• To keep your diamonds safe, you can put them in chests or stoves.
  • Diamonds are very common near lava.
  • If you plan on digging for a long time, then create a sheltered and equipped base, with a bed, chests, an oven, and most importantly, a garden to grow food (watered with blocks of water and lit with torches).
  • Always carry a large amount of wood, a furnace, and a crafting table so that the mined iron can be smelted into bars and a large number of pickaxes can be crafted.
  • If you find diamonds in a lava pool, pour water on it, or place a block on it; if you don't, diamonds can fall into the lava and be destroyed.
  • If you come across a cave, don't go too high as you won't find diamonds there. Just cover the passage for future examination.
  • You will be able to survive the attack of any mob underground using barriers. Skeletons are vulnerable at short range; hit their feet when they are outside the fence.
  • Always dig a wide hole, even if it takes longer.
  • If you do not have food and a sword, or do not want to carry them with you, you can always switch to peaceful mode, since there are no hostile mobs and hunger in it.
  • Don't go too high; you can fall.
  • To find out about your location, press F3.
  • If you would like to learn more about mining, read here: http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Tutorials/Mining_Techniques
  • Crawl when you are near the edge to avoid falling into the lava, or in principle.
  • Digging upwards is also dangerous. There may be gravel or lava above you.
  • Listen carefully while mining, you can hear hostile mobs other than creepers. If you are playing on Peaceful difficulty, then don't worry about hostile mobs. Dig as much as you want!
  • Diamond ore only spawns at Y: 5 and Y: 12.
  • If you're digging in the pocket version then you shouldn't be afraid to dig straight down as there are no lava pools underground. However, there may be deep caves and ravines there, so be careful.
  • Mining for diamonds takes patience!
  • If you see lava or water flows, block them even if there is a bypass. Who knows, you might find diamonds!
  • If you do not want to be disturbed by mobs while mining diamonds, switch to peaceful mode.
  • Try to find ravines, these textures often contain a lot of coal, iron, gold and even diamonds.
  • Remember the golden rule of mining! Never dig straight up or down (you may fall into lava, be attacked by a mob, drown in water, or choke on dust).
  • Always create a defense perimeter for your underground base - even leaf blocks will be useful.
  • If you are digging in survival mode, do not dig straight down as you will most likely fall into lava or from a ravine. Try to make a ladder.
  • Try asking others for help with diamond mining. The more people, the more diamonds you find.
  • Diamonds can only be mined with an iron or diamond pickaxe.
  • If you are digging, set up torches to avoid spawning hostile mobs.
  • Don't go to dark areas with hostile mobs without a sword, ax, or bow / arrow!
  • Diamonds are most often mixed with stone, not next to lava. It's true - you can find diamonds near lava, but this reduces the amount of diamonds in the veins.
  • Fortune III picks multiply the search for diamonds by 4. If you have such a pick, then use it to mine diamonds!
  • When you find a diamond deposit, carefully study the area around it, so as not to simply lose a valuable resource. After all, lava lies in wait everywhere
  • When playing the pocket version, use the first method. You will definitely find gold and diamonds.
  • Take food as you will spend a lot of time underground. You will not like it if you lose all your mined diamonds and ore due to hunger.
  • Dig down to the root passages, and then up 12 blocks, then mine ore. You will find additional ore.
  • Never carry diamonds with you in case you die. Put them in a chest, preferably in the Ender Chest.
  • If you are playing in survival mode, then build a house in the mountains so that you will not be attacked by mobs.
  • Look around when you find diamonds, some veins contain hidden nuclei.

At the beginning of the last century, in 1905, the largest diamond in the world was found in Africa. Its weight was 3106.75 carats or 621 grams. The crystal was named after the owner of the Cullinan mine and was a birthday present to King Edward VII of England.

The diamond had cracks and could not be made into one giant diamond. To split the stone correctly, the best cutter in Europe was called in, who could polish a tiny area on the surface of the stone, look inside and determine the place of a single blow.

