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Diamonds are the hardest substance known on Earth and are good conductors of heat but poor conductors of electricity though some rare forms, particularly the grey-to-blue ones called type IIB, are semiconductors, and are somewhat conductive. Diamonds are made up of carbon that was buried deep within the Earth under intense pressure and heat and are brought to the surface from the mantle in a rare type of magma called kimberlite and erupted at a rare type of volcanic vent called a diatreme or pipe. The strongly bonded electrons and the compact arrangement of its atoms account for the remarkable reduction of the velocity of light through its mass thus giving a diamond its appeal. It was not until 1796 that people found out diamonds were a form of carbon, and it was over 150 years later that finally a method of synthesising diamonds was created. As there is nothing tougher than a diamond, it is the only thing that can be used to cut another diamond. Because of this, it is used heavily in the industrial sector for cutting, polishing, grinding and drilling. The majority of industrial rock drills have diamond tips. Diamonds are no longer just used in the industrial sector since they are now becoming a more popular material used in home electronics, appliances, and automobiles. Diamonds are also one of the most popular stones used in jewellery. Jewellery made from diamond is deemed to be classic jewellery and is used from weddings, engagements, anniversaries, right down to celebrity award ceremonies. Since gold needs to be of a certain hardness to set diamonds into, diamond jewellery is generally made from 18 carat gold. In the 15th century, Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring on their engagement as a romantic gesture. Since this time, diamonds have been seen as a symbol of love, joy and romance. Although it started with a diamond ring, all diamond jewellery is now seen as a token of everlasting love and perfection. It is also traditional to wear diamonds as a symbol of achievement and a symbol of status and success. Carat is the size or weight measurement of the diamond and unlike gold is not simply so much per carat. Diamond prices vary considerably according to the 3 Cs. These are color, clarity and cut. Not all diamonds are colorless. However, the colorless diamonds are more valuable than those that have a colored tint to them, since these colors are caused by impurities. Amazingly enough, one of the main contributing factors to the value of a diamond is the only human contribution to a diamond's brilliance and that is how a diamond is cut. Cutting can be performed in a number of ways such as deep cut, shallow cut and perfect length. Cutting colored diamonds is a different process to clear diamonds though, as the diamond needs to be cut to maximize the color. The reflectance that is shown with a diamond is called an 'adamantine' lustre. However, if you continually polish a diamond the adamantine properties gradually diminish and the diamond will lose its lustre.
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