Top 46 Interesting Facts About Diamonds
- Diamonds are composed of pure carbon.
- The word "diamond" comes from the Greek word "adamas," meaning invincible or indestructible.
- Diamonds can only be cut and polished by another diamond.
- The largest diamond ever found is the Cullinan diamond, weighing 3,106 carats.
- The Cullinan diamond was cut into several smaller diamonds, including the Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa.
- The Great Star of Africa is the largest polished diamond in the world, weighing 530.4 carats.
- Diamonds are formed deep beneath the Earth's surface, under high pressure and temperature.
- Diamonds were first discovered in India around 800 B.C.
- Today, most of the world's diamonds come from mines in Russia, Botswana, Canada, and Australia.
- The first diamond engagement ring was given in 1477 by Archduke Maximilian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy.
- The practice of giving diamond engagement rings became popular in the 20th century.
- The Hope Diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world, known for its deep blue color and size of 45.52 carats.
- The Hope Diamond is said to be cursed, bringing bad luck to anyone who possesses it.
- Diamonds come in a range of colors, including pink, blue, yellow, and green.
- Colored diamonds are rare and valuable, with pink and blue diamonds being among the most valuable.
- The pink diamond known as the Pink Star sold for a record $71.2 million at auction in 2017.
- The clarity of a diamond is determined by the number and size of its internal and external flaws, known as inclusions and blemishes.
- The cut of a diamond refers to its proportions, angles, and symmetry, which determine its brilliance and fire.
- The round brilliant cut is the most popular diamond cut, known for its maximum brilliance and fire.
- Other popular diamond cuts include the princess cut, emerald cut, and cushion cut.
- The princess cut is a square or rectangular cut with pointed corners.
- The emerald cut is a rectangular cut with beveled corners.
- The cushion cut is a square or rectangular cut with rounded corners.
- The carat weight of a diamond refers to its weight, with one carat equaling 0.2 grams.
- The price of a diamond is determined by its carat weight, cut, clarity, and color.
- The four Cs of diamond quality are cut, clarity, color, and carat weight.
- The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is the world's leading diamond grading laboratory.
- GIA grades diamonds on a scale from D (colorless) to Z (yellow or brown).
- A diamond's fluorescence refers to its tendency to emit a soft glow under ultraviolet light.
- Most diamonds have some degree of fluorescence, but strong fluorescence can affect a diamond's appearance.
- A diamond's shape refers to its overall form, while its cut refers to the angles and proportions of its facets.
- The number of facets on a diamond varies depending on its shape and cut.
- The most popular diamond shapes include round, princess, oval, pear, marquise, emerald, and cushion.
- Diamonds are often used in industrial applications due to their hardness and durability.
- Diamonds are used in the cutting and polishing of other materials, such as glass, ceramics, and metals.
- A diamond is the hardest natural substance on earth, rating 10 on the Moh’s scale of mineral hardness, created by German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. Talc rates 1 on this scale.
- A diamond can't be scratched by another other mineral than another diamond.
- A diamond is virtually fireproof. In order for a diamond to burn, it must be heated to 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Only half the diamonds mined today are of gem quality.
- Only one diamond in a million will weigh one carat or more.
- A single diamond of two carats is worth more than twice as much as 2 one carat diamond.
- More than 250 tons of ore need to be processed to yield just one carat of rough diamond.
- Diamonds are mined in 25 different countries. Only Europe and Antarctica don't have diamond mines.
- All natural diamonds are at least 990,000,000 years old. The oldest known diamond is 3.3 billion years old.
- The first written notation of precious diamonds dates back to around 500 B.C.
- The largest polished diamond in the world s the Golden Jubilee Diamond, a fancy yellow diamond, weighing 545.67 carat.