April birthstone

Created by: www.birthstonebrilliance.com

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The birthstone for the month of April is the
Diamond.
The diamond was first discovered around 800
BC in India and that country continued to be
the major source of diamonds for many years.
The word diamond comes from the Greek
word adamas, which means
unbreakable, proper and unalterable.


Diamond Country Mining

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The first large scale diamond mine to open
in the modern era was in the 1860s in
South Africa.
Diamonds are also mined in Russia, Canada
and United States.
They were discovered in Australia in the
mid-nineteenth century, and the country
starting mining in the 1970s.


About Diamond

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The richest diamond deposit in the world
was found near Australia’s Lake
Argyle, which turned the area into the
world’s largest volume producer of
diamonds. The site produces over a third of
the world’s diamonds annually.


Diamonds were said to possess many
powers including:

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Bringing victory to those who carried it
bound on the left arm,
The removal of panic
Pestilences
Enchantments
And could remove the power of
lodestone and magnets to attract iron.


Diamonds in the Dark Ages

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Diamonds in the Middle Ages

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Used as medical aids and were believed to
cure illness if swallowed.
Focus on diamonds shifted from mystical
powers to their worth which increased public
awareness.
At one point rumours circulated that diamonds
were poisonous. The rumours came from mine
owners trying to prevent workers from
smuggling diamonds by swallowing them.


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As diamonds are such valuable
gemstones a number of characteristics
are used to determine the price and
they are generally referred to as the
Four Cs.
1.
2.
3.
4.

The first C is Carat.
The second C is Colour.
The third C is Clarity.
The final C is Cut.


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The first C is Carat
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The mass of the diamond is
measured as carat weight.
200-milligrams is one carat and the
value of the diamond increases in
direct relation to the carat weight.


The second C is Colour

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A colour scale grades diamonds from D
(colourless) to Z (dark yellow).
The value of a diamond is enhanced or
detracted depending on the hue and
intensity of colouration.


The third C is Clarity

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An inclusion is a flaw inside a diamond.
It could be a tiny crack or a crystal of
foreign material that creates the
inclusion.
The clarity of a diamond is influenced in
different ways by the
number, size, colour, location orientation
and visibility of inclusions.


The final C is Cut.

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The cut relates to the way a diamond has
been shaped and polished from a rough
stone to the final gem.
The shape of a diamond and the quality of
workmanship are both described by the
cut.
Variations of cuts, such as the emerald,
round or pear shapes are used for
different kinds of jewelry.


The ten richest diamond mines in the world
are:

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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Kimberley, South Africa (100,000 carats in
2010) which first opened in 1871
Letlhakane, Botswana (1.2 million carats in
2010) which opened in 1975
Finsch, South Africa (1.3 million carats in
2010) which opened in 1978
Ekati, Northwest Territories Canada (3 million
carats in 2010) opened 1998
Venetia, South Africa (4.3 million carats in
2010) opened in 1992.


The ten richest diamond mines in the world
are:

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6.
7.
8.
9.

10.

Diavik, Northwest Territories (6.5 million
carats 2010) opened in 2003
Catoca, Angola (7.5 million carats 2009)
opened 1997
Orapa, Botswana (9.53 million carats 2010)
opened 1971
Argyle, Australia (9.8 million carats 2010)
opened 1985
Jwaneng, Botswana (11.5 million carats
2009) which began mining operations in
1982.

April birthstone

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