The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1909-12-23
THE BLACK DIAMOND
1t Is One of the CurioSitieS OF the
Mineral Kingdom.
A PUZZLE TO SCIENTISTS
Nature Has In Some Peculiar Way
Produced This Rare Form of Carbon
and Then Thrown Away the Secret
of the Process-Found Only In Brazil.


of the Process-Found Only In Brazil.
The term ''black diamonds is some
times jokingly applied to ordinary coal
which we burn in orr furnaces. but
the real black diamonds" of com
merce are among the most unique min
eral products of the world. and they
serve a purpose in the industrial world
that makes them of great value. Thu
black diamonds are pure carbon and
yet in no outward appearance resem-
| BILE the diamonds which we are accuS-
| toned to wear as ornaments. They
are slightly harder than the crystal or
gem diamonds and. in fact. about the
hardest substance known.
Black diamonds. or carbonS, are
| among the greatest curioSitieS of the
mineral kingdom. They are without
| crystalline form and are found in ir-
regular pieces, ranging in size from
half a carat up TO three. four and five
| hundred carats. They are dark gray.
black or brownish in color and Opaque.
| The real diamond of the jewelry trade
| is also pure carbon. but translucent
and crystalline in form Two objects
| so alike in composition could not be
found so opposite in appearance as
| these two forms of carbon.
Another peculiar thing about the
| black diamonds is that they are found
| only in one locality in the world. They
| come from very small section of Bra
! I'll not more than 225 miles square in
! area Outside of this limited territory
| 10 pure black diamonds have ever
| been found.
What peculiar freak Of nature caus-
| ed the deposition of the black dia-
mOnds in this section of the world and
nowhere else is one of the mysteries
| which science has failed to explain.
| None of them has been found in the
great Kimberley diamond regions,
where the crystal form of diamonds
have for so long been mined.
The whole origin of the black dia-
mond is. therefore. scientific enigma.
| Naturally the question is raised, "Of
| what use is black diamondY No
one would care to wear one of these
diamonds. which resembles a piece of
coal more than a real diamond. and so
far no one has popularized the black
| gems as the black pearl has been.
Nevertheless the black diamonds serve
most important and useful function
| In the Industrial world.
! This pure black carbon Is not only
| harder than the real diamond. but
| tougher and not so brittle as the gem.
! Consequently it is of great value for
many mechanical purposes and partic-
ularly for boring with diamond drills,
| In diamond drilling the tips of the
| drills are studded with carbon. OF
black diamonds. and when the bores
are deep the pressure Is so great that
the gem diamonds would be crushed in
the process. But the carbon resists
this continued pressure and slowly
eats down into the rocks.
In diamond drill work the carbon is
set in circular pieces of soft steel or
iron, called bits. and these bits are at
tached to tubing. Armed with these
black diamond teeth. the drills push
their way down under severe pressure
to a depth of five and six thousand
feet, cutting through the hardest kind
| of rock. Some black diamonds are
much harder tsian others. and there is
no way to determine by the color the
difference in the degree of toughness.
| Black diamonds or pure carbon are
not by any means cheap. and the own
ers Of the mines in Brazil where they
are gathered are making a good thing
out of their monopoly There is no
| known substance that can take the
| place Of carbon in drills in boring for
gold, silver, copper and other mineral
deposits Before the black diamonds
of Brazil were discovered it was i'm
| possible to make borings.
| When the carbon was first introduc-
| ed In our industries it was used In
| diamond saws for cutting stones, mar
BILE and similar substances. Then the
| price advanced so that the carbon was
| found too costly for such use, and bort
| was substituted for stone cutting Bort
is really an imperfect crystal or gem
| diamond. but it is too brittle for use
In drills. Consequently bort has TAX
en- the place of black diamonds for
stone cutting. and the latter have been
| restricted almost entirely to diamond
drilling purposes
| The average size Of black diamonds
used In the drills ranges from two to
| five carats, but the larger specimens
| give much better results. They cost
more, but they last longer. Conse
quently there is greater demand for
the larger pieces Of pure carbon. and
| the price is sometimes run up to pre-
MUM figures for unusual specimens.
| The fear that the supply of black
diamonds may some day give out and
paralyze the diamond drilling industry
has stimulated prospectors to syste-
matte search for new deposits. but so
| far they have not been successful. On
the other hand. scientists have been
making a close study Of the chemical
conditions which have produced the
black diamonds, but their manufacture
is apparently about as difficult as the
making of the gem diamonds. 1t is
possible under certain conditions to
make either, but not in sizes sufficient
to be of any commercial value. Ma
ture In some peculiar way has made
these rare products and then thrown
the secret of the process away. If any
man can ever unlock or find that Sc
cret he may cause panic In the dir
mond trade Scientific American