It’s no little-known fact that Diamonds are the crowd favourite of precious gems for a multitude of reasons, but how many did you know about? Scroll on to read our 8 Fascinating Facts About Diamonds.
FACT 1: ONLY ANOTHER DIAMOND CAN SCRATCH A DIAMOND
Diamonds are a 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, meaning they’re the hardest natural substance on Earth. Only another Diamond can scratch the surface of a Diamond, which means these precious gems are not just beautiful, but incredibly durable.
FACT 2: THE WORLD’S OLDEST DIAMONDS WERE FOUND IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
All natural Diamonds are estimated to be several hundred million years old at the youngest, but the world’s oldest Diamonds were found inside zircon crystals unearthed from the Jack Hills region of Western Australia in 2007. The Diamonds were 4 billion years old – about 1 billion years older than any other diamonds found prior to this discovery.
FACT 3: THE LARGEST DIAMOND EVER FOUND WAS 3,106CTS
The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905. The eight month long cutting and polishing process resulted in nine large stone and 97 smaller stones.
FACT 4: DIAMONDS WERE REVERED AS THE TEARS OF THE GODS
Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that Diamonds were the tears of the Gods and the shards of broken stars – talk about poetic!
FACT 5: DIAMONDS HAVE MANY INDUSTRIAL USES
Diamonds are incorporated into drills and other cutting tools to help them bore through solid materials. They’re also used for manufacturing machinery, conducting heat, producing computer chips and many other industrial purposes.
FACT 6: A PLANET EXISTS THAT IS AT LEAST ONE THIRD DIAMOND
A planet mainly made of carbon and Diamonds was discovered in 2004 in the Milky Way Galaxy. The planet, named ’55 Cancri e’, is very likely to have Diamonds comprise at least one third of its total mass.
FACT 7: THE SYMBOLISM BEHIND DIAMONDS HAS SHIFTED OVER TIME
Today, Diamonds are typically associated with love and commitment before all else, thanks to the widespread cultural tradition of Diamond engagement rings. But there was a time in history where Diamonds were prized first for their ‘invincible’ qualities and second for their beauty, to the point that Roman soldiers and kings of old were said to have worn diamonds into battle to symbolise their strength and courage.
FACT 8: ONLY 30 PERCENT OF MINED DIAMONDS ARE CONSIDERED GEM QUALITY
Part of what informs the high price point for Diamonds is their rarity, and, more specifically, the rarity of Diamonds that are considered to be high-enough quality to become jewellery gemstones. Only approximately 30% of all mined Diamonds qualify as ‘gem quality’ stones.
This is what makes a Passion8 Diamond so special – less than 1% of the 30% of globally mined ‘gem quality’ Diamonds qualify to become a Passion8 Gem. After the Diamond is selected, it’s cut precisely to result in 8 perfect hearts and 8 perfect arrows for optimal light refraction and sparkle.