Precious stones from space: the black diamond

Recent studies on the origin of carbonado (black diamond) seem to rule out that earthly conditions could be compatible with its formation. The hypothesis is simple: a huge asteroid containing diamonds struck the Earth billions of years ago when our planet and the Moon were being bombarded by rocks coming from space. By shattering, it would have left the carbonado at the point of collision. Black diamonds, in fact, are found only in two areas of the planet, Brazil and the Central African Republic, once part of the same landmass. According to scholars, this enormous diamond reservoir would have formed around a star. An infrared system provided by the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York allowed the identification of traces of hydrogen inside the black diamonds, proof of their origin from hydrogen-rich areas of space.     Until a few years ago, black diamond was mainly used in industry; now, it is found enhancing entire collections of jewellery by the most renowned artists and houses in the world. For its particular colour and brilliance, combined with a relatively lower cost than colourless diamond, it is gaining favour especially among the male public.