[Sca-cooks] OT OOP Diamonds was tedious process

[chawkswrth at aol.com]

Diamonds have been found all through the ages, dating back to the Pharaohs. Basic diamond cutting was available even earlier then the 16th century, just not the many facets you see today. 
I apologize-I do not have my books handy, or I could give you a clearer history. 

Helen
Old dryed up Jewelry Sales Manager-type (Thankfully retired and more steadly employed)


-----Original Message-----
From: Georgia Foster <jo_foster81 at hotmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 9:16 pm
Subject: [Sca-cooks] OT OOP Diamonds was tedious process



THLord Stefan li Rous asked:



>What do concentrations of chromium diopside and pyrope garnets have  to do with 
probability of an area containing diamonds? Are these  simply a common 
side-effect of the processes that also create diamonds?



Everywhere that diamonds are found, chromium diopside and pyrope garnet are also 
found.  That doesn't mean that the presence of diopside and garnet mean there 
are also diamonds, only that the three are frequently found in the same 
location.  Locating the heaviest concentration of the red and green rocks means 
it is more likely that the pretty clear ones are near by.  

 

>Were you using "ant-hill" sized samples or were you specifically  choosing 
samples from ant-hills?



The ants, dear little workers that they are, are capable of much . but there is 
a limit to the weight such a small body can pack.  The bigger rocks must be 
worked around but the rocks in the ant hills that are small enough to move, they 
pitch over the edge of the hole.  Wind winnows out the  fines at the surface.  
The ant hill is therefore a collection of whatever smallish pebbles that 
comprise the surface layer of the ground and a good sample of what sort of 
material is in the area.  The sample, therefore, was a selection of rocks found 
in the ant hills.



>
Do we know what areas diamonds were found in, in period? Since  faceting of 
jewels was a late period invention, did diamonds even  rank high on the scale of 
precious gems in period?

 

As to where Diamonds were found in period, my research was concentrated on an 
eight 64 mile square of Otherhill Artemisia . mundanely southwest Wyoming.  The 
grant was to search an area of known to have kimberlite.  Kimberlite is the 
matrix material that produces diamonds.  The stones found in the research 
project are all about the same size as one might find in ant hills.  They are as 
nature sends them.  They are rather pretty tied in with silver wire.

 

Cheers

 

Malkin

Otherhill

Artemisia
Jo (Georgia L.) Foster

Never knock on Death's door. Ring the doorbell and run ... he hates that.
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