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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Diamonds are forever.
Diamonds are forever.
2004-02-14, 6:41 PM #1
I'm pretty sure I havn't seen this posted before, so here it is.

I was reading the news paper just now, and came across an interesting article...

Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">If anyone has ever promised you the sun, the moon and the stars, tell them you will settle for BPM 37093.

The heart of that burned-out star with the no-nonsense name is a sparkling diamond that weighs a staggering 10 billion trillion trillion carats. That's one followed by 34 zeros.

The hunk of celestial sparkler is an estimated 4000km across, said Travis Metcalfe, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"You would need a jeweller's loupe the size of the sun to grade this diamon," said Metcalfe, who led the team that discovered the gem.

The diamond is a massive chunk of crystallised carbon that lies about 482 trillion kilometers from Earth, in the constellation Centaurus.

The galaxy's largest diamond is formally known as a white dwarf, or the hot core of a dead sun.</font>


Quite impressive, eh? [http://forums.massassi.net/html/biggrin.gif]

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[This message has been edited by Jin (edited February 14, 2004).]
2004-02-14, 6:43 PM #2
It's mine, damnit!

Imagine trying to put that on a wedding ring...

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2004-02-14, 6:45 PM #3
Thats gonna be on E-Bay soon....

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2004-02-14, 6:49 PM #4
*Sneaks slowly out to spacecraft*

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2004-02-14, 7:23 PM #5
I wanna go and explore it!

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2004-02-14, 7:32 PM #6
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by COTF_Dude:
I wanna go and explore it!

</font>


Good luck with that, it's only about 17 light years away. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/biggrin.gif]

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2004-02-14, 8:01 PM #7
Bet its worth a mint!!!

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2004-02-14, 8:20 PM #8
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Jin:
Good luck with that, it's only about 17 light years away. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/biggrin.gif]

</font>


Thats not that far... only 17 years away if we ever figure out how to travel the speed of light. 17 years is worth a diamond that would more than pay for your retirement, your entire families retirement for the next couple dozen generations, and a nice cream soda from the corner market.

And if they ever figure out how to put people into hypersleep, the years will fly right by.



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2004-02-15, 1:38 AM #9
Considering that this gem was formed from the decaying remains of a neutron star, I would most certainly NOT put it on a ring intended for anyone I cared about.


...And besides, it would take one hell of a hammer of smash that thing. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/eek.gif]

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2004-02-15, 3:49 AM #10
Yeah, it's actually probably pretty worthless as far as jewelry goes right now, considering you couldn't do ANYTHING with it. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

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2004-02-15, 3:52 AM #11
GBK, a hammer will do no damage to it..now will any weapons we possess. We need to toss it into the fires of Mt.Doom.

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2004-02-15, 4:00 AM #12
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by KOP_Snake:
Thats not that far... only 17 years away if we ever figure out how to travel the speed of light. 17 years is worth a diamond that would more than pay for your retirement, your entire families retirement for the next couple dozen generations, and a nice cream soda from the corner market.

And if they ever figure out how to put people into hypersleep, the years will fly right by.
</font>


Well, 34 light years. It's a 17-year round trip.

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2004-02-15, 6:06 AM #13
Well that's going to wipe out the diamond industry in 5,000 years time...
2004-02-15, 6:49 AM #14
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by GBK:
Considering that this gem was formed from the decaying remains of a neutron star, I would most certainly NOT put it on a ring intended for anyone I cared about.


...And besides, it would take one hell of a hammer of smash that thing. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/eek.gif]
</font>

We need sharks with frickin' laser beams strapped to their heads!


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2004-02-15, 6:54 AM #15
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by - Tony -:
Well, 34 light years. It's a 17-year round trip.

</font>


Unless you decide to stay and live on the diamond.

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2004-02-15, 2:11 PM #16
Not nearly as precious as these diamonds...

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Roach - Steal acceptance, lend denial.

0 of 14.
omnia mea mecum porto
2004-02-15, 2:44 PM #17
Ugh, that's kind gross, making jewelry out of dead relatives. Although, no more gross than keeping the ashes of a dead relative in a jar on your mantle.

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Kids must be shot by Monday.

Honesty tests for workers can't be trusted, report says.

Psychopaths are unpredictable.

Jay Leno's Headlines > Everything
||Arena of Fire || Grand Temple of Fire ||

The man who believes he can and the man who believes he can't are both right. Which are you?
2004-02-15, 3:00 PM #18
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Gandalf1120:

We need sharks with frickin' laser beams strapped to their heads!</font>[/quote]Wouldn't a diamond refract a laser?
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Roach:
Not nearly as precious as these diamonds...</font>
So I could be a diamond some day? Sweet!

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2004-02-15, 4:21 PM #19
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by happydud:
It's mine, damnit!

Imagine trying to put that on a wedding ring...

</font>


You don't put it on a wedding ring, you put the wedding ring, the wife, the chapel, the city, the country, and the planet on it.

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2004-02-15, 4:22 PM #20
If we could harness this thing, daimonds would become worthless.

Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing that - daimonds are so hard, I could stand to see more things made using daimond.
2004-02-15, 4:33 PM #21
Like bullets.

Although I hate violence and guns, wouldn't a crystal bullet be very effective and even reusable?

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Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread. Through shadow, to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, all shall fade, all shall fade.

