For thousands of years diamonds
have been prized and sought after, coveted by commoner
and king as a symbol of power and prestige.
The appeal is just as strong today - despite their cool appearance, diamonds are a hot-selling product.
Loose gem-quality diamonds are a multi-billion dollar business in the United States.
America is the world's largest diamond market, despite accounting for less than one percent of global gemstone production.
Some facts:
- To produce a single one-carat diamond, 250 tons of earth are mined
- Of all diamonds mined world-wide, fewer than 20 percent are gem-quality
- For every thousand polished diamonds only one weighs more than one carat
Diamonds are made from carbon - one of the commonest substances on Earth.
They were forged billions of years ago by tremendous heat and pressure far beneath the Earth's surface.
Luckily today's diamond miners don't have to dig so deep - volcanic activity pushed the crystals close to the Earth's surface.
Diamonds are nowadays found in volcanic kimberlitic pipes, or alluvial deposits where the crystals settled after geologic activity.
Until the 18th Century diamond mines were found only in India.
Just as India's production was dwindling, diamonds were discovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1725.
Diamond deposits were discovered in North America in the 1840s, and soon afterwards the Great Diamond Rush was sparked by the discovery of diamonds in South Africa.
Possibly the most famous diamond in the world is the "Great Star of Africa", 530.2 carats, cut from the world's largest rough diamond, the Cullinan, discovered in South Africa in 1905, weighing 3,106.75 carats.
Apart from the "Great Star of Africa", it produced the "Lesser Star of Africa", 317.40 carats, and 103 other diamonds of almost flawless clarity.
The most important of these are mounted in the British crown jewels.
Nowadays, Australia produces the highest number of diamonds, and Botswana leads in terms of the value of production.
North America is fast becoming a significant player in the international production of diamonds, with the opening of the Ekati mine, amongst others, in Canada.
The "Crater of Diamonds" State Park in Arkansas is the world's only diamond mine open to the public.
Tourists are allowed to dig there for free, and, since 1906, more than 70,000 diamonds have been discovered, including, in 1924, the "Uncle Sam", the largest diamond ever found in North America, weighing in at 40.23 carats.
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