If you are not familiar with beautiful loose diamonds then I suggest you begin learning now. There are so many interesting facts about these stones! They are some of the most complex, gorgeous and coveted objects in the entire world. Women absolutely go crazy over these tiny things and men spend their whole lives buying them for the women they love. By learning just a little more about these stones, you can begin to understand why they are so special and valuable. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="784"] Diamond Education Center[/caption]   Let us begin by covering how these stones are made. Real loose diamonds are made naturally within the earth. It takes millions of years for them to become “ready” to harvest, but the earth is a plentiful source of diamonds - some areas more so than others. Almost 100 miles underneath our feet is where diamonds get their start. They begin as carbon atoms that are located in some pretty extreme conditions. Severe heat and pressure (that no living thing could survive) is how carbon atoms form their very strong bonds that make diamonds the hardest naturally made substance on earth. They form a lattice-like structure for maximum strength and support. They also form an outer shell (so to speak) to protect the actual diamond from being damaged by these extreme conditions of heat and pressure. These are referred to as rough diamonds. Within the earth in these extreme conditions, volcanic eruptions occur somewhat frequently. These volcanic eruptions are what bring the rough diamonds closer to the earth's surface. Closer as in, you still have to dig for them, but not even close to 100 miles deep. There are numerous diamond mining companies who dig for loose diamonds. There is even a public park in the United States where you can pay some money and dig for them yourself. When the mining companies find these rough diamonds, they harvest them and sell them to a diamond cutter. This is the person who cuts them into pretty shapes, polishes them and turns them into the gorgeous certified loose diamonds you see in your jewelry stores around town. It is a long and drawn out process in which the loose diamonds change hands many times before ending up on your finger or in your necklace. This is one of the reasons they are so expensive. Another reason is due to the four Cs of diamonds that were set forth to have a uniform method in which to place a dollar amount on each stone.