Gem Gallery - Diamond

Koh-I-Noor Diamond

The world famous Koh-I-Noor diamond is part of the British crown jewels, stored in the Tower of London. It weighs 105.60 . - Photo courtesy Getty Images STR/AFP/Getty Images

Diamonds Are Special

Not only are diamonds the hardest natural material on earth, they are also special for their brightness, sparkle, and fire. - Photo © Jeff Scovil, courtesy of Barker & Co.

Diamond Shapes

Fancy-shape diamonds and round diamonds are popular choices for people who buy jewelry. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA

Gem-weighing Tools

The simple balance scale weighs gems, but many jewelers today use electronic digital scales. - Photo by Eric Welch/GIA

Burnt Diamond

A house fire turned the diamond on the left white and cloudy. The stone was recut to take away the burned area. This made the diamond smaller, but as you can see from the diamond on the right, the damage is gone. - Photo by Nicholas DelRe/GIA

Rough Diamonds

The most common shape for rough diamond is the , which looks like two pyramids stuck together, bottom to bottom. Notice the pyramid points on these rough diamonds. - Photo courtesy De Beers

Octahedron Up Close

Here is a close view of a diamond whose shape is the . Crystals that are almost perfect in shape and are called “glassies.”

Dark Inclusions

Looking like they are frozen in space, these dark look very interesting. However, because they are very noticeable, the is affected and this makes the diamond less valuable. - Photo by John I. Koivula/GIA

Identifying Diamonds

No two diamonds have exactly the same characteristics in exactly the same locations. This fact helps identify individual diamonds. - Photo by John I. Koivula/GIA

How Diamonds Form

Where do diamonds form? At a certain depth beneath the earth’s surface. Heat and pressure form diamonds, which are then pushed to the surface.

Diamond and Graphite

Diamond and graphite are both made of carbon, but their atoms are arranged in different patterns. That's why diamond is hard and graphite is soft. Did you know that pencils are made of graphite? Watch the video to see how atoms make up diamond and graphite!