The Master studied the Cullinan for several months, and then made a barely noticeable scratch. Then, in the presence of famous jewelers, he put a chisel to the scratch, struck and ... lost consciousness. Despite the excitement, the blow turned out to be accurate: the stone "opened" into ten parts, one of which later became the largest diamond in the world. It was only in the 90s that another gem was obtained, surpassing it by 15 carats.

This is a beautiful story about a beautiful stone. But, as you know, behind the beauty are things that are much more prosaic. Today I propose to find out how diamonds are mined in our time. Let's go down to the "Internatsionalnaya" pipe mine, from where two buckets of diamonds are raised every day ...

Before starting a story about mining, I propose to understand how diamonds are formed and where is the hole in the ground here:

3.

Diamonds are born in underground channels formed at the site of former volcanoes. These formations are called kimberlite pipes, and they look like carrots in the ground. They contain special rocks (kimberlites) in which diamonds are formed. The volcanoes that served as the beginning of the formation of the pipes are so ancient that the level of the earth at that time was much higher:

4.

"Fir-trees" above the pipes are not the Siberian taiga, but models of small mines, with the help of which they determine the dimensions of the pipes:

5.

Diamonds are mined by open-pit and mine methods. In the first case, a huge quarry is dripping. On the layout, if you look closely, there are yellow dots. These are huge Belaz, which take the rock to the surface. Sooner or later, when a quarry reaches a certain size, it becomes costly to open-cut mining, and then they switch to a mine. In this case, mines are dug around the ore body like a spiral staircase:

6.

Ore bodies can look different. Somewhere there is one trunk, but somewhere there are several:

7.

The search for the receiver was carried out in 1955 in an atmosphere of strict secrecy. Having discovered it, geologists sent the famous telegram to Moscow, which gave the name to the field:

8.

This is how Mirny looked in the early years - just a tent camp. Two streets can be traced: Moskovskaya, which was built by Muscovites, and Leningradskaya, which was built by residents of the Northern capital. In 1956, the industrial operation of the tube began. Open-pit mining on it was completed in 2001, and the huge crater became a bright sight of the city. Today the quarry, 525 meters deep and 1200 meters wide, is visible even from space:

9.

Leningradskaya Street in the early years:

10.

The geologists lived in tents, but very well equipped:

11.

I went down to the "Internatsionalnaya" pipe mine. Mine model. Areas that have already been worked out are painted yellow, those that are to be worked out in green. They get it like this: at the required level, they break through several tunnels in the ore body at regular intervals, as if poking a fork into a sausage. Then concrete is poured into the voids so that the rock does not collapse. Then the operation is repeated again:

12.

Before going down into the mine, you need to listen to the safety precautions. Show video with instructions:

13.

Examples of miner's outfit. Everyone has a "rescuer" hanging around their necks, if suddenly there is a collapse or some kind of emergency, the "rescuer" is able to supply oxygen for six hours of breathing. It is forbidden to shoot and move away from it further than three meters:

14.

"Rescuers" are given out in the lamp room. Immediately they keep track of how many people went down into the mine and how many went up. Together with the rescuer, they give out a flashlight and a helmet:

15.

All according to strict lists:

16.

The flashlight works on a single charge for about a day:

17.

While they are on the rack, the batteries are being charged:

18.

"Waiting room" before the descent. The lift goes up and down several times a day according to the schedule and the whole shift gathers in the hall, so that later they can go down together:

19.

Access to the elevator shaft. The door is sealed like a submarine:

20.

21.

We descend to a depth of about a kilometer:

22.

The descent took about five minutes - I just didn't notice:

23.

One of the "horizons" that leads to the mine. It says -560 meters on the wall, meaning below sea level. Since Mirny himself stands at an altitude of 400 meters, it turns out that we went underground almost a kilometer (960 meters):

24.

