Have You Ever Wondered Where Diamonds Come From?
From Mother Nature to your ring finger!
30 August 2017
Editor
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Looking down at that sparkling diamond on your finger, it’s easy to forget that the diamond has been through quite a journey to get from its naturally occurring state to the dazzling stone that adorns the ring. And it has been a long journey indeed, as the diamond was likely formed 3 million years ago beneath the surface of the earth, so your diamonds are probably the oldest things you will ever own! Good things come to those who wait, and although we adore diamonds around the world, few people actually know how it gets from Mother Nature to shop floor.
Simply put, here’s how the stone gets from rough to radiant:
Stage 1: Mining the diamond rough
About 50% of the world's diamond supply is mined in Africa, however other sources of rough diamonds include Australia, India, and Russia. The diamonds that made it to the surface were forced up through volcanic activity, through Kimberlite pipes. The deepest mine is around 160 kilometers deep! Tons of rock and sand lay in between which needs to be processed to yield the 27, 000 kg of diamonds which are mined annually. The real kicker is that only about 20% of the rough diamonds mined are suitable for the next stage, polishing. The other 80% is used for industrial purposes.
![Where do diamonds come from? Where do diamonds come from?](https://cdnewmoda.expatwoman.com/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/bigstock-Herkimer-Diamond-140471876.jpg?itok=HtISBHD_)
Hard to believe this is what your stone once looked like…
Stage 2: The rough diamond reaches the market:
Once the rough is extracted, a large proportion of it goes through a Central Selling Organization, where they sort them into more than 5000 categories! After they have been sorted, the rough diamonds are sold to the selected manufacturers, who will turn these rough rocks into pieces of art.
Stage 3: Diamond manufacturing:
No matter where the rough diamond is sourced, they make their way to a cutting center. The major cutting centers are located all over the world, in Bombay, Antwerp, New York and Johannesburg. When the rough reaches a cutting center, state of the art technology is used to determine how to cut the rough diamond to yield the most value from the rough. The stone is then marked carefully taking into account the rough stones shape, quality and flaws, before being cut with the greatest accuracy possible. Once the diamond is cut, it is then polished and cleaned, ready for sale.
Stage 4: Manufacturers to the shop floor and beyond:
Manufacturers then sell the polished and cleaned diamonds ready for setting and packaging. In the past buying diamonds was monopolized to major diamond retailers. However the internet age has allowed a revolution to occur in order to shift the market, as a result independent retailers are able to access consumers through the internet. It is now easier than ever before to purchase the diamond you want using your phone or laptop.
![Where do diamonds come from? Where do diamonds come from?](https://cdnewmoda.expatwoman.com/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/bigstock--196001773.jpg?itok=MU_162Ey)
Buying a ring in Dubai now means you can skip the dance of a diamond shop floor in favor of carefully selecting and designing a ring from home, allowing you to take your time and find exactly what you are looking for. Fergus James is one such company that is embracing the possibilities of the digital age to deliver you the sparkling diamond ring of your dreams.
![Where do diamonds come from? Where do diamonds come from?](https://cdnewmoda.expatwoman.com/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/IMG_20170826_171842_391_0.jpg?itok=B6A7tqeA)
Ring available at Fergus James
Ring available at Fergus James
Ring available at Fergus James
Now that you know how it got there, you might notice that 3 million-year-old stone shines even brighter. But just because that stone has made a long journey doesn’t mean that you have to!