[Jewelry making - Article 00272] - Re: [Orchid] Diamonds unanswered

[MillsGem]

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Dear Daniel,

    There is so much misinformation about diamonds that I don't know
    where to begin.......Your assertion that diamonds are not rare flies
    in the face of reality. Diamonds ARE rare, if , for no other reason
    than they are typically accompanied by tons of worthless gangue
    materials. The productivity of diamond mines is probably as sparse
    as any other mineral mined by man. A typical "pipe" mine produces
    somewhere on the order of less than a carat per ton. When you make
    adjustments for size and type you will discover that much of that
    production is not useful for jewelry purposes and that which is
    suitable may not have enough size to warrant cutting. A rough stone
    that is large enough to yield a one carat diamond is rare indeed ! 

    Diamond critics often cite the fact that there are diamond
    occurrences throughout the world, but they tend to overlook the fact
    that many of these mines have already been worked out. A typical
    "pipe" mine has an average lifespan of about twenty years. Many of
    the biggest mines in Southern Africa have long since been worked
    out. The Australian mines have passed their peak. The Brazilian
    deposits have been insignificant producers for decades. The largest
    mine in Africa, the Williamson mine in Tanzania, is history for the
    most part. Currently, the biggest producers in the world are the
    Russian pipes in Siberia and the mines in Botswana. These mines are
    claiming production of thirty million carats each per year. But,
    wait a minute !!!!!! Do these figures reflect the GEM or the TOTAL
    production ??? If you assume that they are the usual total
    production then the portion that actually surfaces on the jewelry
    market would be far less. 

    The generalization that diamonds are no more rare than "any other
    large gemstone" is tenuous at best. Emeralds, rubies,and alexandrite
    are certainly very rare, but the other gemstones are abundant
    compared to diamonds. 

    It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because diamonds
    occur in so many places that they are abundant. They may be widely
    dispersed, but the irony is that they are also VERY widely dispersed
    within their occurrences ! 

Ron MIlls, Mills Gem Co.Los Osos, Ca.

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