How can you tell the difference between a real diamond and a crystal? A crystal of what, Daniel? Quartz? Colorless Sapphire? Cubic Zirconia or Moissanite? The easiest way to tell the difference is to use a "Diamond Tester". It requires no mineralogical experience.

It uses diamond's superior ability to conduct heat as a criteria for positive identification. A diamond tester can pick out a real diamond for a fake one in a matter of minutes or even seconds. Diamonds have a very high thermal conductivity, exceeded in gemstones only by synthetic mossanite. The diamond tester can go though a box of diamonds and it can tell the difference between a fake diamond and a real one.

Can diamonds be produced in laboratories? How? Oh, they certainly can! The leaders in synthetic diamond production are Tom Chatham in San Francisco. They have been growing diamonds for a while and they have come up with the best way of growing diamonds. The laboratories have found a way of growing diamonds that would take a long time if they were not man made. The companies take a real diamond and use a seed with this seed they put it into a carbon gas chamber. They can controll the whole proccess by a flick of a switch.

Besides jewelry, what are the other uses of diamonds? Some diamonds are used in computer chips for the most high tech machines that have been made. Diamonds are one of the ideal sustanis, since they are not all the same it would be hard for anyone to find the right diamond that is being used of anything. They are used for cutting through some objects. Diamonds are also use for surgery. Begin that the diamond is one of the most hardest objects they come in handy. Not all diamonds are used for looking and touch, and there are probably other things that diamonds are used for that we don't know about yet.

Are all diamonds alike? What are the different categories? No two diamonds are exactly alike. To the naked eye all the diamonds might look as though they are the same in size and shape but they are not. It just like what alot of people say about snow flakes they not never the same. The same goes for diamonds. Some are bigger, smaller, darker, light, ect. You will never find one that is the exactly the same as any other one.

How are prices for diamonds determined? Prices for diamonds are determined for the most part by DeBeers Consolidated Mines which is the largest monopoly in the world. The prices are based on color, clarity, cutting proportions and carat weight.

How long does a diamond take to be made naturally? How long does it last? Diamonds were formed as long ago as 3 to 5 billion years, under conditions of great heat and pressure, deep inside the earth. This correlates with the earliest stages of the development of our planet, estimated to be in the region of 4 to 5 billion years old. Volcanic eruptions carried the diamonds to the surface of the earth millions of years ago. Diamonds are found in cone-shaped pipes of rock called kimberlite.

These pipes have been weathered and their diamonds dispersed by rivers to far-lying areas, such as coastlines. They should last for several million more years.

Who were the first people to discover diamonds? Diamonds have been known since ancient times. They were originally used as a tool to carve other gems like lapis and carnelian.

Ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars that had fallen on earth. Some said that they were the tears of gods. Legend has it that there existed an inaccessible valley somewhere in Central Asia, a carpet of diamonds covered it. It was patrolled by prehistoric birds of prey and guarded by venomous snakes. However, the truth is that the exact origin of diamonds is still a mystery, to scientists and geologists.

There may be no real reason yet as to why diamonds exist. It will probble take longer for us to find out. Some people just choose to stay with legend then to wonder who or how diamonds came to be here.

Besides, diamonds, what other gems are also used to make jewelry? Which one is the most common? Why are diamonds so valuable? The price of anything is determined by supply and demand. There is a great demand for diamonds and the appearance of a short supply is maintained by DeBeers Consolidated. Where are the most productive diamond mines located? The Seven major diamond mining countries of the world are: Botswana, Russia, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo.