Diamonds Interesting FACTS

• The word "Diamond" comes from the Greek word "Adamas" and means "unconquerable and indestructible"

• The diamond is the hardest natural substance found on the Earth

• Diamonds have very high melting point of 3820K (3547' C/ 6420' F) and a boiling point of 5100K (4827' C/ 8720' F)

• The diamond is a birthstone for people born in the month of April

• Most diamonds found in nature are between one to three billion years old

• The Earth is estimated at 4.5 billion years old. The oldest diamonds are believed to have been crystallized around 3.3 Billion years ago

• Diamonds were first discovered in India and then in Brazil

• Diamonds were originally found and mined in India, Brazil, South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Congo; however today, diamonds also come from Guinea, Lesotho, Siera Leone, China, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Guyana, Central African Republic, Canada, and Australia

• The top three diamonds mines in the world are: Botswana (24 million carats), Russia (17.8 million carats) and Canada (10.9 million carats)

• 80% of diamonds go toward industrial uses

• To produce a single one-carat diamond, 250 tons of earth will be mined

• The earliest record of man giving diamond to a woman was in 1477 when the Archduke of Austria gave a diamond to Mary of Burgundy. On average, each stone will lose 50% of its original weight during cutting and polishing

• Diamonds form 90 – 120 miles beneath the surface of the earth and are carried to the surface by volcanic eruptions

• The U.S. is the world’s largest diamond market. Although the U.S. accounts for less than one-percent of total global gemstone production, America buys more than half of the world's total gem quality diamonds

• There are white dwarf stars in space that have a diamond core. The biggest diamond known in universe weights 2.27 thousand trillion tons which is 10 billion trillion carats, or a 1 followed by 34 zeros

• The largest diamond ever found was the Cullinan at 3106 carats

• 80% of the world's diamonds are not suitable for jewelry

• Diamonds worn in ancient times were believed to promote strength, invincibility and courage

• Color of diamond is usually pale yellow to colorless, but can also be brown, blue, green, orange, red, pink and black

• The ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen on the earth

• Romans believed that diamonds had the power to ward off evil and wore them as talismans. They inherited this belief from Indian mythology

• A law in Thirteenth-century France decreed that only the King could wear diamonds