1st in Diamonds

6 Comments

• 1. GetMeTheBigKnife  |  October 21st, 2007 at 5:52 pm

  Diamonds are real. I believe graphite stones are man-made. There is a higher value placed on the diamond due to the time it takes to produce one…plus the cost of mining them and cutting them.

• 2. a raddison at heart  |  October 24th, 2007 at 6:50 am

  first off, graphite and granite are quite different. Graphite and Diamond are both made from carbon, but the structure of how they link together is different. Diamond is carbon that has been under extreme pressure and temperature and the atoms have assembled into the hardest substance we have here on earth. That’s why they say diamonds are forever. Granite is a composite of other elements that have turned into stone over millions of years of pressure and temperature as well, but it’s more a brew of elements. In granite you can see some quartz, the shiny stuff.

  Back to Graphite, it’s carbon as well, but a very different structure, very easy to “mush” or maleable if I spelled that right. It’s used in pencils and also as a lubricant in certain manufacturing processes.

  As for the value of a diamond, it’s more valuable than granite or graphite because of it’s scarcity. It’s far less abundant than graphite or granite.

• 3. qscwdvrgbn  |  October 25th, 2007 at 1:40 pm

  diamonds are diamonds
  graphite stones are graphite stones

  you still with me? didnt think so.

• 4. pablodiablo1981  |  October 26th, 2007 at 7:23 am

  Diamond and graphite are the two most common allotropes of Carbon. Allotropes are basically different structures formed from the same types of atoms. The Carbon atoms in diamond are arranged in a tightly-packed, tetrahedral, crystalline array. The Carbon atoms in graphite are arranged in a 2-dimensional hexagonal array, forming layers that stack on top of each other. The different crystal structures lead to entirely different mechanical and electronic properties. Other allotropes of Carbon are fullerenes and carbon nanotubes.

• 5. sakurika1128  |  October 27th, 2007 at 11:15 pm

  Yes, both are forms of Carbon. But, duh! Of course, diamonds are more valuable! Want a proof? Visit a jewelry shoppe!

• 6. the scientist  |  October 30th, 2007 at 8:23 pm

  Because graphite is the more abundant allotrope of carbon. Diamonds take millions and millions (or at least hundreds of thousands) of years to form becuse they undergo intense pressure (and heat, I think).

  Diamonds are way more expensive because of the law of supply and demand. Diamonds are in demand both because they’re used in the industry and because humans have a penchant for glittery things. The supply is very limited because of the time it takes to make one, and because the perfect conditions aren’t always present.

  Graphite is easy to come by, so it’s cheap. Even if we all use them in our pencils, they occur naturally and they can be man-made.