Searching for your perfect piece of jewellery? You can find the most extensive range of dazzling diamonds from diamond retailers in the diamond quarter of London at Hatton Garden.

Diamond mine

But have you ever wondered where the dazzling diamonds that appear on the display stands in the diamond shop come from?

Diamonds originate from deep within the Earth’s crust, and emerge from the pulsating pressure and high temperatures found there. Diamonds form beneath the continental crust, from pure carbon.  There is dispute about exactly how diamonds are formed but the one thing that geologists and diamond users agree on is that diamonds are the hardest and one of the most valuable substances man has ever known.

Diamonds were first discovered in alluvial deposits in the southern regions of India.  Indeed India remained the world’s primary source of diamonds for centuries.  However, this changed in the early eighteenth century with the discovery of large diamond deposits in Brazil.

In the nineteenth century diamonds were discovered in South Africa, and this point in time marked the beginning of the dominance  of South Africa in the diamond trade.  The diamond industry’s leader, DeBeers, is a world famous name and is located in South Africa. DeBeers controls a large section of the diamond industry through their large ownership of mining plants.

To this day Africa is still where the current leading nations in diamond production are to be found. Three of the world’s most prominent diamond producing countries are located on the African continent, namely Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. The leading non-African diamond producing nations are Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Russia, and Australia.

Among  the friendly retailers of Hatton Garden  you can see the most elaborate and precious pieces of jewellery made from diamonds from all over the world.