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Diamond Gemstone Quality
The quality of a diamond that has been faceted into a gem is primarily determined by four factors: color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. A standardized method of assessing diamond quality was developed in the 1950s by the Gemological Institute of America and is known as “The 4Cs of Diamond Quality” [5]. Color: Most gem-quality diamonds…
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Diamond as a Gemstone
Diamonds are the world’s most popular gemstones. Many times more money is spent on diamonds than on all other gemstones combined. Part of the reason for diamond’s popularity is a result of its optical properties – or how it reacts with light. Other factors include its durability, fashion, custom, and aggressive marketing by diamond producers. Diamond…
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Gem vs. Industrial Diamonds
Gem diamonds are diamonds with color and clarity that make them suitable for jewelry or investment use. These diamonds are rare and make up a minor portion of worldwide diamond production. Gemstone diamonds are sold for their beauty and quality. Natural diamond crystals have a specific gravity that ranges between approximately 3.4 to 3.6. This range…
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Physical Properties of Diamond
Chemical Classification Native element – Carbon Color Most diamonds are brown or yellow in color. The jewelry industry has favored colorless diamonds or those that have a color so subtle that it is difficult to notice. Diamonds in vivid hues of red, orange, green, blue, pink, purple, violet, and yellow are extremely rare and sell…
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How Do Diamonds Form?
Diamonds are not native to Earth’s surface. Instead they form at high temperatures and pressures that occur in Earth’s mantle about 100 miles below Earth’s surface. How do diamonds form?A detailed article that explains the four sources of diamonds found at Earth’s surface. Most of the diamonds that have been discovered were delivered to Earth’s…
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What is Diamond?
Diamond is a rare, naturally occurring mineral composed entirely of carbon. Each carbon atom in a diamond is surrounded by four other carbon atoms and connected to each of them by strong covalent bonds – the strongest type of chemical bond. This simple, uniform, tightly-bonded arrangement yields one of the most durable and versatile substances known. Diamond is the hardest known natural…
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Geographic Distribution of Diopside
Gem-quality chrome diopside and violane are mined in limited amounts in Siberia, Russia. Most of the chrome diopside used in jewelry today comes from a few locations in Siberia. Small occurrences of chrome diopside are also known in Austria, Brazil, Burma, Canada (Ontario and Quebec), Finland, India, Italy, Madagascar, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and…
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Diopside as an Industrial Mineral
Diopside has potential uses in ceramics, glass-making, biomaterials, nuclear waste immobilization, and fuel cell technology. Unfortunately, natural diopside is rarely found in deposits that simultaneously have a size, purity, and location that allows economic mining. This makes synthetic diopside cost-competitive with diopside produced by mining.
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Violane
Some diopside that was formed during the contact metamorphism of dolomite or limestone has a granular texture similar to marble. This material is known as “violane.” It is often white, gray, light blue, lilac, or purple in color. Violane accepts a bright polish and is sometimes used to make cabochons, beads, and ornamental items. Violane is…
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Star Diopside
Some diopside crystals are filled with microscopic needle-shaped inclusions that occur in a parallel alignment through the crystal structure of the mineral. This network of parallel inclusions is known as a “silk.” When this diopside is cut en cabochon, the parallel needles of the silk can reflect light much like how light is reflected from…