Main precious stone countries: the commerce of diamonds in Australia
Uncut diamond is undoubtedly the most valuable precious stone that combines exclusive solidity, high light-refracting feature, strong dispersion and bright glitter. The name comes from the word “adamas” – insuperable – comes from the ancient Greece mineral that excelled other precious stones in quality.
A curious fact is that the first diamond deposits appeared on the surface of the earth about 2.5 billion years ago. The newest diamond deposits are 50 million years old. Thus, diamond is certainly a unique relic of history. Diamond is the hardest of all the minerals, but is features anisotropy of the hardness as it is different in different areas. Due to this fact it’s possible to treat this mineral; it is cut and bound over the least solid lines. Diamond has cleavage, that’s why it is very sensitive to blows and, despite its high hardness it can be easily broken.
The ultra violet radiation can make the diamond shining. The diamond glow color is blue, green, yellow and others. Initially the major source of diamonds by the XVIII century had been India then the diamonds appeared in other European countries. There were found the famous diamonds called “Koh-n-nor”, “Regent”, “Orlov”, “Shah”, “The Great Mogul” and others. Later diamond deposits were discovered Brazil, South Africa and South Africa. The largest diamond called “Cullinan” was found in South Africa and weighed 3106 carats. The largest Russian diamond deposits were discovered in the middle of the last century.
Undoubtedly the main countries producing diamonds today are Australia, Russia, Botswana, Congo and Canada. In contrast to the relatively free market of diamonds and jewelry uncut diamond market had been monopolized by Australia. The commerce of diamond in Australia has always taken the main positions in the world. Then the transnational corporation De Beers took the top of the rating. Today the main diamond cutting centers are concentrated in Bombay, Tel Aviv, Antwerp, New York and Canberra. But undoubtedly the commerce of diamonds in Australia is the leading one as Australia is the main birthplace of famous opals, pink and other colored diamonds and pearls. The large selection of jewelry with an international warranty is offered by such Australian stores as Altmann & Cherny and Costello’s.