Diamond Facts

Michael Bryan

Michael Bryan

Published: 07 Jan 2020

Modified: 14 Sep 2021

diamond facts
  4. Most diamonds have ages between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years. Furthermore, the youngest diamond is around 900 million years old.
  5. Diamonds form about 160 km below ground. With this in mind, the diamonds and have been carried to the earth’s surface by deep volcanic eruptions.
  1. Jwaneng diamond mine is the deepest diamond mine (625 meters). Above all, it is one of the most valuable diamond mines in the world.
  2. The Jwaneng diamond mine is located in south-central Botswana, a country in Southern Africa.
  3. Russia holds the world’s largest diamond reserves. Accordingly, the country has 650 million carats.
  4. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. With this in mind, a 1-carat diamond can cost as low as $2,000 and as high as $25,000. As of the year 2019, the average diamond price is $12,000.
  5. Diamonds are actually overpriced because there are enough people willing to pay for its price. For instance, diamonds have been advertized as premium stones. Thus, consumers continue to think that diamonds should be expensive.
  6. Diamonds come from carbon. In fact, diamonds are hard because each carbon atom participates in four very strong covalent bonds that form between carbon atoms.
  7. According to geologists, all diamonds from the earth come from the earth’s mantle.
  8. The Cullinan Diamond is the world’s largest diamond ever found. To illustrate, the diamond weighs 3,106.75 carats, or 621.35 grams. Currently, the Cullinan Diamond is worth $400 million.
  9. The Cullinan Diamond is discovered at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa. The Cullinan Diamond gets its name from the mining Chairman, Thomas Cullinan.
  10. In the year 1477, Archduke Maxmillian of Austria gave Mary of Burgundy a gold ring with diamonds. It is the first known use of a diamond as an engagement ring.
  1. Early civilizations believed that diamonds gave the soldiers strength and courage during battle, and some kings wore diamonds on their armor as they fight into battle.
  2. Diamonds were thought to have healing properties during the 5th to 10th centuries. In particular, they use diamonds to treat sickness and fatigue.
  3. Decorations are one of the primary purposes of diamonds during ancient times. Furthermore, diamond is one of the best-known and most sought-after gemstones to this day.
  4. Aside from being famous in the jewelry industry, diamonds are also used for cutting, polishing, and drilling tools.
  5. Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring mineral.
Table of Contents

Diamonds are formed through extreme heat and pressure.

Under conditions of extreme heat and pressure, the carbon atoms crystallize in the earth’s mantle. As a result, diamonds form over billions of years. Thus, the most common way diamonds are formed is through volcano pipe eruptions shooting upward from the mantle.

The first diamonds were mined in India.

Diamonds were first mined in India around the 4th century BC. Furthermore, India is the only source of diamonds during ancient times. This is why India was the world’s leading source of diamonds, from ancient times until the year 1726. However, from the year 1726 to present, diamonds became more popular, leading to more and more countries joining the diamond rush hunt, taking away the throne from India as the leading diamond producer.

diamond mining
Photo from Getty Images

There are many countries producing diamonds now, not only India.

Today, the leading countries that produce diamonds are Russia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia, Canada, Zimbabwe, Angola, South Africa, and Lesotho.

Russia is the largest producer and exporter of rough diamonds by volume.

Aside from the fact that Russia holds the world’s largest diamond reserves, it is also the world’s largest producer and exporter of rough diamonds by volume. Furthermore, Russia is the home of the world’s largest diamond mine.  The Yubileyny diamond mine is located in Sakha, Russian Federation, which has been operating since the year 1986.

Alrosa is the world leader in diamond mining.

Alrosa is a group of Russian diamond mining companies that enjoys a diamond monopoly. It is a largely state-owned venture jointly owned by the Far Eastern Yakutia region and the Russian state. According to the company, Alrosa is the world leader in diamond mining and contributes to nearly 33% of global rough diamond production.

Not all diamonds are colorless.

In contrast to popular beliefs, not all diamonds are colorless. Rare diamonds come in different shades of red, green, orange, yellow, brown, black, pink and blue.

coloured diamonds
Photo from Getty Images

Diamonds can lose up to 50% of its weight in the process of polishing and cutting.

Diamonds can lose up to 50% of its weight in the process of polishing and cutting even with modern techniques. Consequently, there are times when the cutters sacrifice and accept lesser proportions and symmetry just to avoid inclusions or to preserve the weight.

Lab-grown diamonds are considered a real diamond.

Lab-grown diamonds have been increasing in popularity due to several reasons such as value, quality, and beauty. In addition, the lab-grown diamond is created in a laboratory under artificial conditions that imitate the natural process using carbon. The good news is, in terms of chemical properties and structure, lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds.

Around 250 tons of the earth's land is mined just to produced 1 carat of diamond.

Since diamonds are formed more than 100 kilometers under the surface of the earth, 250 tons of the earth’s land is mined just to produced 1 carat of diamond. In addition, 80% of the world’s diamonds are not suitable for jewelry.

Scientists spotted that there are white dwarf stars that contain diamonds.

Scientists spotted that there are white dwarf stars in space that each contains a diamond. Furthermore, that makes it the largest diamond in the known universe which weighs a staggering 2 thousand trillion tons and holds up to 10 billion carats.