Diamond Mining

Diamonds are made up entirely of carbon. Pressure (diamonds can’t form above 100 miles below the earths crust) and temperature (750+ degrees F) are the factors that “change” the diamond from mere carbon into a treasured commodity. After millions of years undergoing this pressure and heat, the rough stones are settled in diamond-bearing rock and from there, wait for a volcanic eruption to bring them to the surface.

Diamond Mining Techniques

Pipe Mining: Primary Source-refers to the process of diamonds emerging to the earth’s surface in host rocks through volcanic pipes, which are pathways between the earth’s mantle and surface.

When an eruption occurs, other materials are carried up along with the magma, or lava. If the eruption originates far enough down in the earths surface, it could contain diamond-bearing rock, usually kimberlite or lamproite.

These eruptions must be extremely forceful and move at high speeds, for if the diamonds remain in the magna for a long period of time, they could burn up if the temperatures or turn to graphite.

From here, they conduct a process called open mining where the surface remnants are inspected for diamonds. Once those are exhausted, large shafts are plunged into the ground next to the volcanic pipes and more diamond-bearing rock is recovered, and taken to a screening plant where the soil is separated from the diamonds.

Diamond Mining

Alluvial Mining: Secondary Source- Refers to the removal of rough diamonds that have been relocated to oceans and riverbeds through erosion.

After an eruption occurs, some of the diamond bearing rock is displaced, often settling in ocean beaches and river beds. To extract this valuable substance, a process of Alluvial Mining is conducted. In order to remove the rock from these areas, the water must be pushed aside to get to the floor of the ocean or river. Usually a wall of mud and stone is constructed. From there, the miners using bulldozers or pumps bring the rock to the surface. It is then taken to a screening plant where the soil and silt can be separated from the rough diamonds.
Rough Diamond Quality

After the rough diamonds are mined, less than 20% are gem-quality, the other 80% have other uses. If not gem–quality, they fall into one of two other categories Near Gem-Quality or Industrial use diamonds.

Gem Quality: Approximately 20% of diamonds mined fall into this category. These are high enough in quality to be used in diamond jewelry. They range in clarity from Flawless to Visible Inclusions.

Near Gem Quality: These fall in a category between gem quality and industrial, so they need to be individually evaluated to determine if they could be used in jewelry in some way or if the quality is just to poor they are used in industrial ways.
They range in clarity from Visible Inclusions to industrial quality.

Industrial Quality: These diamonds are badly included stones and are functional only for industrial use; for example drills and saws or earthmoving equipment. These are categorized as industrial quality clarity.

Mining Facts:

* Orapa diamond mine largest diamond mine-located in Bostwana, Africa
* Diamonds are a world wide source, mines are found in 25 countries and on all continents except Antarctica.
* Antarctica is thought to have an abundance of diamonds to be mined, but international accords prohibit mining there
* While America is the largest purchaser of diamonds than any other country, the US has only one diamond mine, located in Arkansas
* At least 200 tons of ore needs to be extracted and processed to product a single one carat gem quality diamond
* Only 20% of diamonds mined are gem quality stones

Diamond Buying

Use our four factors to purchase diamonds:

No engagement is complete without the engagement ring. Traditionally, the engagement ring is a diamond ring presented by the groom to the bride. Since the engagement ring is such an important part of the wedding you shouldn’t take it lightly. There is a lot to know about rings and about your bride before you purchase the ring.

By the time you buy the engagement ring, you should know her ring size. An easy way to figure out her ring size is to secretly take one of her rings to a jeweler. They will be more than happy to help you out. You might also ask her sister or mother, or anyone close to her who would possibly know he ring size. You should also know what shapes of jewelry stones she likes. Does she like white or yellow gold, or platinum?

Next, you must set your budget. Engagement ring prices can range from moderately expensive to very expensive. The price of the engagement ring is only limited by your budget. The diamond is what makes the engagement ring such an expensive gift. With such an expensive investment, you should make sure you understand some of the basics of buying diamonds.

Diamond professionals use four factors to purchase diamonds, and you should use the same standards to buy the diamond engagement ring.

1. Color – The color of the diamond has a significant impact on the overall price. Sometimes this is referred to as the color value of the diamond. You might ask the jeweler to place the diamonds you are interested in order based on color value. Since the color differences are so light, it might be difficult to see the color difference between diamonds. Keep in mind the less color the more expensive.

2. Clarity – Clarity is no less important when it comes to selecting a diamond. An Fl (Flawless) graded diamond shows no inclusions (inclusions = flaws) under 10X magnification. Since flawless diamonds are extremely rare, be prepared to pay extra for perfection.

3. Cut – It is the first aspect of the diamond that is influenced by humans. Cut is also called “make,” the better the make the more gorgeous the diamond. Valuing the diamond based on cut can be very subjective.

4. Carat – Carate weight is the basic measuring unit of diamonds. It has to do with how much your diamond weighs.

There is a huge variety of diamonds to choose from. While they are all beautiful, they are very different in color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. We hope you’ll find the above information helpful in selecting your engagement ring diamond. Keep in mind, you should only buy a diamond from a reputable jeweler.