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The discovery of diamond-bearing kimberlites in the 1870s in Kimberley sparked a diamond rush, transforming the area into one of the world’s largest diamond-producing regions. Since then, the association between kimberlites and diamonds has been crucial in the search for new diamond deposits around the globe. [22] [23]
Lonsdaleite (named in honour of Kathleen Lonsdale), also called hexagonal diamond in reference to the crystal structure, is an allotrope of carbon with a hexagonal lattice, as opposed to the cubical lattice of conventional diamond.
Only a very small fraction of the diamond ore consists of actual diamonds. The ore is crushed, during which care is required not to destroy larger diamonds, and then sorted by density. Today, diamonds are located in the diamond-rich density fraction with the help of X-ray fluorescence, after which the final sorting steps are done by hand.
There are a limited number of commercially available diamond mines currently operating in the world, with the 50 largest mines accounting for approximately 90% of global supply. [1] Diamonds are also mined alluvially over disperse areas, where diamonds have been eroded out of the ground, deposited, and concentrated by water or weather action.
Bauxite (aluminium ore) Beckerite (natural resin) Bentonite (mixture of montmorillonite and other clays) Bixbite (red gem variety of beryl) Bowenite (variety of antigorite) Brammallite (variety of illite) Brokenhillite (not approved by IMA) Buergerite (renamed to fluor-buergerite) Bursaite (not approved by IMA) Bytownite (variety of anorthite)
Argyle diamond mine The open pit of the Argyle diamond mine. A large mining truck is visible on the road for scale. Location Argyle Diamond Mine Location in Australia Location Lake Argyle State Western Australia Country Australia Coordinates 16°42′44″S 128°23′51″E / 16.71222°S 128.39750°E / -16.71222; 128.39750 Production Products Diamonds History Opened 1985 Closed ...
In 1996 the largest diamond found at the mine was discovered. Named the "Colorado Diamond," it was a 28.3-carat (5.66 g) yellow stone and the fifth-largest diamond found in North America. The gem was cut and polished by legendary New York diamond cutter Bill Goldberg which yielded a 5.39-carat (1.078 g) faceted stone that sold for $87,500. [5] [16]
The discovery of diamonds led to a high demand for black labour. The self-sufficiency and independence of the African rural homestead was questioned by the British government [7] which also contributed to the acceleration of land dispossession, especially in the 1870s.