Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they are also the industry’s best friend. Diamonds allow our microelectronic equipment to work without overheating. They prevent abrasion and dulling of moving surfaces.
Many people concentrate on the 4Cs of diamonds. Industry focuses on the 3Cs: hardness, heat resistance, and high transparency. Continue reading to learn about 4 types of diamonds important to your daily life.
Understanding Diamond Types
Diamond types describe features of the diamond which reflect the transformation they underwent. Diamonds can have more than one type.
Experts, such as those at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) assign the stone’s true classification. A certificate with the classification is then provided for that stone.
Diamonds start as certain elemental atoms. Nitrogen is a common element, but carbon atoms may occur within the crystal lattice. The atoms later move in the structure and may cluster together. This affects the appearance and color of the diamond.
Diamond classification may come from the GIA system or the consumer wise system.
Consumer Wise Types of Diamonds
There are 4 varieties of consumer type diamonds:
1. Natural diamonds. These diamonds occur in nature as white or colorless gems.
2. Treated diamonds. These diamonds start as natural diamonds. Their attributes undergo changes in a lab to create a more attractive diamond. They can change their color and clarity during this process.
Flawless diamonds are rare. Individuals choose to have their stones altered to increase clarity and conceals flaws.
3. Man-Made Diamonds. These diamonds, often called lab-grown diamonds, have recently become more popular.
The laboratory process replicates the pressure, environment, and heat applied in nature to create diamonds. This procedure saves time and protects nature.
4. Natural Fancy Color Diamonds. These represent a miracle of nature. It takes hundreds of millions of years for these types of diamonds to form.
They appear in a wide range of colors including:
- Purple
- Blue
- Red
- Green
- Black
- Yellow
- Blue
- Pink
- Orange
- Olive green
- Brown
- Grey
These diamonds represent the hardest natural material on Earth. They come from the Earth’s mantle. Their heat-conducting abilities are often used in industry.
Industrial Use of Diamonds
Diamonds have many uses in industry due to their hardness. Diamonds most often function as abrasives. Small particles of diamonds are embedded into drill bits, grinding wheels, and saw blades called diamond blades.
They are also ground into a fine powder and made into “diamond paste”. This makes an excellent product for very fine grinding and polishing. In the 16th century, gem cutters used diamond particles to cut and polish other diamonds.
Other uses of diamonds include:
Diamond windows. These windows are created from a thin layer of diamonds. They cover openings in lasers, x-ray machines, and vacuum chambers.
These windows provide transparency, durability, and heat resistance.
Diamond speaker domes. The stiff diamond material, when made into a thin dome, vibrates rapidly without changing shape. This creates excellent quality speakers.
Heat sinks. Since diamonds have the highest thermal conductivity, they can transmit excessive heat.
This provides a receptacle for excessively hot items. This quality makes them useful for moving heat away from heat-sensitive parts of high-performance microelectronics.
Low-friction micro bearings. Some watches have jewel bearing to prevent friction and increase durability.
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