Raise your hand if you have heard and/or believe that diamonds are made from coal. How many times have you heard the following: “if you put enough pressure, you can turn coal into diamonds”? Let’s jump straight to the truth–DIAMONDS ARE NOT MADE FROM COAL. The first and major reasoning behind this truth is that diamonds have been dated much further back than coal. Diamonds are older than all of the Earth’s land plants, which is what coal is made of. The question you should be asking is, how are diamonds really made and why are they so valuable?
There are 4 main methods to how diamonds form. Only one method is responsible for producing nearly all of the diamonds that we use for jewelry or commercial uses. The other 3 methods are not significant for producing diamonds.
Formation of Diamonds:
Diamonds are created deep in the Earth, roughly about 100 miles below the surface of the Earth. As you get closer to the core of the Earth, temperatures start rising. The combination of high temperatures and high pressure is what is essential for the formation of diamonds.
The diamonds that are available to us are ones that have made its way to the surface of the earth with a little help from deep-seated volcano eruptions. These eruptions are not frequent, and most occurred during a period of time when the temperature of the Earth was very hot. The volcanic material containing the diamonds is called Kimberlite. Diamond mines are areas with a high concentration of Kimberlites.
Essentially, diamonds are composed of carbon. With the high pressure and the high temperature, the carbon molecules bond to create a crystal structure.
When the diamonds finally make its way to the surface, they are able to cool off rather quickly. The transition from hot to cold locks the carbon atoms into place, preventing the diamond from turning into graphite.
Why Are Diamonds so Valuable?
Gold buyers, diamond buyers, luxury item collectors all agree diamonds are valuable, but many don’t know why. Diamonds are valuable because they are rare, very old and there is a limited supply. Most of all the diamonds available to us have been produced over billions of years ago. Jewelers who sell diamonds for cash will explain in detail what makes one diamond more valuable than another. Because we do not suspect and we do not hope for another deep seated volcanic eruption, diamonds underground are not able to make its way to the surface via the Kimberlite process.
There’s only a couple shopping days left until Christmas – how’s your list going? Maybe you’ve only got a couple people left, and if so, congrats. Or maybe you have quite a few gifts still to buy, but you’ve been procrastinating for a very practical reason: you need a little extra cash this holiday season to cover everyone on your list. I’ve got some good news for you: The Gold Standard wants to give you cash for last minute shopping when you 
For a long time, diamonds were considered to have little resale value. Many stores that buy gold and silver actually turned customers with diamonds away. But no more. Because of the economic downturn, many pawnshops and jewelry stores are now taking in diamonds because the wholesale price for them has gone up 30 percent in the last year.