Elevator control panel:

25.

Then the shift goes to the level and goes through the tunnel:

26.

We pass under the eyelashes like suitcases to the airport luggage compartment:

27.

There is a minibus at a depth of one kilometer underground:

28.

Similar to Hummer:

29.

Driver:

30.

Pass the fare!

31.

We reach the mine in five minutes. There is a ventilation pipe under the roof of the tunnel. Breathe easily and freely:

32.

Near the mine, from the minibus stop, branches go up and down to the mine:

33.

We go up a little higher, where the development is currently taking place:

34.

Here. This is kimberlite:

35.

A little later I photographed kimberlite in the museum:

36.

Red blotches are pyrope, the faithful companion of diamonds:

37.

The kimberlite body is "gnawed" by a special harvester:

38.

Sharoshka and its trace in the breed:

39.

40.

41.

Then he goes upstairs:

42.

There is a bulldozer behind the combine and picks up the ore:

43.

Motor Mercedes:

44.

The ore is loaded onto wagons and delivered to the surface. From there it is transported to the mining and processing plant:

45.

Equipment repair place. This is all also underground and at the same level:

46.

At the exit from the mine, you need to wash your boots:

47.

48.

Guys waiting for the "lifter":

49.

I asked: what if you find a diamond in a mine? The guys said it was almost impossible to see a diamond in the rock (no one remembered such cases). In addition, this is a criminal offense and no one dares to commit it:

50.

Having risen to the surface, the workers go to the lamp room, hand over flashlights, rescuers and change clothes:

51.

52.

Canteen:

53.

53.

54.

55.

56.

What happens next? The ore is crushed, separating the rock from the diamonds (multi-level and complex technology), after which the precious stones are sorted by size and color:

57.

Valuable case with assorted diamonds:

58.

Well, the Diamond Heart of Russia. According to the Assay Office under the Ministry of Finance, about 38 million carats were mined in Russia last year, of which 35.3 million carats of rough diamonds were exported. The largest exporters of Russian diamonds are Belgium and India:

59.

Today, diamond mining in the world is well developed, but the demand for polished diamonds far exceeds the supply. Experts say that the situation will worsen. This is beneficial for countries mining and processing diamonds. However, not every state can boast of precious deposits. Today there are large mines and open pits only in Africa, Russia, Australia and Canada. There are “big five” countries leading in diamond mining. We will tell you about it and more.

The world's first diamonds

As early as 7 thousand years ago, people learned about the existence of these stones. The placers were then discovered in India. The largest crystals were also found there. For thousands of years people have been mining precious stones here. The most famous: "Shah", "Kohinur", "Orlov". In the 19th century, the deposits were empty. Diamonds in India began to run out. Today, diamond mining in India continues, but mainly they are engaged in cutting stones and selling diamonds.

By the time India lost ground, gems were found in South America. The first deposit in this country was discovered in the 18th century. The stones that were mined here are small, but of excellent quality. It is worth mentioning three of these: "Star of Egypt", "Star of Minas", "Star of the South". They have amazing cleanliness and shape. For a century, Brazil was the leader in the extraction of precious stones, but then new discoveries began, and it was time for other giants of the diamond industry.

Unique finds were found in streams and rivers. Thus, the birthplace of the famous Eureka diamond weighing 11 carats is Africa, it was found in the riverbed. After that, South African deposits became popular.

The giant diamond and the search for gems in Russia

When the mines of Africa became famous, other placers and kimberlite pipes began to be looked for in the region. A significant part of the income went to Great Britain, since diamonds were mined in its colonies. Here, in the 20th century, they found the largest crystal on Earth - "Cullinan" - weighing 3160 carats.

Of course, Russia did not want to lag behind. Large-scale research was carried out in the country, expeditions were sent in search of deposits. The first ones found turned out to be alluvial, this was not enough. We needed kimberlite pipes. The first was discovered in 1949 in Yakutia, then in the Arkhangelsk region. Thanks to this, our state has become one of the leaders in the extraction and processing of precious stones.

