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Diamonds are the most prized gemstones on Earth. Besides being the world’s hardest mineral, or a perfect 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, diamonds typically have exceptional clarity and brilliance. In fact, the word diamond comes from the Greek...
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Diamonds are the most prized gemstones on Earth. Besides being the world’s hardest mineral, or a perfect 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, diamonds typically have exceptional clarity and brilliance. In fact, the word diamond comes from the Greek term adamas, meaning “unconquerable.” However, the high price of diamonds isn’t due to the gemstone’s rarity, but rather the monopolistic practices of De Beers, the colonialist South African mining corporation that controlled the vast majority of diamonds in the late 19th and 20th centuries. All things being equal, diamonds should not be so expensive, since they are found in numerous parts of the world and are mined on an industrial scale. Their manipulated marketplace, though, has kept their value high, which has unfortunately made them perfect vehicles for abuse, such as in African countries like Angola, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, where so-called blood diamonds have been used to fund civil and cross-border wars. Some companies now use the label “conflict-free” to indicate that their stones are not funding warfare, though it’s often difficult to verify this. Diamonds are formed when carbon is subjected to extremely high pressures and temperatures, such as that found in the Earth's mantle, or about 90 miles below the surface. These stones eventually rise to the surface during deep-source volcanic eruptions. Some diamonds are also created along subduction zones, where rock is forced into the mantle and then returned to the Earth’s surface, or at the impact sites of asteroids. Before the discovery of diamonds in South Africa’s kimberlite rock, most of these gemstones came from secondary sources, like riverbed gravel, in India and Brazil. The Golkonda mines in India, for example, were the source of the 108-carat Koh-i-Noor and the 45-carat Hope diamond. In the late 1860s, diamonds were found in kimberlite rock in South Africa. Soon after, the British owners of these mines joined together to form De Beers...
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All About Jewels Dictionary
This incredible reference dictionary on jewelry, from Enchantedlearning.com, is both beautiful...
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Best of the Web

All About Jewels Dictionary
This incredible reference dictionary on jewelry, from Enchantedlearning.com, is both beautiful...