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What Are the Elements of Natural Diamonds?

Diamonds are among the most desired, most valuable and strongest materials in the world, likely because the conditions which cause them are rare and can require millions of years worth of heat and pressure to form. Natural diamonds are essentially an incredibly unlikely form of a single element, as well as one of the few materials actually composed entirely of one element, although at times impurities do form as well.

Carbon
- A natural pure diamond is composed of nothing but carbon and are one of only two material known in the world to be made from a single element, the other being graphite (commonly used as pencil lead). As a 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, diamonds are the strongest naturally occur material in the world. While made up of the same element, diamonds vary vastly from graphite because of the chemical bonds between the atoms during formation. These bonds are so tightly forged that diamonds, in their raw form, are more commonly used for industrial cutting material than for jewelry. The name itself, "diamond" (or "adamant") comes from the Greek "adamas" meaning "invincible."
Nitrogen
- Found in trace amounts within the structure of Type I diamonds, nitrogen atoms sometimes replace carbon within the lattice structure. This impurity absorbs some blue light giving the stone a slight yellow hue (whereas purely carbon diamonds are clear). Diamonds which contain no nitrogen were formed under extremely high pressure for longer periods of time than those with nitrogen.
Boron
- Also found in trace amounts, boron is an impurity contained in some Type II diamonds. The presence of boron gives these diamonds a natural tinge of blue. Diamonds which include boron as classified as Type IIb diamonds, while those without boron are Type IIa. While excellent at conducting electricity, the slight impurities found in Type IIb diamonds make them not as well suited for thermal conductivity as Type IIa diamonds.
Colors
- The natural color of a diamond hints at the type and amount of impurities found within the structure. While boron gives a slightly blue tint, a high amount of hydrogen impurity provides a stronger blue appearance. Other natural colors found in diamonds, such as pink, may not actually be from a chemical impurity but from tiny abrasions which affect how light is reflected through the structure. Even the slightest change within the crystal, or impurity from carbon, moves the diamond from a naturally clear stone to one with a slight blue, yellow, pink, gray, orange, red, brown, green or black coloration.

Rocks & Minerals