Tuesday, June 3, 2008

How One Carat Diamond Rings Are Mined

diamond We seldom think about how the one carat diamond rings we wear came to us. Natural diamonds, as opposed to synthetic diamonds or fake diamonds, are mined from the earth. There are currently two methods of mining diamonds: Pipe Mining and Alluvial Mining.

When pipe mining is used, the diamonds are extracted from the earth through volcanic pipes. These are not man-made pipes. These are natural pipes in the ground. Shanks are put into the ground next to the pipes, and tunnels are driven into the deepest parts ofthe pipe. The diamonds are not sorted out at the mine. Instead, huge rocks that are full of diamonds are brought out of the mine and moved to a screening plant for separation.

The Alluvial mining method is done in riverbeds and on beaches. Walls are built to hold back the water and the sand on the bank or beach is moved with a bulldozer until the level of earth that diamonds can be found in is reached. Again, the diamonds are not sorted here. Instead, the sand that contains the diamonds is bulldozed into trucks, and taken to screening plants.

Friday, July 6, 2007

One Carat Diamond Ring are Rare ?

When you walk into a jewelry store and see all the one carat diamond rings in all of the various settings that are for sale, it is difficult to realize that
one carat diamond rings are indeed rare. Most people don’t even stop to consider how that diamond came to be sitting in that jeweler’s
case! There is quite a bit of work that is done before a one carat diamond ring is ready to sell to the general public!

For every one million diamonds that are mined, only one will be found that is a quality one carat diamond ring. In order to find a two carat diamond ring, about five million diamonds must be mined. More than two hundred tons of ore must be mined to find one small
diamond, and even then, more than 80% of the diamonds that are mined are only good for industrial use, such as diamond drill bits.

So, the next time you visit your local jewelry store, ask to see the one carat diamond rings. You should look at this one carat diamond ring with new appreciation – knowing that it truly is one in a million!