10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond

[KennyR]

Wayne wrote:
What I don't understand, and perhaps I'm missing something here, is that diamonds aren't even really that rare as to justify the price. There are much more rare rocks out there which are basically lining fish tanks world-wide.

You can also pump out diamonds in an industrial process.

Difference is - they're all imperfect. Imperfect diamonds are common. Nothing beats a real diamond from the ground with a professional cut (so DeBeers tells us). These things are definitely rare.

[KennyR]

Anyway I'm a bit disappointed. I always thought cooled-out white dwarf stars were made of a solid core of degenerate iron, much cooler stuff than diamond. But I guess the pressure and heat in little stars isn't enough to use carbon as a fuel and it's left over. Bah.

[KennyR]

@blobrana

That's right, the metal impurities plug the conduction band, like doping a semiconductor.

Diamonds are also actually the best known conductor of heat. That's why they feel cold to the touch.

[KennyR]

sir_inferno wrote:
That's why industrial diamonds have little value, as they have an orange tinge...

Yeah, contamination with nitrogen. Makes them look urine yellow. Not nice.