| Diamonds are considered to be the world's most | | | | miles per second. However, what people tend to |
| precious natural substance, mainly to do with two | | | | forget is that this speed of light only holds true if |
| of their most prominent characteristics: their | | | | light is traveling in a vacuum! |
| unmatchable durability and their overwhelming | | | | When light travels through matter such as air, |
| beauty. While many people consider the hardness | | | | water, glass, plastic, or diamond, for example, light |
| of a diamond a natural phenomenon, most don't | | | | slows down. This is because matter is made up of |
| realize how the beauty and the brilliance of a this | | | | atoms, and these atoms have electrons. When |
| precious gemstone is also one of nature's most | | | | light encounters electrons, it basically has to make |
| interesting wonders. | | | | tiny little detours around them, which effectively |
| When we speak of a diamond's beauty, typically | | | | slows down its speed. Now, air, has such a small |
| we are referring to its brilliance and its sparkle. | | | | number of atoms which only barely reduce the |
| These twinkles of light are what make diamonds | | | | speed of light. Window glass and water reduce |
| so utterly bewitching. But what is it that makes | | | | light's speed by up to 40%. Diamonds, however, |
| diamonds so dazzlingly delightful? How does this | | | | are so densely packed with electrons that they |
| extremely hard material intoxicate us with its | | | | slow the speed of light by more than 50%! Light |
| glitter? In short, why and how do diamonds | | | | travels through diamonds at about 80,000 miles |
| sparkle? | | | | per second or less. |
| Well, you may be surprised to learn that | | | | To take advantage of this slow-traveling light, |
| diamonds, when unearthed in their rough form, | | | | diamond experts have learned how to cut |
| appear to be quite rounded and dull. Many are | | | | "facets" in a diamond and create a sort of prism |
| colorless, but muted. Most rough diamonds are | | | | and effectively "trap" light within the diamond. The |
| found in faded shades of yellow, brown, orange, | | | | light enters the diamond from all sides, but within |
| and gray. In fact, when Brazilian gold-miners in the | | | | the diamond the light may bounce back and forth |
| 18th century happened upon diamonds, they didn't | | | | a number of times before it finds a clear path out. |
| even recognize them and simply left them to be | | | | During this reflective bouncing, common |
| found by others who ended up making a hefty | | | | white-light, which is composed of the entire |
| profit. | | | | spectrum of colors, is bent and broken, causing |
| The discovery of the diamond's decorative value | | | | the white-light to separate into a rainbow of |
| and shiny brilliance has been uncovered only | | | | colors. The farther the light travels within a |
| relatively recently, with the help of science's | | | | diamond, the more the light separates into the |
| growing understanding of the nature of light and | | | | rainbow of colors that makes it up. |
| the development of new cutting technologies. | | | | So, in the end of things, it is the density of the |
| Thanks to Einstein, the speed of light has | | | | diamond's atomic structure which is chiefly |
| infiltrated popular culture and common discourse. | | | | responsible for both its superior hardness as well |
| Almost everyone has heard of his famous | | | | as its sparkling potential. Thanks to developments |
| equation, E=mc², in which he equates the speed | | | | in diamond cutting technologies, this light refraction |
| of light to a specific relationship between mass | | | | and light return can be delightfully enhanced and a |
| and energy. A surprising number of people can | | | | diamond's captivating brilliance can be maximized. |
| also tell you that the speed of light is 186,000 | | | | |