Once mined, rough diamonds are delivered to sorting experts who categorize and assign a value to them. It is here that industrial quality diamonds – which are small, lower quality stones – are identified. These industrial diamonds are then used in equipment such as drill bits and lathes.

Those diamonds that are of gem quality are classified into thousands of categories based on size, shape, quality and color. The majority of diamonds fall within a range of standard colors from colorless to faint yellow or brown tints. Almost all rough diamonds have some distinguishing marks, known as inclusions, which make each one unique.

	Introduction
	Formation
	Mining
	Cutting & Polishing
	Manufacturing
	Retail