New deposits in Russia are being searched for and developed today. According to forecasts, our reserves are still large.

Jewels of Australia and South Africa

Today there are several countries that retain the lead in the extraction of precious stones and the largest diamond deposits.

For a very long time, Australia was on the list of the largest states where diamonds are mined, but now its reserves are running out. Now stones are mined only in the Argil mine, which is near the city of Kimberley. A rare pink variety of diamond was recently discovered here. These crystals are sold only at auctions. However, Australian kimberlite deposits are about to deplete.

Large reserves of diamonds are located in South Africa. The country is rich in minerals and gems. It is not surprising that of all the countries in Africa, only she does not belong to the backward ones.

The first deposits in South Africa were discovered in 1867. For almost 2 centuries, it ranked first among the countries in the extraction of diamonds. Almost 60% of all stones in the world came from there. Then, deposits in other countries began to be actively developed, and South Africa lost its leadership.

Since 2006, the volume of production of gems in South Africa has decreased by 2 times. Also, South Africa supplies much less stones to the world market. On the one hand, this is the result of the crisis in the country and the world. On the other hand, the cutting industry in South Africa is developing well, the local demand for diamonds has grown, and they are leaving the country with diamonds.

One of the largest diamond corporations, De Beers, is located in South Africa. She controls the development of deposits, mining, processing and who sells South African diamonds. The largest mine is Venice.

High quality crystals of Angola

In the fourth place among the states of the world in diamond mining is another African country - the mine - "Venice". 2 tons of precious crystals are mined here a year.

Among Angola's diamonds, there are almost no small or low-quality diamonds. Angolan stones are large, colorless, or pink.

The first deposits were explored here at the beginning of the 20th century. They were alluvial, that is, the stones were in the sand and clay along the river banks. When the country gained independence, diamonds were for a long time the currency for which weapons were bought, and they were mined unofficially. In the world, gems from Angola were called bloody.

Today the situation has changed. In the mines of Angola, legal stones are mined in the amount of 8.7 million carats per year. Their total cost is $ 1.5 billion. The reserves are estimated at 180 million carats. To date, 700 kimberlite works are known.

The largest diamond mine is Fukauma.

The processing of precious crystals is also well developed here.

Gem mining in Canada and the USA

The first valuable crystals were found in Canada at the end of the 19th century, but industrial extraction began only in the 1990s. Then the world began to pay attention to how diamonds are mined in Africa and where they are going. They talked about the terrible working conditions, about the financing of military conflicts. The legality and "purity" of diamonds have come to mean a lot.

The main mines in Canada are located in the northern and northwestern parts of the country. There are several large ones, especially large and famous "Renard" and "Gacho Quay". In 2017, they accounted for a third of the global growth in gem mining. Today, Canada is in third place in the list of countries that hold the lead in the diamond mining industry. It produces 12 million carats of gems worth $ 2 billion a year.

In the United States, only Arkansas has diamond mines. The country is not on the list of industry leaders, but it is worth mentioning for two reasons. First, Arkansas is home to the famous "Diamond Crater" left over from a volcano. For some time, precious stones were mined here. Secondly, many of the stones mined in the world will not pass America, because the largest center for cutting gems is located here.

Botswana and other African countries

Botswana is the leader in diamond mining in Africa. She is the second in the global ranking. More than half of the country is a barren desert; the climate does not allow agriculture. Gold and oil are mined in small quantities. However, Botswana may soon overtake South Africa in terms of living standards, and all thanks to diamonds.

Gems were found here only in the 1970s, but the country's mines became famous quickly - of all the deposits in the world, only these bring green diamonds. These crystals are extremely rare and the most expensive to buy. They have become the hallmark of Botswana, thanks to which the world diamond market knows it.

