As wildfires rage through California, leaving destruction in their wake, many residents are returning to their homes to assess the damage. Among the things they might wonder about are the diamond jewelry they may have left behind in the chaos. How does such jewelry fare when exposed to the intense heat of a wildfire?
The survival of a diamond ring in a wildfire largely depends on the temperature of the fire and whether the jewelry was stored in a fireproof safe.
House fires typically burn at temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, though they can reach as high as 2,000 degrees in extreme conditions, such as those seen in California’s fierce, wind-driven wildfires.
Fire safes, which are designed to protect valuables, can withstand temperatures up to 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. Even without a safe, however, a diamond ring made of gold and diamond may still survive. This is because the melting point of gold is around 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, and diamonds ignite at roughly 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit.
Diamonds, while the hardest naturally occurring material known to man, are made of carbon. Like other carbon-based materials, such as coal or graphite, diamonds can burn. Under normal circumstances, diamonds begin to combust at about 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit. In a pure oxygen environment, however, they can start burning at temperatures as low as 1,320 degrees Fahrenheit.
A widely shared YouTube video from 12 years ago demonstrates this phenomenon. In the video, British scientist Peter Wothers, alongside Nobel Prize-winning chemist Sir Harry Kroto, shows how a diamond can burn. They perform an experiment using Kroto’s wife’s engagement diamond, much to the increasing discomfort of Kroto.
The experiment begins with Wothers setting a piece of graphite on fire using a torch in a pure oxygen environment. He then repeats the process with Kroto’s engagement diamond, which surprisingly ignites as well. The diamond burns as a golden ember without producing flames. Kroto, jokingly concerned about the cost of replacing the diamond, later discovers that Wothers had swapped the real engagement diamond for a much lower-quality one before the experiment.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) also confirms that diamonds can burn in conditions like those created by house fires or jeweler’s torches. The GIA even posted an image of a scorched diamond, showing how it becomes cloudy and white, resembling frost on a window. This change is due to the diamond’s surface being damaged by the intense heat.
However, a diamond with this type of damage can often be recut to remove the blemish, reducing the size of the stone without leaving any indication of the previous damage.
For those concerned about the safety of diamonds during jewelry repairs, such as when a ring setting needs to be retipped, rest assured. Jewelers take precautions to protect diamonds from extreme heat. Some use boric acid to shield the gemstone, while others rely on laser welders, which allow for precise heat application that avoids the diamond altogether.
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