Would you find it easy to believe that the sparkle of jewels displaying such splendor is given by a 100 million years old diamond...? Yet, that's how old natural diamonds are.
A diamond is a mineral composed essentially of carbon crystallized at extremely high temperatures and pressures. In nature, diamonds form at 150 to 200 kilometers (93 to 124 miles) or more below the earth's surface. Diamond forms in the cubic, or isometric, crystal system — the system of highest symmetry known.
Physical Properties of Loose Diamonds
Refractive Index
The refractive index is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to that in a material. It is the most important physical property, affecting brilliance, as brilliance results from the way light is refracted when traveling through the diamond and then reflected back to the eye. Diamond has a RI of 2.42.
Dispersion
As light travels through the stone, the white light is spread separating into spectral colors (rainbow colors). The splitting effect is called dispersion or “fire”. For diamonds it is 0.044.
Luster
Measures the surface reflection, and, as a result, the shine of a diamond. Diamond's luster is 17.2%.
Durability/Hardness
Diamond is the hardest of all known natural substances, with 100 years in the making of its formation. Diamond, although highest on the scale of hardness (rated 10 on the Mohs scale), is not as tough as some gems because of its good cleavage. Cleavage is the tendency of a diamond to split in certain directions where the carbon atoms are furthest apart. That is why diamonds' toughness is characterized as good, not excellent. Specialists advise to keep jewels with gems or loose diamonds apart to avoid scratching and not to wear any stone-jewelry when doing hard housework.
Color
Color measures the degree of body color of colorless diamonds or that of fancy colored diamonds, as diamonds range from colorless to a wide variety of colors.
Clarity
Clarity measures the degree of structure purity referring to inclusions.
Density
Or more exactly specific gravity. Specific gravity is the density of a substance divided by the density of water. Since water has a density of 1 gram/cm3, and since all of the units cancel, specific gravity is the same number as density but without any units.
Density measures how tight the atoms are “packed” together (it results from the proportion of mass and volume). Diamond's specific gravity is 3.52.
Poorly colored or heavily included single crystals are used for industrial purposes.
Beauty lays in the uniqueness of each stone and in their “inner fire” — the structure reaching perfection captures and releases light in a fascinating manner. Each diamond is endowed with its own personality and character and this is what makes it a precious, cherished gift.
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