April Birthstone

People who were born on the month of April are probaby the most lucky people on earth because they have the most beautiful gemstone as their birthstone. The diamond is April's birthstone. Diamonds are considered as a wonder of nature. They have held us spell bound and inspired the abundant myths of romance, power, greed, and magic by their cold sparkling fire appearance. The ancient civilizations, when they find a diamond being washed out of the ground during thunderstorms, they believed that these diamonds were created by lightning bolts. Today, the diamond is the modern symbol of love and are always placed in engagement rings.

There are so many different types of diamonds. They range in so many colors. From colorless, transparent, opaque, translucent to sooty black. Most diamonds that are used as a jewelry are colorless or tinted. The impurities found inside the diamond causes the gemstone's color.

Diamonds and graphites are considered as family members because both are formed from crystallized pure carbon. The only difference of the two is the way carbon atoms are formed or bonded together. The carbons are arranged in sheets that can slide easily against each other, making the graphite ideal as lubricants and pencil leads. The diamond crystals are tight networks or carbon atoms that are secured in four directions thus making the diamond the hardest substance in the whole world.

For diamonds to achieve such a compact network of carbon atoms, diamonds must crystallize deep in the earth's surface. Diamonds are usually found in alluvial deposits which are gravel being swept by rivers, streams, glaciers and ocean currents. Diamons can also be found in sedimetary rocks where deposits such as gravel and organic material are compressed within the rock. Kimberlite can also ba a source of diamonds. This is a type of volcanic rock that was discovered in Kimberly in South Africa. They are thought to be ancient perhaps to be around 3 billion years old. Meteorites are also one source of tiny traces of diamonds.

Despite the diamond's hardness, they can still be cut. Diamonds can be cut by cutting the gemstone along its planes parallel to the crystal's face's where the tight bonds of carbon atoms are a little weaker. When they are already cut and polished properly by craftsmen, this is when the light is reflected as best possible. This is the time the diamond's beauty is really revealed.

Diamond's name was derived from the ancient greek word which means "invincible" or "untamed" and "to overpower" or "to tame". They are considered as the most precious gemstone and is regarded as a religious icon in ancient India. Diamonds were also used as engraving tools in the early ancient civilizations.

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