1725, when they were discovered in Brazil.
India and Brazil supplied diamonds to the world until they were discovered in South Africa in 1866. South Africa remains one of the most important sources of diamond s today.
Diamonds at one time were extremely rare. Only the very wealthy could afford to own them.
A diamond mine in Murfeesborough, Arkansas operated until 1969. The mine is now part of a state park where for $ 5 visitors can dig for diamonds and keep all they find. The odds of finding a diamond there are very small.
There is only one current operating diamond mine in The United States. It is the State Line Kimberlite District located near the Colorado-Wyoming border. There are a few diamond mines in Canada, mainly in the Northwest Territories that are operational.
Much of the popularity of diamonds can be attributed to the marketing strategy of the De Beers diamond company. This company is involved in the exploration and mining of diamonds, and accounts for approximately 40 percent of the diamonds on the market.
Today there are more synthetic diamonds being manufactured than mined. These diamonds are for industrial use. Gemstone quality synthetic diamonds have been made, but are more expensive to make than to mine for natural ones.
All diamonds that occur naturally are colored. Pure diamond colorless, but pure diamond is not found in nature. Finer quality diamonds may appear colorless, but they too have color even if it is almost imperceptible.