Diamond (gemstone)

This article is about diamonds themselves. For politics surrounding the gemstone trade, see Gemstones (politics).

Diamond, a type of gemstone, is the hardest naturally occurring substance found on Earth. They are regarded for their brilliance and their hardness in terms of both appearance and utility.

Diamonds are naturally formed from amounts of highly compressed carbon found below the Earth's mantle layer, but synthetic diamonds can be formed in a high-temperature, high-pressure chamber that replicates the geologic conditions which produces them.