[This message has been edited by Rod-Nog (edited February 15, 2004).]
Someone wrote this over one of the urinals: "The joke isn't on the wall; it's in your hand." - BV
2004-02-15, 4:34 PM #22
Seriosuly, if we ever could salvage that diamond and bring it to earth, you wouldn't be able to buy a bag of peanuts with two tons of diamonds. Leaves would make a better currency! [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

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2004-02-15, 4:44 PM #23
I don't get the Austin Powers reference.

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2004-02-16, 4:59 AM #24
hardness = brittleness sajn

diamond bullets would shatter on armour/walls.
human flesh on the other hand...

*thinks of schloop noise*
2004-02-16, 12:23 PM #25
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by GHORG:
hardness = brittleness sajn

diamond bullets would shatter on armour/walls.
human flesh on the other hand...

*thinks of schloop noise*</font>


Except diamonds are denser than armor...



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Roach - Steal acceptance, lend denial.

0 of 14.
omnia mea mecum porto
2004-02-16, 1:25 PM #26
I demand to be made into a diamond on my death. That diamond must then be ground up to coat a saw. The saw will then be taken and used in a killing spree. This is my final request. Please honour it.

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2004-02-16, 1:26 PM #27
They have turned people into gems.. Freaky. THey get there ashes and do something with them..Cost a sh** load though.

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Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread. Through shadow, to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, all shall fade, all shall fade.
Someone wrote this over one of the urinals: "The joke isn't on the wall; it's in your hand." - BV
2004-02-16, 1:33 PM #28
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Roach:
Except diamonds are denser than armor...</font>

Glass has a higher density than steel... Why isn't it used for things like armor and the like?

...It's because it's brittle, also known as "fragile". Diamonds are the same way; if they strike a hard surface, there's a very good chance for them to shatter. However, they do happen to be useful for cutting, as they are incredibly hard, and thus keep a razor-sharp edge eithout any need for sharpening...



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2004-02-16, 1:36 PM #29
You can't scratch a diamond.

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Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread. Through shadow, to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, all shall fade, all shall fade.
Someone wrote this over one of the urinals: "The joke isn't on the wall; it's in your hand." - BV
2004-02-16, 2:16 PM #30
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by nottheking:

...It's because it's brittle, also known as "fragile". Diamonds are the same way; if they strike a hard surface, there's a very good chance for them to shatter. However, they do happen to be useful for cutting, as they are incredibly hard, and thus keep a razor-sharp edge eithout any need for sharpening...</font>[/quote]So if they strike a hard surface, they shatter, yet you can use it cut and drill hard surfaces?

*cough*

Glass breaks because it's usually thin. Find a piece of glass about and inch or two thick and see how easy it isn't to break it.

Surface area is the key. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/wink.gif]

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

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[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited February 16, 2004).]
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2004-02-16, 4:17 PM #31
I think you mean thickness, for lack of a better term. A sheet of glass has a lot of surface area, but is much easier to break than a small cube a few inches in diameter.

I have doubts as to a diamond shattering so easily. I've only heard of them being cut with other diamonds or by lasers, I seriously doubt it would shatter against something like steel. But I'm not going to base an argument around "you can't scratch a diamond" and how people make them out to be indestructable.

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2004-02-16, 4:34 PM #32
I think it would have been done before, it possible. Diamond bullets are the kind of thing that someone up in the gov't would have thought of already. Even if it would be 500 dollars a shot. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

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2004-02-16, 4:40 PM #33
Maybe they already have them, and use them, and paint them black or silver so that you don't know the difference. Isn't that possible? ISN'T IT, HUH?

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2004-02-16, 4:43 PM #34
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by clan ruthervain:
Bet its worth a mint!!!</font>


Yeah, but if you sold it, it would drop the value of diamonds lower than the value of sand.

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[This message has been edited by Michael MacFarlane (edited February 16, 2004).]
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2004-02-16, 6:17 PM #35
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">So if they strike a hard surface, they shatter, yet you can use it cut and drill hard surfaces?</font>


Yes. Carbide and ceramics have similar properties.

A diamond won't scratch unless it comes in contact with another diamond, but it can certainly chip or shatter if hit hard enough. You can easily find stories of broken diamonds by browsing any jewelry message board, and many jewelers' websites discuss diamond care.

[This message has been edited by Argath (edited February 16, 2004).]
2004-02-16, 7:00 PM #36
Yes, diamonds will shatter. I don't know what's so hard to believe about that.

Also, the space diamond is the size of a star. Which means it has basically the same mass as a star, as well as trace radiation and intense heat. By the time we become advanced enough to harvest it, diamonds would be totally worthless, especially in an impure natural form unsuitable for technological applications.
2004-02-16, 7:20 PM #37
not to mention bringing it anywhere near earth would completely disrupt gravity and probably the magnetic field. that'd be fun, not.

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2004-02-17, 8:23 AM #38
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Jon`C:
Yes, diamonds will shatter. I don't know what's so hard to believe about that.
</font>


Sounds like not everyone is worried about shattering diamond projectiles/armor.

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Roach - Steal acceptance, lend denial.

0 of 14.

[This message has been edited by Roach (edited February 17, 2004).]
omnia mea mecum porto
2004-02-17, 10:41 AM #39
Of course Diamonds are fragile... but like glass, it depends on where the force is placed. You can drop a glass (not ceramic) plate on a wooden floor, and it won't break. If you drop a glass, chances are it WILL break, unless it's dropped less than 1', and bottom-side down. Diamond won't break if it is able to translate the force into a "bounce", like the plate, but it very likely will if it can't. Most people in possession of diamonds with enough weight to shatter usually prefer not to take chances...

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