Natural Diamonds

With all the clamor and demand for diamonds nowadays, especially of colored diamonds, gemologists have created ways to simulate the appearance and quality of natural diamonds by creating synthetic or laboratory diamonds. However, as with all things, natural is still better.

How are natural diamonds made anyway? Natural diamonds are formed in the lithospheric mantle of the earth, which must be located below stable continental plates. It is here that carbon bearing materials are exposed to forty-five to sixty kilobars of high pressure, at a low temperature of one thousand six hundred and fifty degrees to two thousand three hundred and seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Another place where diamonds are formed is at the site of a meteoric site.

In the lithospheric mantle, which is usually one hundred and forty to one hundred and ninety-kilometers deep, the temperature and pressure conditions listed above must coincide in order for a diamond to be formed. Cratons are places in the lithospheric mantle that are stable continental plates. When diamond crystals begin to form in cratonic areas, the diamond crystals grow larger in size.

Another way that diamonds are formed is through occurrences where there is high impact or pressure. Examples of such places are in sites where meteorites are found. These sites produce the right combination of high pressure and low temperature that is perfect for the formation of a diamond. Some natural diamonds are also formed outside of the Earth. One example is the “carbonado diamond”, which is said to have been transported to the Earth through an asteroid impact.

Diamonds are a big business. There are one hundred and thirty million natural diamonds mined every year, on the average. That means nine billion US dollars worth of diamonds. According to statistics, forty-nine percent of these crystals are mined in Africa.

It is important to note that the mining industry in Africa is mostly controlled by only a few powerful rebel groups. If you have seen the movie “Blood Diamond”, you are probably aware of the controversy involving conflict diamonds or blood diamonds in Africa. Here, the money or profit derived from the diamond trade is used to fund their rebellious and illegal activities.

That is why it is so important for the worldwide authorities to impose actual penalties and restrictions on those who violate the law when it comes to the mining and selling of natural diamonds. It also requires the vigilance of distributors and buyers to ensure that they are purchasing conflict-free diamonds.

Other places on Earth where diamond mines are found are in Canada, India, Brazil, Australia and Russia. Each country has varying geographic conditions, hence the variation in color and quality of the natural diamonds that are mined from these places as well. The United States is also a source of diamonds. States like Arkansas, Colorado and Montana have been recently discovered as potential sources of diamonds.

According to statistics, the best places to find diamond deposits are in Sakha Republic which is located in Russia. Other countries like Bostwana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are other sources of natural diamonds as well.