The Shine Of Science –

THE DIAMOND

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Getting to know aboutDIAMONDS

In mineralogy, diamond (from the ancient Greek "unbreakable") is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centre cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice Diamond is renowned as a material with superlative physical qualities, most of which originate from the strong covalent bonding between its atoms. In particular, diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material. Those properties determine the major industrial application such as polishing tools and the scientific applications in diamond knives and diamond anvil cells.

Properties Of DiamondsHardness : hardest substance in

the world, with hardness equal to 10 grade.Electricity Conductivity : used as a semi conductor in some special applications.Surface Property : These are lipopholic and hydrophobic

Chemical Stability : Not very reactive ,reacts at temperature, t <1000 C

Extracting Diamonds…..  Mining, the extracting of ore, can be broken down into a three step

process with diamonds.  The first step is to extract the ore and two different practices are common in North America.  In Colorado at the State Line Kimberlitic District, open pit mining is the best choice for extracting the kimberlitic ore.  During this open pit mining, much of the ore is removed with land movers and shovels, loaded into trucks and carried to the processing area.  Open pit mining is also common in Canada, but another method is used as well, the block caving method.  During this process, columns are drilled down next to the pipe to the desired depth.  Next, tunnels are drilled into the kimberlitic and lined with concrete with holes in it to catch the kimberlitic as it is blasted (shown below).  The blasted ore falls into the tunnels and is transported to a crusher by way of a pulley system.  The ore is then transported from the crusher to the processing area

The second step of mining is to process the ore to seperate the diamonds from the rest of the ore.  The ore is put into a large funnel along with a heavy fluid and is then mixed, causeing a rotation in the fluid.  This process is much like panning for gold.  As diamonds are more dense than the surrounding material, they tend to sink while the rest of the material rises to the top and spills out.  According to the Natural Museum of History, "99 percent of the waste in ore is removed.  To further seperate the remaining one percent of.waste, an X-ray diamond recovery machine is used.  This machine is used in the State Line Kimberlite District in Colorado.   The final step in mining is the seperation of diamonds into industrial grade and gemstone grade stones.  This can be done at the mine or at a diamond center.

Extracting Diamonds….…

Imp….. Diamond minesImportant mines of DiamondLethankane diamond mine Africa

Baken Diamond mine Africa

Mirny mine Russia

Udachny mine Russia

Kollur mine India

Panna India

Victor Diamond Mine Canada

Merlin Diamond Mine Australia

Ellendale Diamond Mine Australia

polishingPolishing Of Diamond

After initial cutting, the diamond is shaped in numerous stages of polishing. Unlike cutting, which is a responsible but quick operation, polishing removes material by gradual erosion and is extremely time consuming. The associated technique is well developed; it is considered as a routine and can be performed by technicians. After polishing, the diamond is re-examined for possible flaws, either remaining or induced by the process. Those flaws are concealed through various diamond enhancement techniques, such as repolishing, crack filling, or clever arrangement of the stone in the jewellery. Remaining non-diamond inclusions are removed through laser drilling and filling of the voids produced.

Diamonds are judged on several factors that determine their beauty. Most diamonds never reach the consumer market because they are too flawed. Often, these diamonds are used for industrial purposes -- as an abrasive, for drill bits or for cutting diamonds and other gems. If you've ever purchased a diamond, you've heard of the "4 Cs:“

1 .Cut - This refers to a diamond's geometric proportions and how it has been cut. When a diamond is cut, facets are created and the diamond's finished shape is determined.

2. Clarity - This is the measurement of a diamond's flaws, or inclusions that are seen in the diamond. Clarity levels begin with Flawless and move down to Very Very Slight (VVS), Very Slight (VS) and Slightly Included (SI).

3. Carat - This is the weight of a diamond. One carat is equal to about 200 milligrams.

4. Color - In referring to transparent diamonds, the color scale runs from D to Z, beginning with Icy White -- the color of the most expensive transparent diamonds -- and ending with a light yellow.

The Four C’s

1) Up to eighty percent of the world's diamonds are only suitable for industrial purposes. 2) Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance known to man—the only thing that can cut a diamond is another diamond. 3) Diamonds are crystals formed out of carbon. 4)Diamond is considered a traditional engagement ring in many parts of the world and an anniversary gift for the sixtieth and seventy-fifth years of marriage. 5) Some diamonds glow blue or orange when they are exposed to ultraviolet light. 6) The earliest diamonds came from India, and were found in the beds of streams. 7) Pink diamonds are rather common in Australian diamond mines. A one carat pink diamond recently sold for over $850,000. 8) Diamonds are formed 190 miles or more beneath the earth's surface, and rise upward through kimberlitic and lamproite igneous pipes. 9) The Brilliant Cut is most often seen today and has gradually evolved since the early 1600's. Today it has 58 facets. 10) Until very recently, eighty percent of the world diamond trade was controlled by DeBeers. This cartel kept the value of diamonds at a consistent level. 11)Diamonds are evaluated by the four C's: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Cartages.

Amazing Facts About Diamonds

Aayush Singh

Aditya Patel

Kashish batra

Mayank Agarawal

Ronak Daswani

Rajveer Chauhan

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