Diamond - Notes

Universe :	Prime Timeline
Name :	Diamond [1]

A form of carbon crystal, diamonds were relatively rare and were thus considered to be valuable in many cultures. Humans considered diamonds to be valuable up until 2367, with a large deposit constituting 'an incredible fortune' [1], though Lithium crystals were worth three hundred times more than diamonds of equal weight. [2] However, during 2367 the ability to manufacture large quantities of gem stones became widespread - so easy did this become, in fact, that a Constitution class vessel could manufacture diamonds by the ton. This rendered them worthless. [1]

Colour key

Canon source

Backstage source

Novel source

DITL speculation

References

#	Series	Season	Source	Comment
1	TOS	1	Arena
2	TOS	1	Mudd's Women	Lithium is a real world substance, a soft alkali metal. It is not crystalline in appearance, and as far as we know not useful in warp drives. It is probably for this reason that the writers dropped the word lithium and replaced it with the somewhat more 'sci-fi' Dilithium!

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Last updated : 1 Jan 1970

Series :	TOS Season 1
Episode :	Arena

Series :	TOS Season 1
Episode :	Mudd's Women
Comment :	Lithium is a real world substance, a soft alkali metal. It is not crystalline in appearance, and as far as we know not useful in warp drives. It is probably for this reason that the writers dropped the word lithium and replaced it with the somewhat more 'sci-fi' Dilithium!