A diamond is the hardest substance known to man. And diamonds
were formed by being "squeezed together". This happened, according to
scientist about 100,000,000 years ago at that time there existed beneath the
ground as mass of hot liquid rock. The earth was in its early cooling stage,
and in the process the mass of liquid rock was subjected to extreme heat and
pressure.
One of the results was that certain chemical combinations
were formed. And one of these was highly crystallized carbon—what we call a "diamond".
Two of the most interesting things about diamonds are their hard ness and their
brilliance. A diamond is actually about five times as hard as corundum, the
next hardest substance on earth.
And because a diamond is so hard, getting it ready for use
in jewellery is quit a complicated and skillful process. First, a diamond is
cleaved, or divided. This requires a great deal of study to make sure it will
split along certain natural lines. A narrow notch is then cut with another
diamond having a sharp point; an iron or steel edge is laid on this line, and a
sharp blow is struck.
If all has been done correctly, the diamond, the hardest
substances in the world, splits instantly in two in exactly the direction
desired! Diamonds also have "facets", cut into them. This is done on a high-speed
iron wheel on the edge of which is diamond dust mixed in oil. The average brilliant diamond is cut with 58 facets! All this
is done to make the diamond have the right shape and brilliance.
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