More than 40 million carats of gems are mined here annually. Exports bring in $ 2 billion annually. The largest number of stones is found at the Jwaneng and Orapa mines, as well as Damtshaa and Letlhakan.

Africa is rich in diamonds, they are mined in other countries: Tanzania, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Zaire, Congo. There are both abundant placers and pipes. Separately, perhaps, we can say about Namibia. There are large deposits here, and the country is classified as one of the most important diamond-mining states.

Where are the most gems found?

The richest diamond deposits in the world are located in Russia. The top 10 largest open pit mines look like this:

  1. "Jubilee", RF;
  2. "Udachny", RF;
  3. Mir, RF;
  4. Argyle, Australia;
  5. Catoca, Angola;
  6. Venice, South Africa;
  7. them. V.P. Grib, RF;
  8. Jwaneng, Botswana;
  9. Orapa, Botswana;
  10. Botoubinskaya, RF.

As you can see, our country is in the first three places. If you look for mines on the maps, we will see that the majority are located in Yakutia.

If we talk about the volumes of crystals found, diamond mining is distributed differently across countries. So, the leading countries in diamond mining are:

  • Botswana;
  • Russia;
  • Canada;
  • Angola.

The largest deposits of the planet, the extraction of stones, their turnover are controlled by several large companies, international corporations. Some people own mines in different parts of the Earth. Three such leading companies can be noted: De Beers (South Africa), BHP Billton (Australia) and the Russian "ALKOROSA".


Where modern Hong Kong is located today. This happened in the third century BC. After only 22 centuries, the gem was first found on the territory of Russia. It was in 1829 that a 14-year-old teenager found a diamond in the Urals. This serf went down in history as Pavel Popov. The find happened by chance, he just washed the soil in search of gold and found this miracle stone in his tray. It was this find that provided the guy with freedom. Diamond has very specific qualities, for which it is valued:

  • crystal clear structure of the stone;
  • incredible density and hardness;
  • it is very rare.

All of the above qualities make the stone truly valuable and desirable. Today we will tell you about where diamonds are mined in Russia and how it happens.

Treasure chest

Mikhail Lomonosov, the world famous Russian scientist, as early as the 18th century, argued that on the territory of great and immense Russia there are deposits of one of the strongest stones. But it was just a theory that everyone ignored and did not give it due importance. In the thirties of the twentieth century, an authoritative Yakut researcher named Petr Starovatov made numerous statements and appeals to large institutions about his guesses that there are deposits of precious stones in the territory he outlined. that this is just fiction. In 1992, Starovatov was recognized as the discoverer of the diamond deposit.

After these events, the extraction of stones from the bowels of the earth took place manually, without proper equipment and the necessary devices. All that geologists who went out in search took with them were:

  • compass;
  • pick;
  • washer;
  • diary for entries;
  • backpack.

Not very suitable tools for the job. But that's all they had. However, they achieved positive results thanks to the rich deposits of this stone. The first crystal was found on the Sokolina spit. It should be emphasized that this was just a loose deposit. A dozen more similar crystals were found in the same place. It was after this that an encrypted telegram was drawn up, which had the name "Deer". It contained a very peculiar message that baffled the common reader: "A deer died in Yakutia, we found the second, third, fifth and tenth ..., after which the epidemic began." The initiates rejoiced at these words.

ALROSA Is a reputable company that supplies 90% of all available jewelry to the modern Russian market. By the way, it is the legal successor of the Yakutalmaz trust. Today ALROSA has several mining and processing plants. The collected raw materials go to a special distribution center, which was organized in 1990. It is here that the stones go through the primary stage of mandatory processing, assessment and weighing. After these actions, the finished raw materials are sent to processing and cutting factories in Moscow or directly in Yakutia.

The classification process is a very complex but very balanced set of activities, which is divided into completely different stages. A very extensive collection of mined diamonds is preserved in this place. In addition, here are the largest specimens that have ever been discovered by humans.

