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Industrial vs gem quality diamondsancient times, and is the source of its name. However, there have been synthetic diamonds created which are even harder.
The hardest natural diamonds in the world are diamonds from the New England area in New South Wales, Australia. These diamonds are generally small, and are used to polish other diamonds.
Industrial use of diamonds has
historically been associated with their hardness; this property makes diamond the ideal material for cutting and grinding tools. It is one of the most known and most useful of more than 3,000 known minerals. As the hardest known naturally occurring material, diamond can be used to polish, cut, or wear away any material, including other diamonds. Common industrial adaptations of this ability include diamond-tipped drill bits and saws, or use of diamond powder as an abrasive. Other specialized applications also exist or are being developed, including use as semiconductors: some blue diamonds are natural semiconductors, in contrast to most other diamonds, which are excellent electrical insulators. Industrial-grade diamonds are either unsuitable for use as gems or synthetically produced, which lowers their price and makes their use economically feasible. Industrial applications, especially as drill bits and engraving tools, also date to ancient times.
The hardness of diamonds also contributes to its suitability as a gemstone. Because it can only be scratched by other diamonds, it maintains its polish extremely well, keeping its luster over long periods of time. Unlike many other gems, it is well-suited to daily wear because of its resistance to scratching-perhaps contributing to its popularity as the preferred gem in an engagement ring or wedding ring, which are often worn every day.
Citrine
gemstone, citrine is actually somewhat rare in nature. Citrine is one of the most affordable gemstones, thanks to the durability and availability of this golden quartz. Named from the French name for lemon,"citron," many citrines have a juicy lemon...
Corundum
Corundum is the form of mineral from which sapphires and rubies are derived. The mineral is naturally clear, but can have different colors when impurities are present. Transparent corundums are used as gems, and if they're red, then they're rubies,...
Marie Antoinette Earrings
There's no more fascinating subject in history than the doomed French Queen Marie Antoinette. Much maligned by history (she never said "Let them eat cake," in response to the people's need for bread), she was an unwilling part of the one of the...
Shapes
The cut of a diamond refers to the way the stone is shaped and polished, how the facets are arranged and how deep or shallow it's cut. There are various cuts of diamonds that refer to that, many of them patented. Both Asscher and Princess diamonds...
Ruby and Sapphire
It's hard to imagine that a mineral with a name as mundane as corundum yields gems as exquisite as the ruby and sapphire, or even that these two stones, so different in color and mystique, are actually the same mineral family. Lucky you if...
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