Whether you’re shopping at a pawn shop for an engagement ring or a jeweler for a birthday gift, diamonds are a symbolic way to express your love and adoration for a significant other. However, many people are unaware of how diamonds are formed and made. Below is an overview of the formation of both natural and fabricated diamonds.

Natural Diamonds

Diamond deposits are found deep in the earth’s mantle because of the environment required for them to grow. When carbon atoms are bonded together in high temperature and high pressure conditions, they will form crystals. Each carbon atom will bond with four other carbon atoms; the hardness of diamonds is due to the strength of these covalent bonds. Unfortunately, researchers are still unsure as to where the carbon material comes from. Natural diamonds made it up to the earth’s crust by volcanic eruptions.

Diamonds have also been discovered around the craters at asteroid sites. When asteroids struck the earth, the impact produced a powerful, hot energy burst, which created the right conditions for diamond formation. Diamonds have also been created in other natural methods, such as in meteorites in space and subduction zones deep in the Earth’s mantle as a result of converging tectonic plates. 

Fabricated Diamonds

Fabricated or synthetic diamonds are formed through the High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) process or the chemical vapor disposition (CVD) method. The HPHT method is designed to simulate the natural process by applying high heat and pressure to diamond seeds placed at the bottom of a special press. CVD is a more recent method that uses less pressure; carbon is converted into diamond seeds through high temperatures and low pressure.

If you’re in the market for diamond jewelry at affordable prices, head over to American Trading Company. Since 1982, the family-owned pawn shop has offered a wide inventory of jewelry, rare coins, guns, and pawns, along with cash for gold jewelry. They also feature 2 locations in the Cincinnati, OH, area. Call (513) 661-3633 to reach their pawn shop on Harrison Avenue or (513) 385-6789 to speak with a representative at their Galbraith Road location. Visit the website for more information on the pawn shop and the types of items they purchase and sell.