Hardness:
10.0

Occurance:
Worldwide, most notable locations are Australia, Africa, Brazil, Russia, India and most recently, Northern Canada.

Appearance:
The normal range of colors in diamonds run from colorless to slightly yellow or brown. "Fancy colors" are those colors outside the normal range, and are found in all colors. The most sought after are colorless, and the more intense "fancy colors", blue, pink and red. Red diamonds are among the rarest of all gemstones, only two are known to exist.

Something Extra:
The Diamond has captured mankind's interest and appreciation for thousands of years. Before modern faceting techniques were developed, the Diamond was revered for its magical properties. It
is the birthstone for April and the anniversary stone for the 20 th, 60 th, and 75 th years.

Diamond is occasionally to commonly laser drilled to improve appearance. Surface cavities or fractures are occasionally filled with a hardened surface. Colored diamonds are occasionally irradiated and/or heat treated to induce "fancy" colors.