Beyond the fascination these precious, mysterious stones exert over the collective imagination, there are certain people who, at least at first glance, are harder to impress: scientists. They, like us, know how to appreciate the value of an earthly diamond by the 4Cs we are familiar with, or by the setting with which it turns an engagement ring or a pair of wedding rings into a true spectacle — necessarily, of course, in pure 18kt gold. Because we are talking about quality jewellery. Scientists are not slaves to emotion, except when they make a discovery that goes well beyond the ordinary. As is the case here. Ten years ago, in Sudan, an asteroid "dropped in", and it immediately fell into the knowledge-thirsty hands of researchers from all over the world. Their efforts were not in vain, for they discovered that the precious stones had formed over 10,000,000 years ago, right before the beginning of our solar system and of the planet that is our home. This story is also a lesson — both for the researchers and for us who benefit from the results — that patience remains a virtue for those who wish to evolve. Here we are, after 10 years, being shown essential information about the history of this universe. Millions of years and… of dollars It remains a landmark piece of news even if, most probably, we will never see these diamonds set on any pair of wedding rings. Or, if that ever does happen, we won't even be able to count in our heads the number of zeros in the sum paid by some emir or other.
We work only with internationally certified natural diamonds and, with my hand on my heart, I can say that you feel the value of these precious stones without having to touch them. It is enough simply to look at them. I imagine what it must be like to gaze at or touch a diamond that you know comes from another planet and is several million years old. It's fantastic! – says Marian Constantinescu, CEO of Diamante.ro/FIRESCLast month, the journal Nature Communications published another part of the research into the asteroid that fell in the Nubian Desert of Sudan — more precisely, details about the solar system which, according to the researchers, was first populated by protoplanets (planets that have since vanished) which are, in fact, the "parents" of the planets that make up today's solar system. Using modern, non-invasive techniques, the researchers analysed the interior of these extraterrestrial diamonds and reached the conclusion that they came into being thanks to a pressure that could only have come from a planet of very large dimensions (comparable to Mars or Mercury). "The process by which diamonds form (they being extremely hard precious stones) involves them retaining minerals from the surrounding environment within themselves, and this makes them key witnesses in this type of research," states the head of the research team, Farhang Nabiei. Without doubt, this study is far from finished, and we will hear more news about these diamonds that come from vanished worlds. What is certain is that we earthlings are always left speechless before a piece of diamond jewellery. And that won't change any time soon. Text source: https://www.clujlife.com/2018/05/22/diamantele-extraterestre-ii-uimesc-pe-cercetatori/
