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Fun Facts About Diamonds
Description
Diamonds are carbon-based gemstones formed deep within the Earth's mantle under extreme pressure and heat between one and three billion years ago. Beyond Earth, extreme atmospheric pressures on ice giant planets like Uranus and Neptune cause methane molecules to break down, resulting in "diamond rain" where microscopic crystals fall toward planetary cores. In the far reaches of space, celestial bodies such as the white dwarf star BPM 37093—nicknamed "Lucy"—have evolved into massive crystallized carbon structures, effectively becoming the largest known diamonds in the universe.
While diamonds rank as the hardest naturally occurring substance on the Mohs scale, they possess structural vulnerabilities known as cleavage planes that allow them to be shattered by a heavy impact. The standardized unit of measurement for these stones, the carat, finds its roots in ancient history when merchants used uniform carob seeds as counterweights on balance scales. Today, approximately 80% of all mined diamonds are categorized as industrial-grade "bort" and are utilized for high-precision cutting and drilling tools rather than jewelry. However, the rise of lab-grown diamonds created through High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) provides a chemically identical, ethical, and more affordable alternative to traditional mining.
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