The ore is processed by a special factory # 8, which receives raw materials from two deposits. These are the tubes Komsomolskaya and Aikhal... It is the first one that is the richest, but with very modest volumes. The Nyurba block, which is located in the neighboring area, is the youngest of all the existing ones. It is in this factory that the best equipment is installed. Directly in the north, there are several loose diamond deposits at the junctions of the Olenensky and Anabar regions.

Continuous work continues and Udachny factory, at number 12. An outstanding autogenous mill is installed here. It has a special configuration, due to which it has some advantages. After the ore preparation has taken place, all the selected diamonds go through the dressing cycle. This is a rather painstaking and very important point. Diamonds are carefully placed on fluorescent apparatus, after which they are irradiated with X-rays. For a split second, they flash. Thanks to this action, some of the unnecessary rock is cut off. With regard to smaller diamonds, gravitational devices are applied to them. Sorting of small gemstones occurs thanks to adamas, which is 3.5 times lighter than water, or special fats. Then the finished stone is cut, sorted according to color palettes and evaluated.

Now you know where diamonds are mined in Russia and how they are processed.

The physical are so unique that this particular stone is considered the "king" of all the rest. It is both the hardest of all known minerals on Earth, and the most expensive, albeit quite common.


The origin of diamonds

How long crystals have formed in nature is unknown, but in order for the carbon lattice of graphite to transform into the carbon lattice of diamond, the following conditions are necessary: ​​a depth of at least 100 kilometers, a pressure of 35-50 kilobars, and a temperature above 1100 degrees Celsius.

Diamond structure

As magma breaks through the sedimentary strata of the earth's crust, a tube is formed that may contain diamonds. According to the deposit in the Kimberley area in southern Africa, such pipes began to be called kimberlite pipes. Their age is about 400-700 million years.

Kimberlite pipe "Big Hole" South Africa

Where diamonds are mined

About 35 countries are engaged in mining, located on geologically stable continents. The largest explored deposits in terms of diamond content are located in South Africa, Russia, India, Brazil, and the northern part of America.

A deposit is considered "rich" if a ton of ore contains 3 carats (slightly more than half a gram) of diamonds.

Deposits of diamonds in Russia

In the 19th century in the Perm province, the first diamond was found by chance, by a 14-year-old serf, Pavel Popov, who worked in a gold mine and, while washing gold-bearing ore, found a stone weighing half a carat.

Carat is a measure of the weight of a gemstone, taken according to the size of the carob seed (pod ceratonia). The seed was brown, hard and flat and had a consistent mass, so it has been used as a measure since biblical times. 1 carat = 0.19 grams

Diamond mining in Russia is carried out in two regions: in the Arkhangelsk region and in Yakutia.

The search for diamond deposits in the USSR has been thought about since the 1930s, when it was suggested that conditions similar to those of the African continent - ancient volcanic shields - could exist in Siberia. After the Great Patriotic War, exploration expeditions began in Siberia. Since 1949, ten kimberlite pipes have been explored. In 1954, geologist Larisa Popugaeva discovered the first primary deposit. She telegraphed encrypted: "We lit the pipe of Peace, excellent tobacco." The kimberlite pipe was given the name "Mir", and then the city got its name from it: Mirny. Commercial development of twelve tubes is currently underway.

Kimberlite pipe "Mir"

Deposits of diamonds are subdivided into primary - primary and secondary - loose. Indigenous are kimberlites and lamproites (igneous rocks). Loose deposits are destroyed bedrock deposits, in which the mineral is transported from eroded kimberlite pipes over a distance, sometimes several kilometers.

Lomonosovskoye field in the Arkhangelsk region

For the first time, information about this field appeared in 1985, and in 1999 it was announced in the media that preparations were underway for the start of its development.

