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| It's hard to believe that a thing of such beauty and romance could come from being buried deep in our Earth. |
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| Diamonds, those precious gems that sparkle and scintillate with firelight are so deeply buried that it takes a crew of miners who are prepared to travel deep underground to find those wonderful minerals that we take so much for granted. |
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| The Diamond Time Line |
| Natural diamonds are formed about 150 km below the earth's surface. Rocks containing carbon are melted by the layer of liquid lava rock or magma. The carbon is then compressed by the kilometres of rock that lay above it. The strata of the earth which is constantly moving. There may be earthquakes or a volcano may erupt. Even when the earth seems relatively still to us with no reports of major movement, the earth is not still. |
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| It is at these times that the compressed carbon will find it's way nearer to the earth's crust. On this journey, diamonds can be formed although not all carbon will undergo the metamorphosis into diamonds and the complete process can take thousands and thousands of years. |
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| Up until the 18th Century, India was the only supplier of diamonds in the world until they were discovered in Africa in the early 19th Century. They in turn became the world's largest producer until the early '80's when Australia took over the position. It is here that the famous pink diamonds were discovered. Argile Pink Diamonds !! |
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| The Very First Australian Diamonds |
| The first discovery of diamonds was in the Pilbara region in Western Australia in 1890. The source of the diamond find has never been located so could not be explored as a diamond mine. |
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| It was suspected that diamonds could and would be found in Australia but it wasn't until as recently as 1972 that geologists identified the Kimberley region as being the location that would bring results. |
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| For seven year, geologist searched the region when the world's most indicative deposit of diamonds was found at Smoke Creek in the remote north of Western Australia. This location is over 2000 kilometres from Perth, the State capital. |
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| The Argyle Diamond Pipe |
| On 2nd October 1979, possibly the most significant date in Australia's diamond mining history, geologists discovered the richest diamond deposit in the world. This was when the Argyle Diamond Pipe was located. |
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| Near the huge Lake Argyle, which is a dam, man made and covering about 720 kilometres, geologists discovered stones in the bed of the creek. They double backed, discovering more diamonds as they travelled, climbing high up into the range. Ultimately, they came upon the Argyle Diamond Pipe. In 1982, a group of joint venturers developed an efficient mining operation. |
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| The First Australian Diamond Mine |
| It was in 1983 that the Argyle diamond mine and process plant was constructed, although an alluvial plant at Smoke Creek and Limestone Creek delivered up to 15 million carats of diamonds before the plant was commissioned in 1985. |
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| Alluvial diamonds are stones that are found in regional erosion areas that contain kimberlite, the cooled magma that has escaped from the earth's interior. Diamonds that have been washed down from kimberlite areas are found in the sediment in rivers and streams. These areas can often point the way to even richer deposits of diamonds further up the coarse of the river. |
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| Australia's Major Diamond Producer |
| Australia is now top of the league when it comes to producing diamonds and the Argyle Diamond mine is the major diamond producing area producing over 35 million carats of diamond. |
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| Australia produces over a third of the world's supply of diamonds and is responsible for giving us some of the most famous and unusual diamonds ever seen. |
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| Coloured Diamonds |
| Thanks to Australian diamond mines we can now purchase pink, champagne and white diamonds. Coloured diamonds are still graded using the GIA 4 Cs and are coveted because of their delicious colours. |
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| 'My Diamonds' ~ The Final Piece of the Jigsaw |
| At www.mydiamonds.com.au you can purchase some of the most wonderful and unique diamonds and pieces of diamond jewellery available. Their on line showroom is the showcase for stunning workmanship and design and is the perfect place to go when looking for an individual and artisan made token of love. Call 1800 766 567 to discuss your requirements or visit the website from the comfort of you armchair. You will not be disappointed! |
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