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World Diamond Demand

In 2009 the world demand for natural, unset gem-quality diamonds was about
$39 billion. The United States was the largest buyer of these gemstones with
a consumption of about $13.7 billion or 35% of total world consumption.

Although the United States is the largest consumer of gem quality diamonds it
has no commercial mine production. The only location in the United States
that currently produces gem-quality diamonds is the Crater of Diamonds State
Park in Arkansas where tourists can pay a small fee to prospect and keep any
diamonds that they find. In an exceptional year the Park will produce a few
hundred carats. This lack of domestic production requires the United States to
import virtually all of its diamond consumption.

What Countries Produce Gem Diamonds?


Since the 1870's most of the world's gem-quality diamonds have been mined
in Africa. The diamond production map at right shows all countries that
produced at least 200,000 carats of gem-quality diamonds during calendar
year 2009 in yellow.

The map illustrates that diamond production has spread to many parts of the
world. Diamond production in Russia and Canada has grown rapidly and
these countries diversify the geographic distribution of gem-quality diamond
production.

The histogram at right shows the estimated 2009 calendar year production for
countries that produced over 1 million carats of gem-quality diamonds.

Botswana
Botswana had insignificant production until 1970 and became one of the top
producers in the mid-1980s. Botswana has some of the highest yielding mines
in the world and has been the world's leading producer of diamonds since it
displaced Australia as the leading producer in 1999.

Russia
Russia began producing diamonds in the late 1950's and became one of the
top three producers in 1970. The Russian mines are at high latitude and in
demanding environments yet they continue to produce at high levels,
competing with Botswana for the leading producer position.

Canada
Canada is the real surprise. Commercial mining there began in the late
1990's. Numerous mines came online in rapid succession, quickly making
Canada one of the leading diamond producers. With more mines going into
production, Canada could become the #1 producer of gem-quality diamonds
in the next few years.

South Africa
South Africa was where the African diamond rush began in the 1870's. It
immediately became the leading producer of gem-quality diamonds and held
that position until the 1920's when Zaire entered major production. South
Africa has been a consistent producer for the past few decades with
production volumes regularly ranging between 4 million and 6 million carats
per year.

Australia
Australia entered commercial production in 1981 and quickly became the top
producer of gem-quality diamonds. In recent years, production in Australia
has fallen sharply as deposits there were depleted.

Where will the next big diamond discovery occur? Perhaps it will be in
Canada where many companies have allocated large budgets for exploration
and new transportation routes allow for delivery of equipment and supplies.
Or, it could be in the United States where rocks similar to the Canadian
production areas are being studied.

IMPORTANCE OF DIAMONDS

Diamonds have grading certificates for a reason, for your


protection and your diamonds protection as well. Accuracy is
very important to the beauty and value of your gemstone. It's
a good reason to remember the dates that your jewelry was
bought or when it was given to you. Usually to go on with
enhancing a stone, the clarity or inclusions have to be pretty
visible. Thus, they drill holes into the flaws and bleach out the
dark inclusions. This usually fills the holes or large inclusions
that break the surface up with a compatible material.

The only problem is that this makes the diamond unstable,


which means that it'll be difficult for someone to work on the
ring. Also, it can't be cleaned in a real ultrasonic or steamed
container. Diamonds are magnetic to oil and it needs to be
heated to release the oil from the stone. There is no way to
care for your diamond like a natural diamond. Find a nice GIA
cert diamond SI 2 in clarity and F- G in color with a good
make. Or, you can find an EGL SI1 EF as they are much more
lenient in their grading.
Diamonds are so valuable because the price of anything is
determined by supply and demand. There is a great demand
for diamonds and the appearance of a short supply is
maintained by DeBeers Consolidated.

The Seven major diamond mining countries of the world are:


Botswana, Russia, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Australia,
and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Diamonds are also mined in these countries: Brazil, Guyana,


Venezuela, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana,
Central African Republic, Tanzania, China, Indonesia,
Zimbabwe, and India.

Diamonds have been known since ancient times. They were


originally used as a tool to carve other gems like lapis and
carnelian.

Ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars


that had fallen on earth. Some said that they were the tears of
gods. Legend has it that there existed an inaccessible valley
somewhere in Central Asia; a carpet of diamonds covered it. It
was patrolled by prehistoric birds of prey and guarded by
venomous snakes. However, the truth is that the exact origin
of diamonds is still a mystery, to scientists and geologists.

Because of the clarity that diamonds may


posess, they are traditionally viewed as being
solely a gemstone. While this may
incorportate a significant portion of the
diamond industry, the uses of diamonds are
much more widespread than just jewelery.
Since not all diamonds can be clear and
flawless, a large portion of diamonds are not
viewed as desirable for gemstones

Since diamonds are formed at depth and under pressure, they are an extreamly r
towards heat and pressure. It is the exploitation of these properties of diamonds
their use widespread throughout a variety of industries today. Typical applicatio
using diamonds as a cutting tool, as a medium to transmit sound, and in a variet
As a result of the strength of diamonds, it has become standard to coat cockpit w
with a special coating (Attaway, 2002).

