A diamond is forever

Diamonds are the hardest  mineral in nature. They can cut almost everything. They are made of carbon atoms which have a special crystal shape.

                                                Diamond´s crystal structure


Each black ball represents a carbon atom..This crystallization requires incredible preassure and heat deep within Earth.That is why diamonds are so hard, contrary to pencil carbon made of the same stuff but with a different structure, as you can see in the following picture:

A rough diamond, in the left picture below. This is how diamonds look like when they are found in rocks. Experts must polish diamonds to make them into jewels, like the one in the right picture:

          
    Yes, a diamond is forever...