Diamond facts

• Diamonds derive their name from the Latin word adamas, meaning unconquerable or invincible
• Diamonds are the hardest natural substance on earth
• Diamonds are formed under extreme heat and pressure deep within the earth’s crust, and come to the earth’s surface through volcanic eruptions that formed kimberlites and lamproites that host diamonds
• Most diamonds found in nature are between one and four billion years old
• Approximately US$8.5 billion worth of diamonds a year come from African countries, with Botswana being the world’s biggest producer of diamonds
• An estimated 65% of the world’s diamonds future diamond supply is expected to come from African countries
• An estimated 10 million people globally are directly or indirectly supported by the diamond industry
• The largest diamond ever found was the Cullinan Diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905, weighing 3 106.75 carats
• Conflict diamonds as a percentage of all rough diamonds traded have been reduced from approximately 4% to considerably less than 1% since the implementation of the Kimberley Process in 2003