Diamonds are transparent crystals made entirely out of carbon. They are the second most stable form of carbon and the only type of gemstone that is composed from a single element. They are valuable to the jewelry business and industry practices because of their hardness and their high dispersion of light.
Of all known naturally occurring minerals, diamonds are the hardest. Very few substances are able to make a scratch in the surface of a diamond. Because of this property, diamonds are often used as an abrasive to finish other materials or to polish and cut other diamonds.
Diamonds rate as a 10 on the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness. Because of their resistance to scuffs and scratches, they can be polished very finely and retain their shine throughout time which is why so many jewelers offer money back guarantee diamonds. Diamonds are commonly used in wedding rings and engagement rings because they can resist the wear and tear of every day use.
The diamonds that do not meet the aesthetic standards of a jewelry gemstone are usually used in industry. They are especially popular in cutting and grinding tools because they can polish, cut, and abrade any other material, including fellow diamonds.
Compared to other gemstones, diamonds have a high resistance to breakage from impact. However, when compared to other engineering supplies, their toughness is sub par. Because of their makeup, diamonds are more fragile when oriented in certain positions.
Diamonds also possess an extremely high thermal conductivity. Most diamonds are useful as electrical insulators, though research and development is going into their potential as semiconductors. Some diamonds are already being used in this field, and a few blue diamonds act as natural semiconductors.
The diamond’s crystal lattice composition is extremely strong and only allows impurities from certain elements to pass through in small amounts during its creation process. Only impurities from nitrogen, hydrogen, boron, phosphorus, and sometimes beryllium are able to pass through in large enough quantities to change the diamond’s physical appearance.
The most common and best value diamonds are colorless, yellow, or brown. A blue diamond is the most common of the rarer colors, followed by green, black, translucent white, pink, violet, orange, purple, and red, which is the rarest of all of the colors. “Black” diamonds are not actually a pitch black color, they are merely darker. Diamonds can also come in shades of grey.
Colored diamonds contain impurities from other elements as well as structural irregularities, while “pure” diamonds are transparent and colorless. For instance, nitrogen is the smallest impurity in diamonds as well as the most frequent. It causes the yellow or brown color in some diamonds, depending on its amount.
Boron causes the blue grey color in diamonds, and irradiation from alpha particles cause a green hue. Plastic deformation, a physical irregularity in diamonds, can be the cause of brown diamonds or pink and red diamonds on rare occasions.
Coloration can either raise or lower a diamond’s marketable value, regardless of whether it is a non conflict diamond or a blood diamond. It depends on the intensity and aesthetic qualities of the color, as well as the visible defects that the coloring process might have caused. Intense blue or pink diamonds are extremely valuable, though white diamonds may drop in value if they are of a slightly yellow hue.
By: Allison Ryan
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