We all know that diamonds are the most expensive of the precious stones, but do you know exactly why? To celebrate these sparkling gemstones, we’ve collected 6 diamond facts you probably don’t know about.

The oldest natural diamonds are about 3.5 billion years old , while the younger diamonds are about 1 billion years. This makes diamonds way older than the oldest dinosaurs which were estimated to be as far back as 245 million years ago “only.”

So obviously the dinosaurs’ age pales in comparison to natural diamonds.

Talk about forever!

Natural diamonds were formed about 100 miles deep into the earth, with a few as deep as 500 miles. Some were carried closer to the surface though through volcanic eruptions.

This makes diamonds even more precious. To compare, the ill-fated ship, the Titanic, can be found 2.4 miles below south of the coast of Newfoundland. Even the Marianas Trench, which has the world’s deepest point in the ocean, is only 6.7 miles deep.

Natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds are made of the same material – 100% carbon, and not even a trained eye can tell the difference. Lab-grown diamonds are, however, only 2% of the diamond jewelry market. They are of the same value, too.

Cubic zirconia , on the other hand, is made of zirconium dioxide. Still considered tough at 8-8.5 in the Mohs hardness scale, its one main difference is that cubic zirconia does not have the brilliance of a diamond, but it still looks basically similar. This is ideal for one on budget.

No other mineral can scratch a diamond, making it among the hardest minerals on earth.

There are harder materials recently acknowledged , but they are materials used for commercial applications.

The largest diamond ever found is the Cullinan. It weighed an astounding 1.33 pounds or 3,106 carats. It was named after the mine owner, Sir Thomas Cullinan.

The Cullinan was found at the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa on January 25, 1905. It was later transported to Great Britain as a birthday gift to King Edward VII.

Joseph Asscher, head of the Asscher Diamond Company of Amsterdam, was entrusted to cut the Cullinan into 9 large stones and about a hundred smaller ones.

The Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa weighs 530.20 carats. Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa weighs 317.40 carats. These two largest diamonds as well as the third-largest one, the Cullinan III, are being displayed in the Tower of London.

We all know that color is one of the 4Cs of diamonds – the clearer, the better.

The rarest diamond, however, is the red diamond. So if your significant other gives you a red instead of the highest color D in the diamond color scale , please ask if he has a brother!

With these diamond facts, now you know what makes it so valuable and a symbol of forever. Check out our diamonds for yourself or a loved one!

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