Omnia Diamond Distributors

education in the diamond industry :

evaluation of diamond quality :

the first C, of the 4 C's carat weight :

the round brilliant cut :

hearts and arrows :

the third c of the 4 C's clarity :

the forth c of the 4 C's colour :

an overview of coloured gemstones :

identification of diamond and simulants :

diamond manufacturing process :

precautions during manufacturing :

weight estimations :

role of laboratories in the diamond industry :

the latest technology in the diamond industry :

laser processing in diamond manufacturing :

the global diamond industry as a whole :

the world diamond rough situation :

major diamond mining countries :

major diamond mining companies :

world famous diamonds :

organizations in the diamond industry :

more diamond industry information :

diamond industry terminology :

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What is diamond

Scintillating diamonds have been a centre of attraction for mankind since the very beginning of time. Diamonds have been associated with romance, legend, strength and power over the centuries. Diamond has now acquired its unique status as the ultimate gift of love and timeless passion. The very word 'diamond' comes from the Greek word 'Adamas' meaning unconquerable, suggesting the eternity and enduring strength of love. The Greeks also believed that the fire or scintillation in diamond reflected the constant flame of love. The very essence of Diamond suggests that love lives longer and is the result of an everlasting bond between life the giving oxygen atom and strength of rare earth metal atom doing a heavenly dance with one another above 5000 degrees Fahrenheit (at twice the melting point of steel).

The definition of Diamond

Diamond is crystallized mineral essentially composed of carbon. The smallest particles of a diamond crystal are always in cubic shape. The word "Diamond" originally derives from the Greek word "ADAMAS" which means UNCONQUERABLE. It is found in many shapes Cubic or Hexagon which has six facets, Octagon which has eight facets and Dodecahedron which has twelve facets. It is the hardest substance ever found by human beings on the Earth.

The Formation of Diamonds
Fig 4.1

Figure 4.1: This diagram shows the interior structure of Earth. The three concentric layers the core, Figure 4.2: Oceanic and Continental Crust of the Earth

Experiments and the high density of diamonds tell us that they crystallize at very high pressures. In nature this means that diamonds are created by geologic processes at great depth within Earth, generally more than 150 kilometres down, in a region beneath the crust known as the mantle. Other processes bring diamonds to where people can find them.(Figure 4.1) shows the interior structure of Earth. The three concentric layers the core, mantle, and crust were formed within a few hundred million years of Earth's coalescence 4.5 billion years ago. The core is primarily an iron-nickel alloy and makes up a large fraction of the mass of Earth. The vast mantle is sandwiched between the core and the thin crust and is composed predominantly of magnesium and iron silicate minerals. Our planet's crust is a thin, rocky skin. Diamonds can be formed in most of Earth's interior where graphite is the stable form of carbon, but not near its surface, diamonds are only able to survive at Earth's surface because the great heat would be able break down the diamond structure.

The journey of diamonds to the earth's surface

It is an axiom that the crystallization of diamonds occurs between 150 to 300 klm's beneath the earth crust. At this stage it is not possible for human beings to reach 200 and 300 km under the earths crust. It is estimated that human beings could only survive up to around 10 klm's deep under the earths crust . So it is out of realm of reality for a human to be able to reach up to 300km deep inside the earth. But in one sense volcanic eruptions have proved to be a bonus for human beings, which brought diamonds to the upper levels and to the surface of you planet, beneath the earth's surface diamonds are also found in Pipes and Dykes.

FIG 4:3

Volcanic eruptions can occur in different places on the planet

Figure 4.3 shows how volcanic eruptions can help to bring diamonds up in the upper mantle of the earth. It also shows some dykes, there are possibilities of diamond ore in occurrences in dykes as well. Figure 4.4a shows the eruption near a lake, hence we are able find diamonds in lake regions. Figure 4.4b shows eruptions in a mountain range, from mountains diamonds are dispersed out to different regions. Figure 4.4c helps us to understand how volcanic eruptions on a plain or field are able bring up the diamonds from the upper mantle of the earth. In brief diamond crystallization happens within the earth but diamonds can be found in most regions on the earth surface and upper crust.

