Diamonds are essentially entirely composed of carbon. However, many diamonds crystals contain minute quantities of trace elements other than carbon atoms, and the most common is nitrogen. These trace elements can produce body color in diamonds such as yellow and blue. Classifying diamond types based on their chemical and physical properties.
Scientifically diamonds are classified into two types (Type I and Type II) depending upon whether nitrogen is significantly present or not in its carbon crystal structure. Diamonds are further subdivided accordingly to the arrangement of nitrogen atoms (isolated or aggregated) and the occurrence of boron impurities.
Diamond types and the lattice defects are directly related to the color of the diamonds.
Type I diamonds contain nitrogen atoms as a major impurity (up to 0.2%).
Type II diamonds do not contain nitrogen to significantly impact impurity.
*Even Type II diamonds contain very small amounts of nitrogen and do not affect the physical properties significantly.
Type I diamonds have nitrogen as impurities.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Diamond Mining
There is pipe mining, alluvial mining and coastal mining.
Alluvial diamonds are diamond extracted from deposits of sand, gravel, clay with water deposits. Places would be riverbeds, ocean floors, beaches, shorelines and etc. 24% of total rough diamonds are from alluvial minings. 10% from industrial mining methods and 14% through small scale informal digging.
Alluvial deposits are in the African counties, Venezuela, Brazil and Liberia.
Even alluvial mines require high investments and government regulations. Alluvial mining requires a lot of soil and material to be removed, washed and screened for diamonds. The three most famous Alluvial mines are Namibia, Angola, and South Africa.
Marine and Coastal Mining
Diamonds are washed out to sea from rivers and then pushed back and along the coast by tidal and marine action. The deposits get poorer further along the coast away from the mouth of the river.
Most diamonds take on a transparent green color coating over a very long period of time from the ground river due from radiation. During the life span of a river with diamond deposits, rivers have high energy resulting from flash flooding that spread the alluvial deposits both laterally along the coast and great distance such as the Namibian coast which make up the world's richest diamond field. The highest quality crystals have been concentrated by the rigors of transport, so 95% of Namibian coastal diamonds are of gem quality.
Alluvial diamonds are diamond extracted from deposits of sand, gravel, clay with water deposits. Places would be riverbeds, ocean floors, beaches, shorelines and etc. 24% of total rough diamonds are from alluvial minings. 10% from industrial mining methods and 14% through small scale informal digging.
Alluvial deposits are in the African counties, Venezuela, Brazil and Liberia.
Even alluvial mines require high investments and government regulations. Alluvial mining requires a lot of soil and material to be removed, washed and screened for diamonds. The three most famous Alluvial mines are Namibia, Angola, and South Africa.
Marine and Coastal Mining
Diamonds are washed out to sea from rivers and then pushed back and along the coast by tidal and marine action. The deposits get poorer further along the coast away from the mouth of the river.
Most diamonds take on a transparent green color coating over a very long period of time from the ground river due from radiation. During the life span of a river with diamond deposits, rivers have high energy resulting from flash flooding that spread the alluvial deposits both laterally along the coast and great distance such as the Namibian coast which make up the world's richest diamond field. The highest quality crystals have been concentrated by the rigors of transport, so 95% of Namibian coastal diamonds are of gem quality.
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