Diamonds are made up of carbon atoms, the same atoms contained in coal and graphite. The difference between pencil led and a diamond, however, is that a diamond’s carbon atoms are bonded in a tetrahedral structure. Diamonds are basically the crystallized form of carbon. The pressure required to create a diamond occurs in two places: deep within the earth’s lithospheric mantle and at the site of a meteor crash. Meteor crashes being relatively rare, most diamonds we see today originate from deep inside the earth’s core. These diamonds emerge when volcanic eruptions carry magma that comes from a depth of at least 150 km up towards the surface of the planet. This is a rare occurrence, and even though diamond deposits can be found in many different countries, only a few are large enough to make diamond mining economically worthwhile.

One of the first countries to manufacture and produce diamonds as gemstones was India. The use of diamonds as religious icons in the south-Asian subcontinent dates back thousands of years. In ancient times, India had a wealth of alluvial diamond deposits, but these depleted over the centuries. Most diamonds today come from mines in the African, Russia, Australia, and more recently Canada.

Africa

Before diamonds were discovered in South Africa in the 1860s, diamonds were extremely rare and reserved for nobility. But the discovery of diamonds in Africa precipitated the emergence of a global diamond industry that made the precious stones available to anyone who could afford them. The famous Kimberly mine in the North Cape province of South Africa became ground zero for the booming diamond industry. Roughly 49% of the world’s diamonds come from central and southern Africa.

The Republic of Botswana in southern Africa is the largest producer of diamonds in the world. A British protectorate until it achieved independence in 1966, Botswana has produced more than 74 kimberlites to date, approximately 20% of the world’s diamonds. Diamond mining in Botswana is conducted by the company Debswana, a 50-50 joint venture between the government of Botswana and the global diamond industry giant De Beers, that employs about 2% of the nation’s total workforce. Botswana’s Jwaneng mine is the richest diamond mine in the world.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has also been a longtime major producer of diamonds, exporting just over 8% of the world’s diamonds today. A lot of international controversy has surrounded the diamond industry in the Congo, due to the fact that diamond production has been used in the region to fund local warlords in their ongoing military struggles. Diamond production in the Congo has come at the expense of much exploitation and violence. De Beers’ famous Millennium Star diamond was discovered in the Congo and sold to the diamond industry giant during the height of the Civil War that occurred in there during the mid-nineties.

In 2009, Congo’s diamond industry is seeing a rough decline. Earlier in the year De Beers announced that it would be stopping diamond exploration in the region. As the recent economic recession has resulted in a worldwide decline in the demand for precious gems and luxury items, Congo’s mining sector is on the brink.

Russia

In recent years, Russia has risen as a major player in the worldwide diamond industry. The worldwide diamond trade has long been a closed-knit, interdependent community, dominated by industry giant De Beers, and many insiders feared that the influx of Russian diamonds would destabilize the market.

But even though Russia remains among the top two diamond producers in the world (next to Botswana), its diamond trade has also suffered due to the economic recession and the decrease in demand for luxury goods. Russia’s rough diamond exports in 2008 were valued at $1.607 billion, down significantly from 2007’s figure of $2.023 billion.

Australia

Australia’s Argyle diamond mine is famous for being one of the biggest producers of colored diamonds in the world, including the rare pink diamond. Construction of the Argyle diamond mine began in 1983 and was completed in 1985. Productions reached peak levels of 42 metric tons per year in the 1990s.

Canada

The first major diamond discoveries in Canada were made in the 1980s. When in 1991 large diamond deposits were found in Canada’s Northwest Territories, Canada became the location a massive new diamond rush. Ekati was Canada’s first diamond mine in 1998. De Beers Canada owns the diamond mines in Yellowknife and the James Bay Coast.

Today, Canada is one of the world’s top diamond producers, just behind Russia and southern Africa. But like all the other diamond producing regions, Canada’s diamond industry has taken a sizeable economic blow due to the recent recession and worldwide decline in discretionary spending. In December of 2008 De Beers announced it would be scaling back its diamond production activities in Canada by 10 percent.