Everything you need to know about diamonds

The most coveted, beautiful and magnificent “stone of dreams”. In the Arab countries it was called “almas”, which means “hardest”, in Greece - “adamas” or “indestructible”. This stone was adored by the great Empress Catherine II, and to this day he is interested in millions of people on the planet. What diamond consists of, what properties it possesses, where it is used, to whom it suits - all this and much more about this beautiful stone you will learn from the article.

The word “diamond” appeared in Russian in the 15th century thanks to the traveler Athanasius Nikitin, who mentioned this word in his book entitled “Walking Over Three Seas”. So what is it - a diamond?

Diamond is the hardest natural mineral, allotropic modification of carbon, which is resistant to high pressure.. It looks like an untreated, that is, without a facet, mineral as an unattractive fragment of an irregular crystal. Due to the wide spectrum of light refraction from an ordinary piece of glass, it differs only in bright glow.

Such a description does not correlate with the modern, real understanding of the word “diamond”.

In ancient times (almost 3000 BC), people in India believed that 5 natural principles are concentrated in this stone, namely air, water, earth, sky and energy. For its brilliant brilliance, people endowed it with certain magical properties and did not consider it precious.

Much later, in the 15th century, stone was brought from India to Europe; the development of technology has allowed people to process and cut this mineral. Then the stone gained value and began to be actively used in the jewelry industry. In Russia, the gem took the leading position only at the beginning of the 17th century, before that rubies and opals were considered the most popular.

In world history, there are several famous diamonds, each of which has its own unique fate. Each of them also has its own name.

A diamond named "Kohinur" (translated as "Mountain of Light") is named so because its weight is almost 800 carats. It was found in 56 BC in the territory of the future India and Pakistan among the riches of the Mughal empire. During its long "life" the stone was in the ownership of the Persian Shah, the Indian king, as well as in Afghanistan, after which he was in the hands of the British. On the territory of Misty Albion, it was re-cut and acquired a modern look.

There is another, no less legendary stone called “Derianur”, or “Sea of ​​Light”. It was found in India in the 16th century and was first cut in the shape of a rose. Its weight was about 182 carats. He visited the Iranian shahs and adorned the throne of Shah Jakan. It is currently located at the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran.

Diamonds are, in essence, minerals that are rare and at the same time common, as their deposits are found on absolutely all continents. Until recently, it was believed that there were no diamonds in Antarctica, but not so long ago fragments of an iron meteorite with diamonds were discovered there.

In nature, the deposits of these gems are divided into two categories:

1. primary (primary), where diamonds are formed in igneous rocks, in the very bowels of the earth;
2. secondary (alluvial), where diamonds occur during the destruction of primary deposits.

Indigenous deposits include kimberlites, and as a result of their erosion, placer deposits are formed. Kimberlites denote volcanic and subvolcanic ultrabasic rocks with an alkaline slope. Basically, they can be found on ancient shields and platforms.

Precious minerals were mainly in placers, and almost always this happened by accident - no one was looking specifically for diamonds. But after discovering the first species in the rivers of South Africa, researchers stumbled upon deposits near the river. So the second primary diamond deposit was found and later called the Jagersfontein. The first was a field in India, but by the end of the 19th century they were already depleted.

Today, the world's largest diamond deposits are:

• Yubileiny deposit (Russia);
• Udachny deposit (Russia);
• Mir deposit (Russia);
• Argyll deposits (Australia);
• Katoka field (Angola);
• field "Venice" (South Africa);
• field them. V.P. Griba (Russia);
• Jwaneng Field (Botswana);
• Orapa Field (Botswana);
• Botubinskaya field (Russia).

Terrestrial diamond deposits are, in fact, not the only ones. There are stones created when a cosmic body collides with the surface of the earth, that is, when a meteorite falls. At the time of impact, the temperature reaches 3000 degrees, and the pressure is 100 GPa. Under such conditions, an impact rock is formed. Such stones were discovered in the USA, Yakutia, as well as in Antarctica.

Have you ever thought that diamond and graphite are one and the same substance. It would seem that they can have nothing in common.But in fact, in both cases it is carbon, just in different versions.

By structure, diamonds are carbon atoms equidistant from each other by 0.154 nanometers. They form a crystal lattice with four more atoms inside it, which are connected to each other by fairly strong covalent bonds, which makes diamond the most durable mineral. As an element in the periodic table, C (carbon) is designated and is one of the simplest in its chemical composition gem, because it consists of only carbon.

