Diamonds form under extreme temperature and pressure. Then, through cataclysmic eruption they are brought to the earth’s surface. It’s truly amazing they survive a process so violent and explosive. There are two types of source rock that can form a diamond: igneous rock - molten lava that is formed into a solid state becoming a rock, and metamorphic rock - pre-existing rocks that have been altered by heat as well as pressure. If the temperature and pressure vary just slightly, or the diamonds take too long to be brought to the earth’s surface, graphite is formed, not diamonds. This is why large diamonds rarely survive in one piece. Precise conditions need to be in place, and the volatility of impact is enormous. The diamonds are brought to the earth’s surface by either kimberlite or lampoite, and sometimes, a geological process called emplacement delivers them to the earth’s surface.
After arriving on the surface of the earth, diamonds can live millions of years in rivers, streams and ocean tides before being found my a miner. They might wait hundreds of millions of years before arriving at the surface. The diamonds that exist today were most likely on the earth’s surface 20 million to 2.5 billion years ago. Now those numbers I find astonishing.
Diamonds have the highest hardness on the Moh’s scale (an industry wide geological scale), and can be contaminated by very few types of impurities. Some of the diamonds are gems with non-gem qualities. They can be used as sandpaper surface, or as tools for cutting, grinding and drilling for many different industries inside and outside of the jewelry industry.
Today, diamonds are more available and affordable than at other times in history. Yet, while they are abundantly available, diamonds with high clarity and color grading are still very rare, and of course, those stones are very valuable.
The world of mining is challenging, from finding a source that will be profitable, to dealing with ecological, environment or political conditions, it is an expensive undertaking. One is looking at hundreds of millions, if not billions, as an investment to embark on the process, hoping for a profit. It requires intense exploration, years of planning and construction, and on top of it all, potentially profitable diamond sources are very rare. Yet, there are mines that produce gem quality diamonds which have been in operation for decades.
Until the eighteenth century, India was the world’s only major diamond source. Today’s diamond sources are Canada, the US, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Russia, India, China, Indonesia, Australia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Dominican Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. Namibia is perhaps the largest marine diamond deposit in the world.
Please see below, the amazing diamonds we offer at Provident Jewelry. We provide a selection like no other from very petite, to 20 carat rings, and all of them have their own unique character as well as beauty. I hope that if you did not know much about diamonds, this article helped you appreciate what it takes for a diamond to be available to you, and trust me, I only shared a portion of the process. It’s remarkable what our mother earth creates for us, and what a privilege it is that we have the opportunity to appreciate this beauty.
Thank you for reading and as always sparkle on…..
Tiffany & Company Platinum Diamond Ring 3.37 (Graded by Tiffany as F,VV2) center stone in platinum baguette mounting (side diamonds =.48 cts tw)
Emerald Cut = 10.07cts Diamond I VVS2 Ring set in Platinum with two side trapezoids = 1.40cts. comes with GIA report
Platinum Engagement Ring with Round Brilliant Round Diamond=11.16ct H, SI1 GIA Triple X/ Mounting 326 Dia.=1.32ctw
