Who would think that the most precious diamonds are actually hard rocks. In fact it is the hardest natural material known to us. Diamonds have always fascinated us as they sparkle and glitter sometimes it seems that they are flashing with white fire. Diamonds are typically yellow, brown or gray to colorless. Less often blue, green, black, translucent white, pink, violet, orange, purple and red. They are very valuable and expensive despite being found for free in the ground. Why? Because they are found rarely!! Diamonds can be discovered in rivers , on land or in deserts. Some are found in the meteorite craters. But how do they get there?

Now millions of years ago a mineral called carbon got melted by flaming vocanoes. After that huge earthquakes pressed the rocks tightly together. This melted carbon stayed there and by the time it cooled it had changed into diamonds.

The continent that is richest in the diamonds is Africa. Is it not sad that the people of Africa have no food even though they have lots of diamonds?

The diamonds that are found in the mines at first look like pieces of glass. There are some diamonds that have some defects and are not clear enough, those diamonds are used for other purposes because of their hardness. These are called industrial diamonds. They are mostly used to make diamond edged tools. In fact 80% of mined diamonds are industrial diamonds.

However the stones that are flawless need to be processed. A specialist diamond cutter cuts them in a unique way so that they start glittering. Diamonds are so hard that only other diamonds can cut them, so all the tools of a diamond cutter are edged with diamond. After the diamond has been cut it is polished to give it a sparkle.

Now it becomes ready to be a part of rings or crowns or necklaces.

Did you know:

The largest polished diamond is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, it is the size of a hand fist. It is a part of Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.