The mineral diamond is a crystalline form of carbon. Diamonds are renowned for their superlative physical qualities, especially their hardness and their dispersion of white light into a rainbow of colors, known in the trade as fire, for which they have been highly prized throughout history. Industrially, diamonds are ideal material for cutting and grinding tools — common applications include the cutting surfaces of saw blades and drill bits. The De Beers Group has been the largest player in the diamond industry for over one hundred years. The company own mines that produce some 40 percent of annual world diamond production, and control distribution channels handling nearly two thirds of all gem diamonds. Some controversy over diamonds has been generated because of the monopolistic practices historically employed by De Beers including strict control of supply and alleged price manipulation, as well as the practice by some African revolutionary groups of selling conflict diamonds in order to fund their often violent activities.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

330: Byzantium became Constantinople, the new capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine I. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople)

1792: Explorer Robert Gray first sighted the Columbia River, the largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River)

1812: British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Perceval)

1894: The "wildcat" Pullman Strike began in Illinois. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike)

1960: Mossad agents abducted Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi leader and fugitive war criminal hiding in Argentina. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is trying to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind." -- J. Krishnamurti (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._Krishnamurti)