What makes a diamond so precious? Why are diamonds so expensive? What's so special about diamonds?.
Diamond are known as the hardest natural substance on earth. It takes millions of years for diamonds to form. Diamonds aren't just expensive sparking jewelry that people spend tons of money on, they are also known as the sharpest rock on earth. People use diamonds as beautiful, meaningful jewelry, and for extremely sharp saw blades. The saw blades made from diamonds are so sharp that it can cut through just about anything on earth. It takes one diamond to cut another diamond. (Schumann p. 14).
The first diamond was formed about 3.3 billion years ago. The process in which diamonds are formed takes a lot of time and patience. Only nature can form these amazing rocks. It is impossible for man to create such a substance for no single man will live long enough to see the creation of diamonds. These rocks are formed about 200 km or about 150 miles deep inside the earth's mantle layers. Elements of carbon are arranged into a lattice (Lattice - The atoms of Diamond are packed closer together than are the atoms of any other substance) deep underground. Tons of pressure slowly compress the carbon elements and after billions of years (2 - 3 billion years) the elements are crystallized and diamonds are formed inside the rocks surrounding the elements. It's an easy process, but it takes all the time and patience in the world for these precious substance to be created. (Schumann p. 42).
The way diamonds are found is also almost a natural process of nature. People don't exactly wait for the 3.3 billion year to hit, then jump for the chance to go diamond hunting. It comes naturally through volcanic eruptions. After a volcanic eruption, land melts and the lava picks up the diamonds. As lava flows through certain areas of land and mountains, it gradually cools down and leaves deposits of diamonds along its path as it slowly cools.
