MORE FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT DIAMONDS, NUMBERS 21 – 38
In this, our 2nd part to this series, we present some more of the interesting and unique feautures of diamonds.
21.When spiked with trace elements it becomes a semi-conductor.
22. A diamond, one of the most valuable items known to man, consists of carbon, one of the most common elements on earth.
23. A diamond, when colourless, is the purest material on earth as it contains virtually no elements other than carbon.
24. A diamond has the lowest co-efficient of thermal expansion of any material it does not expand if heated.
25.Diamonds were first found in India 2500 years ago.
26.Then, in the 18th century they were discovered in Brazil.
27.The first diamond in South Africa was discovered near Kimberley in 1886.
28.Such is the demand for industrial diamonds that more industrial diamonds are made in the laboratory than all those mined.
29.The largest diamond ever discovered was the Cullinan it weighed just under 1.5 pounds (3106 carat), and was at first thrown away as no one believed a real diamond could be as big!
30.The Cullinan was cut into 9 major stones: two of these were presented as a gift to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday as a gift from the (then) Transvaal Government. Today they are in the British Crown Jewels. There were also 96 other smaller diamonds which the cutter Joseph Assher received for his services.
31.The internal pressure of a diamond is similar to the pressure at a depth of 150 kilometers, i.e., the pressure under which it crystallized. No wonder then that the mere blow of a hammer can shatter it.
32.A diamond is the one thing that can truly sparkle “forever”. As nothing can abrade it, it will retain a polished surface forever.
33.A red diamond is the world’s most expensive gem – a 0,93ct stone was sold for close to $1m a decade ago.
34.The “fire” of a diamond is the blaze of rainbow colours into which a diamond breaks up white light.
35. “Scintillation” is the flash of light that occurs when a diamond, or the light source, is moved.
36. Black diamonds were scarce in the past. Today they are “made black” in the lab.
37. Fancy cut diamonds are all those with a shape other than round.
38. Diamonds with a “fancy” colour are those whose colour is not yellow or brown. However, if a yellow or brown diamond has an intense colour it is also called “fancy”.
Remember to keep checking in our blog for more of our series “101 Unique Features of Diamonds“!
