Diamond

The mineral diamond is a crystalline form, or allotrope, of carbon (other allotropes of carbon include graphite, fullerene and ceraphite). It is one of the most known and most useful of more than 3,000 known minerals. Diamonds are renowned for their superlative physical qualities, especially their hardness—the word "diamond" derives from the ancient Greek adamas (αδάμας; "impossible to tame")—and their high dispersion of light. These properties and others make diamond valued for use in jewelry and a variety of industrial applications. Most diamonds are mined from volcanic pipes, where they have been deposited by deep-origin volcanoes drawing material from over 90 miles (150 km) deep within the Earth, where the pressure and temperature is suitable for diamond formation. Most diamonds are mined in central and southern Africa, although significant deposits have

External links

• Diamond Glossary
• 3D Interactive Molecular Visualization of Diamond at WikiMol (requires Macromedia Flash)
• Elements vol.1 no.2 (March 2005): Diamonds (PDF)
• European Gemological Laboratory USA
• Fancy Color Diamonds
• Gemological Institute of America
• Interactive structure of bulk diamond (Java applet).
• PBS Nature: Diamonds
• Russian Gemological Server
• Smithsonian's exhibit of fancy color diamonds
• Synthetic CVD diamond coatings at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films
• ImaGem Inc, - Automated Diamond Grading
• Natural Color Diamond Encyclopedia