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ORIGIN OF THE DIAMOND 367
Nature
obtained the carbon, held it inert from its affinities, and subjected
it to the necessary forces, still keeps the world guessing.
The
largest diamond made artificially was less than one millimeter across.
Moissan several times obtained as many as ten to fifteen from a single
ingot, of which the largest was 0.75 mm. long, the octahedra being 0.2
mm. With the transparent pieces obtained by artificial process are some
that are black and some amorphous. Many are shattered, as if they had
burst in pieces when released from pressure. Others break and splinter,
weeks and even months after they are liberated, the fissures being
covered with minute cubes. This tendency to explode occurs among the
Kimberley diamonds, where it is not uncommon for one, on being released
from the matrix, to burst asunder, especially when warmed by handling
or carrying it on the person. Large stones are more apt to do this than
smaller ones. It is said that in the old times of individual claims in
Africa, miners would encourage responsible men to handle and carry
large crystals just mined, thereby transferring the liability of loss
at a critical period. It is also reported that it was a common practice
in shipping large stones to England, to embed them in raw potatoes as
a safeguard. Later and careful observation has shown that the stones
which explode in this manner are always pale brown or smoky.
The
fact that some diamonds taken from the African mines, burst after being
released from the matrix, as artificial ones do, is accepted by many as
evidence that they were formed under great pressure. Moissan
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