5 facts you didn’t know about April’s Birthstone, Diamond
Everyone will be familiar with this month’s Birthstone, the ever lusted-after Diamond, but here’s five things you may not know about the world’s most precious gemstone, the one taking pride of place as your diamond engagement ring on your hand. Prepare to be intrigued as here at Hatton Jewels HQ we’ve donned our investigator hats to dig up some of the most unusual and interesting facts about diamonds!
The largest diamond ever discovered weighed 3106. carats, 621 grams!
It was named the Cullinan diamond, and it was discovered in 1905 in South Africa, the mine’s owner and the South African leaders gave the diamond to King Edward. Eventually, the Cullinan was cut into nine large diamonds and 100 smaller ones. You can still see part of the diamond as three of the largest of these are on display in the Tower of London as part of the crown jewels.
A Diamond Planet Exists
In 2004, scientists discovered a planet that they believe is composed mostly of carbon, and is one-third pure diamond! The planet orbits a nearby star in the Milky Way, and is named “55 Cancri e”. We know where we’re going when space travel becomes a reality!
It’s the Strongest Natural Substance in the World
You might know this one, but if you didn’t, Diamonds are the hardest natural substance, up to 58x harder than anything you will find in nature. The only thing that can scratch a diamond is another diamond, not that you would ever want to! But diamond blades have been used to cut diamonds for a long time.
A diamond loses up to 50% of its weight during the cutting and polishing process...
In order for a rough diamond to reach its full potential it will undergo a cutting and polishing process; during which, the diamond will lose up to 50% of its original rough carat weight on average. The trade off? A diamond cut to perfect proportion and symmetry will display the ultimate combination of fire, brilliance and scintillation.
Small Diamonds can be found in Candlelight
Perhaps the strangest fact of all, small diamonds can be found in candlelight. according to Wuzong Zhou, a professor of chemistry at the University of St Andrews, around 1.5 million diamond nanoparticles can be found in a candle’s flame. So if you’re looking to propose at a romantic candlelit dinner, it now has even greater meaning!
What did you think of our diamond facts? Did you already know them? Let us know in the comments if you have an interesting fact of you own, we love a challenge!
If you’re interested in visiting our showroom in the heart of Hatton Garden to see any of our diamond jewellery, simply book an appointment online or give us a call on 0203 116 0069 and speak to one of our friendly, expert members of staff who can help guide you through any type of jewellery purchase.
We’ve helped 1000’s of customers over the years design custom rings (with our design your engagement ring service), choose the perfect present for an anniversary, sell jewellery and create bespoke jewellery for many special occasions, so if there is something you’d like but can’t see online, we’re confident we can make it to your exact needs, just get in touch!