The search for the mineral in the Arkhangelsk region was different from the expeditions in Siberia. In Yakutia, they tracked a diamond 'satellite' - a pyrope (garnet). In the Arkhangelsk region - on magnetic anomalies.

As a result, more than 50 kimberlite pipes were identified, of which about a third contain diamonds. Six pipes in the area of ​​the Pomorie village are close to each other and form a single Lomonosovskoye field. Its reserves are estimated at US $ 12 billion. The quality of the stones is quite high, not inferior to the Yakut ones.

In 2009, a very high quality stone (transparent rhombododecahedron) weighing 30.61 carats was found and named in honor of the 425th anniversary of Arkhangelsk. A year later, a unique stone weighing 50.1 carats was also mined.

Mining is carried out in two ways: open-pit and mine. The method of borehole hydraulic production tested at the beginning of development was unsuccessful.

Diamond mining in Yakutia

Mirny is considered the "diamond capital" of Russia. It is located in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) at a distance of 1200 km from Yakutsk. The population of the city is about 35 thousand people and almost 80% of the population works in the group of diamond mining enterprises "Alrosa" (the name consists of the words: "diamonds" and "Russia"). Alrosa accounts for about 99% of all diamonds mined in Russia and over 30% in the world.

In 2017, a volume of 39 million carats is expected. Proved reserves of the company's deposits amount to 184.8 million carats, probable - 468.5 million carats.

The development of deposits in Yakutia began in the 50s of the last century. The Mir pipe has been open-cut since 1957, and in almost 50 years the serpentine road in the quarry has reached 8 km from the surface to the bottom. The open pit has a diameter of 1200 meters and a depth of 525 meters. Since 2001, the quarry has been mothballed, and mining continues with a mine method.

How diamonds are mined

The peculiarities of the nature of Yakutia are, first of all, extreme weather conditions, in winter the air temperature reaches 50 degrees below zero. It should also be noted the presence of groundwater, mineralized to such an extent that they are able to dissolve rubber. And finally, at a depth of 400 meters, permafrost begins.

All these conditions directly affect the methods of production.

The city of Mirny is located in close proximity to the quarry.

After the mined ore is transported to the surface, it is delivered to the processing plant, where first the rock is crushed, then the diamond compounds are separated.

For small fractions, a foam cleaning method is used (chemicals form a foam on water, to which diamond particles adhere), as well as an X-ray method (irradiating the ore and blowing diamond-containing particles out of it).

After mechanical cleaning, manual labor is used to clean and sort the stones.

Stones are sorted by weight, large pieces are selected by experts exclusively by hand. Their shape, size and color are evaluated. The clarity and purity of the mineral are also important characteristics.

It should be noted that all diamonds have such unique characteristics that specialists have developed more than 8 thousand items by which they can be evaluated.

After selection, the stones are sent to the cutting plant.

Gemstones make up about 70% of all mined, the rest are of technical use.

Industrial use of diamonds - for the manufacture of tools for stone and metal working, medical instruments and watches.

The world diamond mining market is represented by 9 countries, of which more than two-thirds of the volume falls on Russia, Botswana and Congo.

It is a matter of pride that Russian diamonds have high quality characteristics that are important for jewelers:

- correct shape;

- transparent;

- high color properties.

How to distinguish a diamond

Examine a diamond to light - a real one "lets in" a ray and refracts it many times, due to which it shines very brightly. No glass or cubic zirconia is capable of this, even with the most complex cutting. Only a real diamond has double refraction - one ray from its surface goes directly, the second - to the side.

You cannot see through a diamond the surface on which you place it, no matter how transparent it may be.

If you look through the diamond tops - they should not be visible.

A fake diamond will shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow, while a real one will only have one shade - grayish.

The most reliable way to verify authenticity is to breathe on a diamond. The real one does not fog up!

Probably everyone knows that a diamond becomes invisible in water, and it is also impossible to scratch it with glass or sandpaper.