Gem Diamonds vs. Industrial Diamonds

Gemstone diamonds are stones with color and clarity that make them suitable fo
use. These stones are especially rare and make up a minor portion of worldwide
Gemstone diamonds are sold for their beauty and quality.

Industrial diamonds are mostly used in cutting, grinding, drilling and polishing p
hardness and heat conductivity characteristics are the qualities being purchased.
measures of quality relevant to gemstones are not important. Industrial diamond
produce micron-sized abrasive powders. Large amounts of diamonds that are ge
small to cut are sold into the industrial diamond trade.

Diamond Gemstone Quality


The quality of a diamond gemstone is
primarily determined by four factors:
color, cut, clarity and carats.

Color: Most gem quality diamonds


range from colorless to yellow. The
most highly regarded stones are those
that are completely colorless. These
are the ones sold for the highest prices.
However, another category of diamond
gemstone is increasing in popularity.
These are the "fancy" diamonds, which
occur in a variety of colors including,
red, pink, yellow, purple, blue and
green. The value of these stones is
based upon their color intensity, rarity
and popularity.

Cut: The quality of workmanship in a


diamond has a large impact upon its
quality. This influences not only the
geometric appearance of the stone but
also the stone's luster and fire. Ideal
stones are perfectly polished to be
highly reflective and emit a maximum
amount of fire. The faceted faces are
equal in size and identical in shape.
And, the edges of each faceted face
meets perfectly with each of its
neighbors.

Clarity: The ideal diamond is free from


internal flaws and inclusions (particles
of foreign material within the stone).
These detract from the appearance of
the stone and interfere with the
passage of light through the stone.
When present in large numbers or
sizes they can also reduce the strength
of the stone.

Carat: Diamonds are sold by the carat


(a unit of weight equal to 1/5th of a
gram or 1/142nd of an ounce). Small
diamonds cost less per carat than
larger stones of equal quality. This is
because very small stones are very
common and large stones are
especially rare.

Diamonds Used as an Abrasive


Because diamonds are very hard they
are often used as an abrasive. Most
industrial diamonds are used for these
purposes. Small particles of diamond
are embedded in a saw blade, a drill bit
or a grinding wheel for the purpose of
cutting, drilling or grinding. They might
also be ground into a powder and
made into a diamond paste that is used
for polishing or for very fine grinding.

There is a very large market for


industrial diamonds. Demand for them
exceeds the supply obtained through
mining. Synthetic diamonds are being
produced to meet this industrial
demand. They can be produced at a
low cost per carat and perform well in
industrial use.

Other Uses of Diamonds


Most industrial diamonds are used as
abrasives. However, small amounts of
diamond are used in other applications.

Diamond windows are made from


thin diamond membranes and used to
cover openings in lasers, x-ray
machines and vacuum chambers. They
are transparent, very durable and
resistant to heat and abrasion.

Diamond speaker domes enhance


the performance of high quality
speakers. Diamond is a very stiff
material and when made into a thin
dome it can vibrate rapidly without the
deformation that would degrade sound
quality.

Heat sinks are materials that absorb


or transmit excess heat. Diamond has
the highest thermal conductivity of any
material. It is used to conduct heat
away from the heat sensitive-parts of
high performance microelectronics.

Low friction microbearings are


needed in tiny mechanical devices.
Just as some watches have jewel
bearings in their movements diamonds
are used where extreme abrasion
resistance and durability are needed.

Wear-resistant parts can be


produced by coating surfaces with a
thin coating of diamond. In this
process, diamond is converted into a
vapor that deposits on the surface of
parts prone to wear.
Diamond - Mineral Properties
and Uses

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Most of the world's diamond
production is consumed by industry
for use as an abrasive in cutting,
grinding, drilling and polishing
procedures. The second category of
Uses of Diamond diamond use is as a gemstone. More
money is spent on diamonds than all
other types of gemstones combined.
A small amount of diamond goes to
other use. These include: heat sinks,
specialty windows and bearings.

Most industrial grade diamond is


black in color, often due to impurities.
Gem quality diamonds occur in a
Color range of colors. These include:
colorless, yellow, red, orange, green,
blue, and brown.

colorless - diamond is much harder


Streak than the streak plate

adamantine - the highest luster for a


Luster nonmetallic mineral

Diaphaneity transparent

Cleavage perfect, octahedral

Hardness 10

Specific Gravity 3.5 - 3.6

Distinguishing hardness, heat conductivity, crystal


Characteristics form

Crystal System isometric

Chemical Classification element

Chemical Composition Carbon

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