The sparkling diamond on a finger of the bride may look pretty, but the rock itself had to go under some pretty ugly transformations to get there. Diamonds are formed deep under the Earth’s mantle at about 200 kilometers. It is formed from carbon containing material that is placed in very high temperatures and pressures in molten metal. The carbon then crystallizes in the molten metal to form the diamond. Pure diamond is colorless, but there are also times where the diamond may take on a certain color. A canary diamond is when some iron oxide got into the diamond and turned the diamond a hint of yellow. Diamonds reflect a fair amount of light which gives it its luster. Diamonds are very good heat conductors. They will feel cold when you touch them since they conduct heat away from your hard.

No unknown terms

Every time that I would look at my mother’s wedding ring I never really thought about how it is made. I have always accepted the fact that it was made of carbon at high temperatures. Now that I know that carbon bonds have to be broken in order to form this type of carbon is definitely a surprise to me. Know I really know why diamonds are so tough. A diamond is truly forever.

Baird, Colin. Chemistry in Your Life: Second Edition. “The formation and color of diamonds.” W.H. Freeman and Company. New York. 2006. Page 195.