A new month, and time for some fun facts about the April birthstone - diamond! We all know diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but you may not know some of these Diamond Fun Facts:
The largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered was the Cullinan diamond in 1905 in South Africa. After cutting and polishing, the two largest pieces were 530 carats and 317 carats. Both are part of the British crown jewels.
Cullinan diamond pieces in the rough
The first known diamond engagement ring was from 1477, when Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave a diamond ring to his fiancee. However, diamond engagement rings didn’t become popular until after 1867, with a discovery in South Africa that started a huge increase in the diamond supply.
Diamonds form in the Earth’s molten mantle, and are brought up into the crust during small, violent volcanic eruptions. They remain behind in the volcanic kimberlite pipe that brought the lava to the surface. The ancient Hindus believed diamonds were created by lightning bolts that struck the Earth - although that would have been a huge lightning bolt, as kimberlite pipes are up to a kilometer wide!
Kimberlite pipe
It appears that diamonds have only formed three times in the Earth’s history - 3.3 billion, 2.9 billion, and 1.2 billion years ago - and that Earth no longer makes diamonds! Diamonds do (very) occasionally arrive on meteorites, however.
As the hardest known material, diamonds can only be cut with other diamonds - such as diamond dust applied to a saw or polishing wheel - or, in more modern times, with a laser.
And if high-priced diamonds aren’t quite your thing, check out my glittering sun-melted glass jewelry made from Coca-Cola bottles!
April birthstone: diamond-colored glass jewelry
It’s the symbol of enduring love, a girl’s best friend, and the symbol of eternity. While traditionally colorless or white, often diamonds do have a tinge of color about them.
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