Here is a non-EE way :
This is also an easy(ier) way of getting diamonds through industrial craft
> Get a Mining Laser and charge it up ( 2 + 4 diamonds for laser and mfs )
> Go to the nether, set the mining laser to LOW-FOCUS
> Mine the crap out the nether ores.
Unlike using a pickaxe, the laser will NOT EXPLODE the ore nor ATTRACT any zombie pigman
It will destroy a small % of the ore but you'd lose less than mining normally
Macerate the ores
> Each nether coal ore is worth 8 coal dust.
> Iron/Tin/etc are worth 1:4 ,
> Gems are 1:1+(with looting pickaxe)
There is an abundance of nether coal ore.
The mining laser will last about 2000 shots
Craft canvas bags for extra inventory space and go on ore hunting
(other metals can then be turned into diamonds)
One run from a full mining laser can get you at least 40 diamonds(5 stacks of nether coal ore)
with hundreds of other ores, including thousands of redstone dust, lapis and nikolite