15 Fascinating Facts About Diamonds

At MJ Gabel, diamonds are our specialty. These beautiful gems are easily recognizable, passionately sought and unsurpassed in beauty. You probably know that diamonds are the hardest natural substance found on the Earth, but here are fifteen more fascinating facts about diamonds you may not know:

Facts about Diamonds

1. The Cullinan diamond (discovered in South Africa in 1905) is 3,106.75 carats in size, making it the largest rough gem-quality diamond in the world.
2. An estimated 147 million carats of diamonds were produced from mines worldwide in 2018.
3. Although diamonds originate from 25 countries, the top producers are: Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, South Africa, and Russia.
4. Nearly half of the world’s demand for polished diamonds comes from Americans, with the United States having a 48 percent share of global demand in 2017. Japan is the second highest consumer of diamonds.
5. An astonishing 80% of the world’s diamonds are not suitable for jewelry! These diamonds are used for industrial purposes like cutting and grinding (due to their extreme hardness).
6. Out of one-thousand polished diamonds, only one will weigh more than one carat.
7. Diamonds are the only gemstone made of just one element (carbon). Rough diamonds actually look like a pebble.
8. When it comes to color, blue and pink diamonds are the rarest; yellow and brown are among the most common.
9. The most viewed diamond in the world is the famous Hope diamond. This 45.52 carat blue diamond can be found at the Smithsonian collection in the Museum of Natural History located in Washington, D.C.
10. The name “diamond” comes from the Latin word “adamas,” meaning “unconquerable.”
11. Diamonds form below the earth’s surface and are carried above ground inside rocks by volcanic eruptions. The longer a diamond is below the surface, the larger it will get.
12. The oldest diamond is believed to be about 3.3 billion years old.
13. More than 33,100 diamonds have been found by visitors to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas since 1972. Notable finds include the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam in 1924 and the 8.52-carat Esperanza in 2015.
14. Other uses of diamonds, aside from jewelry, include: heat sinks, diamond windows for x-rays machines, diamond speaker domes, low-friction micro bearings and concrete saw blades.
15. While the diamond is the birthstone for the month of April, December is really the month dominated by the gem. In 2017, December accounted for 16% of all engagements in the U.S. (trailed far behind by May and July with 9% each).

To learn more about this amazing and spectacular gem, you can reach a diamond expert at MJ Gabel by calling us at (800) 804-1980 or by clicking here to contact one of our diamond experts.