FIG 4 abc

Kimberlite

Kimberlite is named after the South African city Kimberley. Virtually diamonds are found in volcanic tough rock called Kimberlite which is not a parent rock it is just a conveyer and that is why it is called host rock. Diamond deposits are called Kimberlite Pipes or Blue Ground. These are also called Primary Mines. On the other hand, diamonds are also found in river beds. These are called Alluvial Deposits. So you see that Mother Nature had to toil for millions of years to make a diamond. When you own a piece of diamond, you own something which is a legend in the making. It has not been made in a factory just the other day. A diamond comes from the bosom of the earth. More interestingly, not all the diamonds mined are made into jewellery. Only 1/4 quantity that is mined is made into jewellery. Every 256 tons of mud produces one carat of a diamond. And might I add, this one carat is not one stone! It could be anything from 0.005 ct to 1 ct.

FIG 4:5

Rough Diamond Images

Figure 4.5 is an example of a rough diamond. This particular one is called a Glassy. Glassy is a rough diamond that comes out clean from the mines and does not require polishing. It is very rare to get a glassy. Diamonds come in different rough shapes. This one is an octahedron. The next time you look at your diamond, think about the amount of time, energy and resources that have gone into making it.

The Diamond Journey

100 Million Years Ago:
The Diamond Journey through Sections of the Earth's Interior begins (centre to surface) Inner Core, Outer Core, Lower Mantle, Upper Mantle, Crust Diamonds are Formed in the Upper Mantle. Kimberlite magma rings move up from the Mantle. Diamonds are carried upward by the magma. Magma and gases explode to the surface. Falling ash and rocks form a volcanic cinder cone.

Millions of Years Later:
Only a slight depression remains as the remanets of the original cinder cone.

1000 AD
The first Diamond Mine Site in the World - Golconda, AP, India was founded.

20th - 21st Century Diamonds are Mined Commercially
During the 20th and into the 21st Century diamonds are mined commercially in, Angola, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, C. African Republic, China, Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Namibia, Russia, S. Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

21 Centuary
Diamond becomes "A Girl's Best Friend". De Beers introduced a slogan "A Diamond is Forever". De Beers' effective and generic marketing and promotion of diamonds helps to create great demand for diamonds globally. Due to research and analysis and new technology, excellence in marketing and packaging diamonds became available to most people.

The Origin of Diamond Cutting
No one knows exactly when, where and who made the first attempt to cut diamonds. It is assumed that the first diamond cutting styles originated from India. However, it was only limited to chipping or grinding. Moreover in ancient times diamonds were valued more for their magical and mythological properties. By modifying the natural state of a diamond in any way would alter its magical properties and render it useless. At the most the cleaving techniques of diamond were attempted to get flat faces on diamonds. It is believed that the early diamond cutting styles originated in Europe. The European travellers visiting India for it's diamond treasures used to transport diamonds from the Golconda Mine to Europe for cutting. It ultimately used to be transported back to India and made a part of the Kings', Moguls' and Maharajas treasury.

Early Diamond Cuts

The Evolution of Diamond Cutting
Experimentation with diamond cutting did not yield any significant results till the seventeenth century. The early diamond cutters were unable to polish the rough octahedral diamonds. However, they found out that they could polish or grind diamonds into a point by polishing almost parallel to the diamonds rough faces, at an angle lesser than the diamond rough faces. They also realised that only diamonds cut diamonds. Hence they used a wooden table covered with diamond dust to achieve any kind of polishing. This resulted in the "Rose Cut". It was called the rose cut due to its resemblance to the "Rose Bud", The rose cut came into existence in the early sixteenth century and was widely used till the early nineteenth century.