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Article: The diamond: the gem of gems.

Il diamante: La gemma delle gemme.

The diamond: the gem of gems.

Let's discover together its qualities and its curiosities.
The diamond is composed of only carbon atoms and is the only gem that has a single chemical element. Carbon is very common in nature, for example graphite and coal are formed of this 
diamond structure
element, this would not explain its rarity and hardness, but it is its isometric crystal structure (also called cubic) that is unique. In fact, the carbon atoms in this type of crystalline structure all have the same distance in all directions, creating a very strong chemical bond. It is these two aspects, carbon and crystalline structure, that create the optical and physical properties that make the diamond the hardest, most beautiful and most precious stone in nature.
This particular crystalline structure is due to the fact that diamonds are formed mostly at a depth between 120 and 200 km,
Inner earth

but sometimes even at about 750 km below the earth's surface, it is here that the conditions of temperature and pressure force the carbon atoms in an isometric structure. From these depths the diamonds are carried towards the surface by a particular type of molten rock called kimberlite or more rarely by lamproite. Only these two types of rocks guarantee the diamond, during its journey towards the surface, to maintain that balance between pressure and temperature without which it would cause changes in the crystal structure of the diamond, transforming them into graphite or carbon dioxide. Scientists estimate that the earliest deposition of diamonds on the Earth's surface dates back to 2.5 billion years ago and that the most recent is 50 million years ago.

Diamonds are mined from two types of deposits called primary and secondary.
Diamond mine

The primary deposits are the actual cones of volcanoes through which the diamonds arrived on the surface, the secondary deposits are the river beds that over the millennia have eroded the primary deposits and brought the rocks containing the precious gems downstream.  

Alluvial diamond mine

On average they have to be extracted from about 227 tons of rock for a diamond 1.00 ct, now if we consider that a carat is equivalent to 0.2 grams, between the weight of the diamonds obtained and the extracted rock there is a ratio in grams of 1: 1.135.000.000, this makes us understand the rarity and also the high cost of the precious gem. In the past, diamonds were recovered from crushing rocks through the use of strips sprinkled with grease, given the ability of the diamond to attach itself to this substance, today x-rays are used to recover the gem.

Once the rough diamonds have been selected for quality and size, they are sold through periodic auctions,
diamond

held by the major mine owners including De Beers through its branch for the sale and distribution of rough diamonds, the Diamond Trading Company, the Alrosa or Debswana Diamond, to the most important accredited wholesalers and cutters to participate in such auctions. These in turn sell the cut gems either to other smaller wholesalers or directly to jewelry stores.

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In this article I try to explain how diamonds are classified according to the 4Cs: carat, clarity, color and cut.

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