How The Diamonds For Rings Are Mined

India was the initial country to discover diamonds and they remained the primary source for many years, almost depleting their deposits, but diamonds have now been discovered in approximately 35 countries around the world. Today almost half of the diamonds mined come from Southern and Central Africa and the largest producer is the Argye mine in Western Australia. Although this mine produces the largest amount of diamonds, they are not of the best quality. However Argye is the biggest producer of pink diamonds, responsible for 90% of the pink diamonds on the market today. Rio Tinto own the Argye mine, as well as a mine in Canada called Diavik which produces more than 8 million carats worth of diamonds each year.

The largest diamond mine in the world is Orapa in Botswana, and is responsible for the livelihoods of a large number of the community. The mine operates 7 days a week and has set up many schools for the children of the employees who work there. Large mines also exist in Brazil and Siberia.

Diamonds are made from pure carbon, which is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass. Carbon is also found in the human body – it is our most abundant chemical after oxygen! In fact carbon is the chemical basis of all life. The diamonds that are used in jewellery were formed from carbon deposits millions or even billions of years ago under intense heat (in the range of 1100 Celsius) and pressure far below sea level. Temperatures any hotter than 1100 Celsius would be too hot for the diamonds to form. From underneath the earth’s surface they were then carried to the surface by volcanic pipes or alluvial deposits. The most common host of diamonds is a blue rock formation known as Kimberlite, or lamproite which is left behind after a magma flow and occurs in ancient volcanic pipes. If you are mining into one of these kimberlite dikes or pipes, you are likely to discover diamonds, but it doesn’t guarantee the presence of diamonds. It does however indicate that the volcanic activity that resulted in this deposit has come from a place deep enough to contain diamonds. Diamonds can also be found in other places. Sometimes ancient glacial movements may have moved the diamonds from where they originally surfaced.

Sometimes the Kimberlite rock is washed away by streams and rivers and diamonds are deposited as sediment in the stream sands in alluvial deposits. Millions of years later they are either mined in one of the diamond mines around the world or found in the alluvial deposits before being made into highly sought after jewellery. The carbon for diamonds can however come from nonorganic as well as organic sources, and diamonds can even be formed from an amalgamation of the two. This means that any carbon subjected to the correct conditions will create diamonds. Diamonds have even, on occasion, been formed where meteorites have had an impact with the earth.

Today diamonds and diamond rings are recognised as a symbol of commitment, love, devotion and strength.