This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 13 in 2021. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
Diamonds have been written about for centuries, yet even today the most precious gemstone on the market has something to tell us. In this issue, diamond formation has already been discussed thanks to Fabrizio Nestola’s (University of Padua) talk at last July’s gemmological conference in Bari.
Model for the genesis of three types of diamonds. (Photo: Doucet, L.S., Li, ZX. & Gamal El Dien, H. Oceanic and super-deep continental diamonds share a transition zone origin and mantle plume transportation. Sci Rep 11, 16958 [2021], License: CC BY 4.0)It is certain that there are two origins: lithospheric diamonds formed between 120 and 200 km in the Earth’s mantle and superdeep continental diamonds between 300 and 1000 km. But it is uncertain whether these had anything in common. Although the former have homogeneous carbon isotope contents (δ13C from -28 to -20‰) and the latter are highly variable (δ13C from -25‰ to +3.5‰) researchers at Australia’s Curtin University claimed in a publication in August this year that the source of the carbon is the same and is attributable to organic carbon recycled in the Earth’s mantle. The research clarifies not only the formation of diamonds but also provides insight into the route carbon takes during its cycle.
Content created by the editorial team of IGR (Rivista Italiana di Gemmologia/Italian Gemological Review), a broad information framework for Gemologists as well as professionals involved daily in the gemstone business.
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