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Diamonds

            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.


Essays Related to Diamonds

1. Blood Diamonds

... a failed coup attempt in 1987, up until the start of the civil war in l991. De Beers believes that "conflict diamonds" are properly defined as diamonds mined or stolen by rebels who are in opposition to the legitimate Government of a country. As illegal products, it is obviously ... billion, or roughly 3.7 percent, could accurately be described as coming from areas which were under rebel control in 1999 [see Annex 1]. Annex 1: Conflict Diamonds -- Estimate Against Total World Production, 1999 (US $Million) COUNTRY CONFLICT NON CONFLICT TOTAL BOTSWANA 1,782 1,782 RUSSIA 1,625 1,625 SOUTH...

  • Word Count: 2187
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography

2. Conflict Diamonds in Sierra Leone

... ). This coup led to civil war within the country. The Revolutionary United Front moved through the country destroying villages and towns, and forced many of the locals to mine for diamonds. These diamonds were then used to finance the war, because they could be traded for weapons, or for money to then purchase weapons and pay soldiers. Resisting the Revolutionary United Front ... was punishable by death. The Partnership Africa Canada performed a study on the number of casualties conflict diamonds have caused and concluded that an, "upwards of 50,000 [have been] killed, half the populatio...

  • Word Count: 1037
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. The High Demand and Low Supply of Diamonds

... percent each year. Diamond demand is overtaking supply. The decrease of supply will in turn increase the equilibrium price of diamonds within the market. The unavoidable result of the struggle for diamonds is an increase in price. Prices will rise for the conceivable future because populations continue to grow as does disposable ... . My opinion regarding the issue of the shortage of diamond supply is that we need to rely on new methods of retrieving diamonds. I realize that many diamond mining countries have went from open-pit operations to underground production, but more needs to be d...

  • Word Count: 613
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. The truth about diamonds

... control just about every diamond mine in the world, they keep production very low, helping to keep prices very high. That's part of why diamonds are so expensive. Now, what about the symbols of love and affection? Congratulations, you've been suckered. In 1938, De Beers hired one ... over the size of various rings, "Humphrey Bogart proposed with a three carat ring!" Fashion designers were hired to talk about the "trend towards diamonds". They even got Queen Elizabeth into it- she was convinced to take big well-publicized trips to diamond mines and started wearing diamond jewelry. In ......

  • Word Count: 621
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Diamonds

... opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council." These diamonds are illegal and the money fuels the regimes such as in Liberia, or to militias such as Revolutionary United Front or RUF. The RUF organization is best known for cutting ... level in Africa is a major reason why the diamond trade is able to fuel the wars that harm the people. The classic example of corruption is seen in Liberia as diamonds help fuel "the regional ambitions o...

  • Word Count: 682
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. African Dilemma

... . Secondly, I will discuss the situation in Sierra Leone concerning the diamond trade. There has been a power struggle over the conflict of "blood diamonds" in Sierra Leone and surrounding areas for many years. I will show that, while the struggle over the diamond trade has elongated the conflict and ... of the main causes for such corruption in the political realm was the richness of minerals in Sierra Leone. By minerals, I mean diamonds. The mining of diamonds in Sierra Leone has been one of the most devastating and corrupt forms of gaining wealth. There has been a constant struggle ove...

  • Word Count: 2876
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

7. A Conflict Of Nature

... going. Secondly, I will discuss the situation in Sierra Leone concerning the diamond trade. There has been a power struggle over the conflict of "blood diamonds" in Sierra Leone and surrounding areas for many years. I will discuss how, though the struggle over the diamond trade has elongated the war and ... main causes for such corruption in the political realm was because of the richness of minerals in Sierra Leone. By minerals, I mean diamonds. The mining of diamonds in Sierra Leone has been one of the most devastating and corrupt forms of gaining wealth. There has been a constant str...

  • Word Count: 2798
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. My home

... about the book and how well it was written. Summary A team of scientists were in the African jungle on an expedition looking for blue Boron tainted diamonds for their company. They were killed by a mysterious force, but before the thing that killed them disappeared, a command control center in Houston, Texas ... was rumored to have been wealthy and prosperous because of its fantastic diamond mines. She thought maybe that was the place to look for the diamonds. Now because no one had actually been there and recorded the actual site co-ordinance, finding it would be guesswork. They hiked ...

  • Word Count: 2719
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Precious Gemstones

... , 1997). Gemstones are quite durable and range on the higher end of the Mohs scale. Some of the most prized gemstones are diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies. "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." What makes this saying true? It is composed of almost completely carbon that has been crystallized under ... extreme heat and pressure within the earth's surface. The one main flaw that diamonds have is being perfect- having perfect cleavage, I mean. That means that if it is struck with enough force in any of four directions, it ... sources such as alluvial fans that have come off a mountai...

  • Word Count: 1324
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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