Diamond is characterized by a number of important properties.

In addition to carbon, diamonds can contain various impurities. The main one is nitrogen, which forms the centers responsible for the color of the stone.

Uncovered crystals are opaque, belong to type I, that is, nitrogen in them is contained in an amount of 0.25%. All the rest are of type II, that is, the inclusion of this substance in them does not exceed 0.001%.

Diamonds are not only colorless, but also with one or another shade. Among them there are lilac, yellow, brown, blue, pink, green, dairy, gray - even black. Today it is known that when irradiated with charged particles, the stone turns blue or green. How to convert it from color to blue is still unknown.

Diamond crystals can luminesce (glow) when x-rays hit them. And later phosphorescence, in other words, afterglow, can be observed.

The most famous physical property that is inherent in diamond is, of course, hardness.. According to the 10-point Mohs scale, it is the standard, that is, it has the highest value - 10. It is the hardest gem, but it is very fragile. The density (or, as they are also called, specific gravity) of transparent crystals has a mark of 3515 kg / m3, and of opaque and translucent crystals of 3500 kg / m3.

Diamond is a dielectric and does not conduct electricity. Resistant to all acids, even at high temperatures. It has good thermal conductivity. It can transform into graphite at 1880 degrees and atmospheric pressure. And at a temperature of 850 degrees, a diamond can burn, but what’s important is that it can happen only in air.

Many people believe that diamond, like any other stone, also has a magical side. It is believed that this mineral is a symbol of courage and perfection, which strengthens the strength of the spirit of its owner, emphasizes its masculinity and strength, and also makes it happy, successful and protects it from an evil look and spoilage.

If a person gives such a stone to another, then it is believed that they bind themselves with a strong union. A gift in the form of a diamond is considered a symbol of love and fidelity.

No less interesting is the fact that diamonds also have healing properties: they strengthen immunity, relieve fatigue, treat insomnia and help the body fight infections.

Currently, there are many varieties of diamonds that are known to man. Species are characterized depending on the selected parameter.

So, by weight, diamonds are divided into the following varieties:

1. small, whose weight does not exceed 0.29 carats;
2. medium size, which weigh between 0.3-0.99 carats;
3. large, whose weight exceeds 1 carat.

Please note that one carat in the measurement system (SI) is 0.0002 kg.

Some gems are distinguished by the type of crystal lattice.

• Board - a crystal with a fine-grained structure, incorporating graphite impregnations, cracks, and other defects. From the point of view of the jewelry industry, such a stone is "inferior."
• Carbonado - dark green or grayish-black minerals consisting of amorphous carbon, as well as graphite. High resistance and highly valued in industry.
• Ballas - stones of rounded shape, translucent, less often - opaque or completely transparent. Mostly black, gray, greenish in color.

Distinguish diamonds and color.

1. Transparent ("cape").
2. Painted in various shades (fantasy). Such stones are pink, yellow, green, red, blue tones. The stones that are most brightly colored are considered as valuable as fully transparent.

Diamonds should also be distinguished by their shape.

Round (57 faces). Such a stone is able to reflect almost all the light that falls on it.

Fantasy:

• Marquis has a shuttle shape;

• "Princess" has a square shape or rectangular with sharp corners;

• "oval";

• "pear" is a combination of a round shape and the shape of a "marquise";

• "emerald" has a square or rectangular shape with truncated corners;

• "heart";

• "triangle".

Most of us know that diamonds are most widely used in jewelry manufacturing. But few people know that a significant part of the mined stones is not suitable for making jewelry from them. More than 40% of all mined stones are suitable only as composite materials for industrial use, 45% of mined diamonds are considered conditionally suitable for the production of jewelry and only 15% are minerals suitable for cutting from which diamonds can be made.

Cutting is the process of grinding a stone, with the help of which planes are applied to a diamond to give it a certain shape. Note that planes are called facets or faces. Grinding allows you to either show the best properties of diamond (color, luster), or hide its flaws (various defects: surface and internal).

Until the 20th century, the most common form of cut was the “rose”; today it is the “diamond”. It can be round, classic or “fantasy”, which is also divided into types by form (“marquise”, “pear”, “heart”, “oval”, “princess”, etc.).

There are rough diamonds depending on the processing technology used:

• Soubles - these are stones that have the correct shape, which can be divided into two large parts and use them as raw materials in order to produce two diamonds;
• Makebales - These are irregular round nuggets that are processed in their entirety without separation;
• Cleavage - these are diamonds that contain cracks (in order to begin processing, such crystals are cracked).

