| Diamonds are still a girl's best friend, right? We | | | | minerals |
| love the shiny gems. They are the most popular | | | | retain a film of water, which prevents the |
| rocks sold today. But what exactly are they, | | | | sticking to |
| anyway? Where do they come from? What else | | | | the grease. Then the diamonds are removed |
| are they used for?Diamonds are a mineral in one | | | | from the |
| of the two crystalline forms | | | | grease, |
| of the element carbon. They are the hardest | | | | cleaned, and graded for sale and use.The earliest |
| natural | | | | sources of gem diamonds were India and |
| substance man knows. Diamonds are sold as | | | | Borneo. |
| gems, and | | | | Some famous diamonds are the Great Mogul, |
| used | | | | Regent, and |
| in industrial applications for smoothing, cutting, and | | | | Pitt. |
| polishing hard materials.Diamonds are most | | | | Other famous diamonds include the Hope (blue), |
| famous for crystallizing in the common | | | | Dresden |
| colorless form. They may also be tranlucent to | | | | (green) and Tiffany (yellow). In the early 18th |
| transparent | | | | century, |
| white, yellow, green, blue, or brown. Diamonds | | | | deposits similar to those in India were found in |
| have a high | | | | Brazil, |
| refractive index which is why they are so brilliant | | | | mainly of carbonados. In 1867 a stone found in |
| and | | | | South Africa |
| sparkly after cutting. The familiar shape of the | | | | was recognized as a diamond. Within a few |
| diamond is | | | | years began a |
| the octahedron.The most brilliant diamonds | | | | wild |
| become gemstones for jewelry | | | | search for diamonds. In 1870-1871, dry diggings |
| and | | | | including |
| other uses. For those that don't make it to | | | | most of the celebrated mines were |
| gems, there | | | | discovered.Synthetic diamonds were successfully |
| are other options. There is bort, which is a more | | | | produced in 1955; a |
| poorly | | | | number of small crystals were produced when |
| crystallized or undesirable color and in | | | | pure |
| fragmentary | | | | graphite mixed with a catalyst was subjected to |
| condition, and carbonados which is gray to black | | | | pressure of |
| opaque. | | | | about 1 million lb per sq in. and temperature of |
| Bort and carbonados are used as abrasives for | | | | the order |
| the cutting | | | | of 5,000-F (3,000-C). Synthetic diamonds now |
| of | | | | are |
| diamonds and the cutting heads of industrial rock | | | | extensively |
| drills.Diamonds are found in alluvial formations and | | | | used for industry, mainly due to the ease of |
| in volcanic | | | | obtaining and |
| pipes, filled for most of their length with blue | | | | lower cost for them. Diamonds are still very |
| ground or | | | | popular and |
| kimberlite, and igneous rock consisting primarily of | | | | symbolize many things. Their popularity does not |
| serpentine. Diamond yielding earth is mined by | | | | seem to |
| both the | | | | be |
| open-pit method and by underground mining. | | | | dwindling any time in the near future.The author |
| After removal | | | | became fascinated with diamonds from an early |
| to | | | | age. She has studied diamonds and their various |
| the surface, the soil is crushed and concentrated. | | | | uses. |
| Passing | | | | Without diamonds, many products that we enjoy |
| the concentrated material in a stream of water | | | | and use on |
| over greased | | | | a daily basis would not exist.She consults with |
| tables does the needed sorting. The diamond is | | | | various industries worldwide to help them |
| largely | | | | to understand diamonds uses in their |
| water | | | | manufacturing |
| repellent and sticks to the grease and the other | | | | processes. |