Let’s talk diamonds.
Ever wondered if there was more to diamonds than their breathtaking sparkle? Diamonds take not just millions, but billions of years to form. They don’t start out perfectly shaped and sparkly, either. This formation process happens very slowly due to extremely high temperatures and pressures from within the Earth’s mantle. Since diamonds eventually make their way to the surface of the Earth in mines, they’ve been to the deepest parts of the Earth and have picked up pieces of the mantle along the way. These little bits and pieces are more commonly known in the diamond world as “inclusions”.
Now think ping pong ball sized diamonds.
Can we learn anything from them? There are few research methods that can withstand the hottest temperatures of the Earth to show us what’s going on down there. Obviously, diamonds originated down there, so when they are surfaced, they bring some of their billion-year-old knowledge with them. Inclusions of the biggest diamonds you can imagine sometimes have minerals that aren’t usually found tagging alongside our favorite rocks. New research has studied these diamonds and has given scientists clues to a deeper understanding of the inner workings of our Earth.
Want to know more? An article written by the GIA in December focuses on the differences in diamonds formed at varying depths below the Earth’s crust, and what these differences tell us about the history of our planet. If you’re diamond geeky like us, take a look!
https://www.gia.edu/diamonds-reveal-inner-workings-of-earths-mantle
P.S. I really really want this diamond below.
See the type of custom diamond jewelry we can create by visiting or contacting our studio located in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN.
