Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1910-01-06
THE BLACK DIAMOND
It Is One of the CurioSitieS of the
Mineral Kingdom.
A PUZZLE TO SCIENTISTS.
Mature Has In Some Peculiar Way
Produced This Rare Form Of Carbon
and Then Thrown Away the Secret


and Then Thrown Away the Secret
Of tho Process-Found Only In Brazil.
The term "black diamonds" Is some
times jokingly applied to ordinary coal
which we burn i'll our furnaces, but
the real "black diamonds" of COM
merce are among the most unique min
eral products Of the world, and they
serve purpose In the industrial world
that makes them Of great value. The
black diamonds are pure carbon and
yet In no outward appearance resem-
BILE the diamonds which we are accus-
toned to wear us 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 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 a very small section of Bra
1 I'll not more than 225 miles square in
4 area. Outside of this limited territory
no 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 fniled to explain.
None Of them has been found Ia the
great Kimberley diamond regions,
where the crystal form Of diamonds
have for 20 hong been mined.
The whole origin of the black dia-
mond is. therefore. scientific enigma.
Naturally the question Is raised. "Of
what use is black diamondW 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 1t 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. or
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
t 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
i Of rock. Some black diamonds are
T much harder than 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
S are gathered are making good thing
d out of their monopoly. There is nc
8 known substance that can take the
a place of carbon in drills in boring fol
gold. silver, copper and other minera
4 deposits. Before the black diamonds
: of Brazil were discovered 1t was i'm
|, possible to make borings.
It When the carbon was first introduc
r. ed in our industries it was used IL
= diamond saws for cutting stones, mar
y BILE and similar substances. Then thu
1, price advanced so that the carbon wa!
found too costly for such use, and Dor
was substituted for stone cutting. Bor
Is really an imperfect crystal or gen
diamond, but it is too brittle for u.s.
}. In drills. Consequently bort has tax
s. en- the place of black diamonds TO
n stone cutting, and the latter have beef
q restricted almost entirely to diamon'
N drilling purposes.
y The average size of black diamond
ID used in the drills ranges from two t
If five carats. but the larger specimen
ID give much better results. They cos
more, but they last longer. Conss
Quently there is greater demand 10
the larger pieces Of pure carbon. an
the price is sometimes run up to PR
MUM figures for unusual specimens.
The fear that the supply OF blac
a, a. diamonds may some day give out an
paralyze the diamond drilling industr
e. has stimulated prospectors to syst
mt matte search for new deposits. but S
TT, 20, +bax, hove not haan successful q