The largest enterprises with world fame, where diamonds are cut, are located in India, Israel, China, Russia and the USA.

It is also important that diamonds are also used in industry. Knives, drills, cutters are made from them. In order to produce cutting and grinding wheels, diamonds are used as an abrasive material.

First you need to figure out what kind of fakes are, what unscrupulous sellers are hunting for.

First, zircon, colorless sapphire, or crystal are often sold under the guise of diamonds. In this case, to determine if it is a real diamond or not, you need to look through it in the sun. Through a brilliant-cut diamond, it is possible to see only a bright, bright dot, and a fake will transmit light.

Many sellers use the popular belief that if you place a diamond in water, it will disappear and will not be visible. However, it is not. Since the refractive index of light in water is less than the refractive index of light in a diamond, it will shine even when immersed in water.

Secondly, the development of industry has stepped forward a long time ago, and people have learned how to produce real diamonds in laboratory conditions (the so-called synthetic stones). It is not possible to distinguish such an “synthetic” product from a natural one to an ordinary person, since they have exactly the same composition (synthetic stone also consists of pure carbon). Then you need to remember that a real, natural diamond cannot be cheap. Therefore, a clearly underestimated (tenfold) price should alert the buyer.

Do not forget also that there are certificates of compliance with a diamond, which are issued by an independent laboratory only for stones without a rim. Such a diamond should be packed in a blister with the number of the certificate of conformity.

Stones as a magical element were considered in ancient times, and to this day people believe in their magical power.

Energy diamond is a very strong stone. From ancient times it was believed that he is male. His unprecedented firmness is characterized by the indestructible strength of mind of a man. Give him courage and courage.

Women should wear jewelry with diamonds only after 30 years, as a diamond is considered a mature stone. Maturity, as a rule, is not inherent in young, young girls. And after a while, the power of the stone will benefit them.

Since ancient times, people used stones as amulets. The people believed that a person who is worthy of his amulet should have a balanced character. And only then will a man protect himself with his stone from any negative emotions, evil eye and damage. But for people who are impulsive and cannot control their emotions, wearing a diamond is not recommended, as it will only exacerbate these qualities.

For centuries, the science of “astromineralogy” has been developed, which describes the connections between stones, zodiac signs and the patron planets of these signs. Diamond in the traditional distribution of stones according to signs is considered the first stone.

In order for jewelry with the stone in question to remain new for a long time, and diamonds still sparkle brightly in the sun, a number of certain rules and recommendations of specialists.

• If possible, take off your home decorations so that the stone comes into contact with aggressive household chemicals as little as possible.
• It is advisable to store jewelry not just on an open shelf, but in a special container or bag. So less dust will settle on the jewelry.
• It is also better that each jewelry box has its own box or bag. So you prevent the friction of one product against another, as a result of which microcracks and chips can form.
• It is necessary to clean every six months in an ultrasonic bath (this can be done by a jeweler). At home, it will be enough to regularly wash and clean the jewelry with a soap solution.
• Avoid exposing diamond jewelry to mechanical impact and shock. Diamond, although the hardest of minerals, is also very fragile.

• At least 250 tons of diamond ore must be processed to produce one carat of diamonds.
• There are no two identical diamonds - each of them has a unique structure and characteristics.
• The fact that diamonds do not break is a myth. Once the mercenaries of King Louis XI captured the jewels of the Duke Karl the Bold.Knowing that diamonds are the hardest minerals, they decided to verify their authenticity. They began to beat the stones with hammers, and they all crashed. So destroyed a myriad of genuine minerals.
• Once, the Austrian Duke, who doubted that his beloved would give a positive answer, was advised to give her a diamond jewel, thereby making it clear that her intentions were more than serious. Thus the custom was born to propose a hand and heart with a diamond ring and became the most popular way.
• About 26 tons of diamonds are mined annually around the world.
• Diamonds often became the heroes of works of art (The Three Musketeers, The Twelve Chairs, The Titanic).
• The Heart of Ocean diamond has a real copy - a blue diamond in the shape of a heart. It weighs about 14 carats and was sold at auction for $ 7,791,000.
• In the East, it is customary to give and inherit diamonds. Those stones that are bought, it is customary to start wearing only after 7 years after purchase.
• During cutting, a stone can lose about half its weight.
• Diamonds that were found on the territory where military operations were previously held are called conflict, bloody.

You will learn interesting facts about diamonds from the next video.