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Sparkling Settings
Diamond jewelry is
popular not just because of its beauty but also because of its
durability.
The diamonds used to make jewelry is from carbon that was buried deep in
the earth under incredible heat and pressure. Loose diamonds that are
used to make diamond jewelry are the hardest substance known to humans.
Diamonds do not crack, chip or break easily, although a single blow can
cut them into pieces ideal for diamond jewelry.
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More than 10
centuries ago miners in India began looking for diamonds in their
mines, to make diamond jewelry. Today, however, all but ten percent of
diamond jewelry is made from African mines. The small remainder comes
from the mines of South America, Russia, Canada and Australia.
While you generally think of clear white when we think of diamond
jewelry, it's actually true that a diamond can come in as many
brilliant colors as any other jewelry gem. What makes these different
diamond hues is the presence of some other trace elements besides the
standard carbon. The element is what determines the color of the
diamond jewelry. Blue diamonds and pink diamonds are very popular and
command the highest prices of any diamond jewelry. Purple, red and
green diamonds are very rare.
Diamond jewelry as a sign of a marital engagement began in 1477, when
Austria's Archduke Maximilian gave his bride to be Mary of Burgundy
the world's first diamond engagement ring. Today, mining for a single
carat of diamonds for jewelry or other uses requires the movement of
more than 250 tons of earth in the diamond mine. Diamond jewelry is
still the most popular form of adornment for men and women alike
although there are less costly popular substitutes such as zirconium
and moissanite.
Source:
http://diamonds.goldenmine.com/history.htm
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