35 Interesting Diamond Facts

We have always been facinated by the diamond, and continue to adore its beauty, brilliance and natural perfection.  The diamond is the most wanted gemstone in the world.  But why do we love diamonds so much?  Here is some fun diamond trivia to highlight the wonders of our favourite gemstone.

1. Diamonds are made of carbon
2. A diamond is a semi-conductor
3. Diamond is the best tool for cutting glasses
4. Round cut diamonds have 58 facets
5. Diamonds were originally mined in India over 2,800 years ago
6. There are over 16,000 different classifications of diamonds
7. Only one diamond in a million will weigh one carat or more
8. 25% of Israel’s total export earnings come from Diamonds
9. The largest diamond ever discovered weight 3106 carats
10. Diamonds are known as symbols of courage, strength and invincibility
11. Diamond is the hardest substance in the earth.  Despite its astounding resistance to scratches, it is also very brittle that it will break into pieces when you hammer it
12. Diamonds can come in varieties of clear, yellow, green, blue and rare pink
13. Diamonds are extremely good conductors of heat, 4 times better than copper
14. A diamond has a melting point of approximately 4,000 degrees centigrade
15. All diamonds are at least 990,000,000 years old. Many are 3,200,000,000 years old
16. A single diamond of two carats is worth more than twice as much as 2 one carat diamond
17. The atomic weight of a diamond (carbon) is 12.0107 and the atomic number is 6
18. More than 250 tons of ore need to be blasted, crushed and processed to yield just one carat of rough diamond
19. On average, each stone will lose 50% of its original weight after cutting and polishing
20. A diamond is four times harder then the next hardest material - corundum.
21. Artificial diamonds are made by the application of heat and pressure greater than 125 kBar.
22. The word ‘carat’ is thought to be derived from the Carab Bean – an ancient unit of weight
23. Diamonds are mined in 25 different countries: only Europe and Antarctica don't have diamond mines
24. The land of South Africa is the major producer of diamonds: 65% percent of the total quantity of diamonds came from this country
25. It is calculated that approximately only 500 tonns of diamonds have ever been recorded in history to date
26. Almost three quarters of a million people work in the diamond industry in India
27. Estimations have been made that one percent of women will ever wear a diamond of one carat or more
28. The ancient Greeks believed diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to the earth
29. The largest cut diamond was always the Great Star of Africa at 530 carats until recently.  Not the largest is the Golden Jubilee, a fancy yellow-brown stone at 545.67 carats
30. The word ‘diamond’ originates from the Greek ‘adamas’ meaning ‘unconquerable’ or ‘invincible’
31. The tradition of giving a diamond engagement ring gift comes from Archduke Maximilian of Austria who gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy in 1477
32. The engagement ring is traditionally worn on the third finger of the left hand ever since the early Egyptian belief taught that the vein of love(‘vena amoris’) ran directly from the heart to the top of the left third finger
33. At one time it was said that diamonds could determine guilt or innocence.  If the accused was guilty, the diamond would appear darker.  In the presence of innocence, it would glow with more brilliance
34. Plato wrote of diamonds being as living beings, embodying celestial spirits
35. Diamonds were once believed to sweat in the presence of poison and were believed to be deadly if swallowed