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Engagement
Ring Guru > Additional Articles - Series 1
About Diamonds
A diamond is actually carbon in its most concentrated form. Except for
trace impurities like boron and nitrogen, diamond is composed solely of
carbon, the chemical element that is fundamental to all life.
But a diamond is distinctly different from its close cousins the common
mineral graphite and lonsdaleite, both of which are also composed of
carbon. The diamond is the hardest surface known while graphite is
exceedingly soft. It is also transparent while graphite is opaque and
metallic black.
The differences lie in diamond's particular arrangement of carbon atoms or
its crystal structure--the feature that defines any mineral's fundamental
properties. A crystal is a solid body formed from the bonding of atomic
elements or compounds in a repeating arrangement. Crystals frequently
possess smooth external faces. Due to their symmetrical and finite nature,
the building blocks of crystals are limited to relatively small numbers of
atoms, and their chemical compositions to simple numerical combinations of
elements.
Using this cubic form and its highly symmetrical arrangement of atoms,
diamond crystals can develop in a variety of different shapes known as
"crystal habits." The octahedron, or eight-sided shape that we associate
with diamonds is its most common crystal habit. But diamond crystals can
also form cubes, dodecahedra, and even combinations of these shapes. All
of these shapes are manifestations of the cubic crystal system to which
the mineral diamond belongs.
Diamond is renowned for its hardness. Hardness is the measure of a
substance's resistance to being scratched, and only a diamond can scratch
another diamond. Diamond is the hardest substance known.
Hardness is not the only measure of a mineral's durability--the relative
resistance to fracture is another. Although diamond is not fragile or
prone to breaking apart, all substances including diamond can fracture or
shatter.
Due to its particular crystal structure, diamond has certain planes of
weakness along which it can be split.
A diamond is said to have perfect cleavage in four different directions,
meaning it will separate neatly along these lines rather than in a jagged
or irregular fashion. This is because the diamond crystal has fewer
chemical bonds along the plane of its octahedral face than in other
directions.
Diamond cutters take advantage of cleavage to fashion diamonds
efficiently.
A diamond's strong bonding and carbon composition cause its surface to
repel water but to readily accept wax and grease. These two properties
provide an effective means of separating diamonds from other minerals that
come out of
mining operations. Washed gravel containing diamonds is flushed with water
over a sloping surface covered with a mixture of wax and grease, a "grease
table." The diamonds stick to the table, while the wetted waste minerals
wash over it. Gem diamonds readily pick up a greasy film, but cleaning
with ammonia or a good detergent restores their brilliance.
A diamond's brilliance and luster are two of its most valued attributes.
The science behind such phenomena is diamond's great ability to refract
light; that is, to bend or slow light as it passes through it.
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