Lifestyle

Are Blood Diamonds Real Diamonds?

Blood diamonds are diamonds mined illegally to fund wars and other violent conflicts in Africa. These gems are typically located in areas controlled by rebel forces opposed to internationally recognized governments.

These blood diamonds precious gems are typically sold by rebel groups or organized crime syndicates on the black market. You can find them in countries like Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe.

What Makes a Diamond a Diamond?

Diamonds are one of the world’s most beloved gemstones. Their beauty, brilliance and fire make them ideal for jewelry designs lab-grown diamonds UK.

Diamonds are known to be the hardest substance known to man, making them highly durable and resistant to deterioration. This is because the carbon atoms in diamonds form strong covalent bonds between each other, creating an incredibly dense material.

They are found naturally between 150-250 miles deep within the Earth’s mantle, where temperatures and pressures required for creation can be reached. Unfortunately, these gems are quite rare and only exist in very small numbers.

What Makes a Diamond a Real Diamond?

What truly distinguishes a diamond from other minerals is its chemical composition and crystal structure. Carbon alone cannot make up this mineral, so diamonds require additional components to form their unique crystal structure.

This mineral forms under extreme temperatures and pressure, causing its carbon atoms to bond uniformly in all directions. This results in a crystal that’s hard but not quite as hard as diamond.

Diamonds are incredibly hard, scoring 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. That means anything with a higher Mohs score would scratch it easily.

Diamonds are known for their hardness, as well as being excellent thermal conductors. To test its capacity to conduct heat, simply breathe on it slowly and watch the fog dissipate.

This is an effective and straightforward test to determine whether a stone is fake or not. You can do it yourself or ask the retailer to have the gem tested for you.

What Makes a Diamond a Conflict-Free Diamond?

Diamonds are precious gems whose history includes funding civil wars and human rights abuses. As a result, many consumers are becoming increasingly interested in purchasing ethically sourced diamonds for their jewelry collections.

In response to this, the diamond industry joined forces with the United Nations to form The Kimberley Process, which requires diamond mining operations not to fund conflict or human rights abuses. Furthermore, this process seeks to guarantee that operations do not cause environmental damage.

Unfortunately, while this process has been successful in curbing global diamond trade that fuels violence and human rights violations, it does not fully address the underlying issue. As tracking individual diamonds throughout their entire journey can be tedious, it can often be impossible to guarantee they are truly ‘conflict-free’.

What Makes a Diamond a Lab-Grown Diamond?

The answer is straightforward: diamonds are crystallized carbon lattices in an isometric cubic system. No matter whether mined or grown in a lab, diamonds possess identical chemical, optical and physical characteristics that make them the ultimate gem.

A lab-grown diamond is created using the same chemical process used to mine mined diamonds – known as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).

In this process, a small seed crystal is placed in an environment filled with gases and heated to the appropriate temperature. Once these gases reach their target temperature, layers of carbon begin to form on top of the seed crystal.

Conclusion

This process takes up to six to twelve weeks and produces a large rough diamond that is then cut, polished and graded by world-renowned laboratories that certify earth-mined diamonds. The end result is an equally stunning diamond as natural ones without the mining concerns or conflict.

Erdmann

With a discerning eye and a penchant for depth, Erdmann crafts content that intrigues and informs. At indeedken.com, he navigates the intricacies of life, offering readers a compelling journey through thought and experience.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button