Cool diamond facts

The name diamond comes from the Greek word "adamas" meaning invincible which probably refers to their supreme physical qualities.

Mary of the Burgundy was the first known recipient of a diamond engagement ring when she married with Maximilian I.

In traditional Hinduism diamond with some kind of flaw or flat or uncut should be avoided because it carries bad luck.

Arabic diamonds are said to attract iron even better than a magnet.

In ancient Arabic world diamond was considered to give victory to his bearer who carries it on his left arm regardless of enemies.

In ancient and middle age time it was believed that diamond's hardiness can only be broken if diamonds is smeared with fresh goat's blood.

Greek historian Pliny wrote that diamond baffles poison, keep of insanity and dispels vain fears.

Diamond is a birthstone for people born in the month of April.

Diamond jubilee means 60 or 75-year anniversary.

There are white dwarf stars in space that have a core made of diamonds. This evidence was found in 2004 in the sky above the Australia when white dwarf star known as BPM 37093 was discovered and this is the biggest diamond known in universe that weighs 2.27 thousand trillion trillion tons which is 10 billion trillion trillion carats, or a 1 followed by 34 zeros. This great discovery confirmed theory that was developed in 60s that cool white dwarf stars should have diamond core.

Diamonds are typically billions years old. The oldest diamonds on our planet were found in Australia.

Graphite in the pencil is made of same stuff as diamonds.

Termites may suggest the location where diamonds can be found.

Every year 3, 5 millions tons of rocks get blasted with purpose of finding diamonds.

Diamonds in fact don’t last forever, but “only” several million years before they disintegrate.

Diamond resists attack by acids or bases.

Diamond has very large melting point of 3820 K (3547 °C / 6420 °F) and a boiling point of 5100 K (4827 °C / 8720 °F)

Antwerp, Belgium is the center of diamond industry.

First synthetic diamonds were produced in 1955 by General Electric.

Diamonds were first discovered in India and then in Brazil.

Almost 50 % of all diamonds originate from Africa (mostly central and southern).

Diamond is regarded as the hardest material on Earth and its hardness is set to 10 which is the hardest on Mohs scale of mineral hardness. However diamond is not the hardest material in general because aggregated diamond nanorods that were first synthesized in 2005 are even harder than the natural diamonds. The hardest natural diamonds in the world come from Australia.

Diamond can only be scratched by other diamonds.

Only colorless (white) diamonds are transparent.

The earliest written text referring to diamonds is Buddhist’s text, the "Anguttara Nikaya" about 296 AD.