What rock or mineral has the greatest Influence on impact on human society? (diamonds)

Essay by sourskittll35High School, 11th gradeA, December 2005

download word file, 3 pages 5.0

Downloaded 20 times

The mineral diamonds have had one of the largest influences on human society. Diamonds creates mind pictures of wealth, expensive jewelry, and many different suppositions. A diamond is much more then the glittering, dazzling, costly appearance it presents, they have changed the economy, fashion, and industry of humans of the past and for years to come.

The characteristic of diamonds relies on many different factors such as where it's found, and how it is made. Diamonds are a crystallized carbon that produces deep in earth surface. Under the surface they experience high heat and pressure by which they are formed. The diamond is the hardest of all known natural minerals. Diamonds are obtained from mining or appearing on the surface from volcanic eruptions. The majority of diamonds are found in the volcanic igneous rock kimberlite, which shows signs of coming from deep beneath the earth's crust. Mining diamonds originated in India over 3,500 years go.

The more modern mining industry started after discovering large amounts of diamond in South Africa in the late nineteenth century. Diamonds are mined in places such as Botswana, Russia, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Australia and Zaire. Once the precious gemstones are extracted from whatever place they are found, they are evaluated. In evaluation, they decide whether or not the diamonds are worthwhile cutting and being used in jewelry. The value of the diamonds used in attire purposes are judged on a few factors such as, how its cut, the color, the clarity, and its carat weight. Diamonds normal color is clear, although if the mineral has impurities in the crystal lattice may force the colors to be blue, pink, and yellow. The larger the diamond is, the more rare it is. The more colorless the diamond is the more extravagant. If the diamond is...