Diamonds

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crookes, William, 1832-1919

Series:

Harper's library of living thought

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Diamonds" by Sir William Crookes is a scientific publication written in the early 20th century. The work explores the geology, formation, and industrial significance of diamonds, primarily focusing on details surrounding the diamond mining industry in South Africa. Crookes imbues the text with personal observations from his visits to Kimberley, adding an experiential layer that enhances the scientific discussion. At the start of the book, the author outlines the pervasive fascination that diamonds have held throughout history, highlighting their exceptional properties and the mysteries surrounding their formation. Crookes discusses his visits to Kimberley in 1896 and 1905, where he gained unprecedented access to the mines, laboratories, and surrounding geological formations. Drawing upon statistical data, personal anecdotes, and the rich historical context of diamond mining, he sets the stage for a deeper exploration of how diamonds are formed, extracted, and valued, alongside the labor-intensive processes that bring these precious stones to the surface. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

Preface

Preliminary

Kimberley and its diamond mines

Kimberley mines at the present day

Collecting the gems

The diamond office

Noteworthy diamonds

Boart, carbonado, and graphite

Physical and chemical properties of the diamond

Genesis of the diamond

The natural formation of the diamond

Meteoric diamonds.

Credits:

Produced by deaurider, John Campbell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 57.2 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.

Release date is 2020-01-04