Diamond Education/History PartII
Material Properties
Since the materials exception physical characteristics diamonds have been adapted for many uses. Naturally occurring diamonds have a density ranging from 3.15 to 3.53g/cm, with very pure diamond typically extremely close to 3.52 g/cm.
Hardness
Diamond is the hardest natural material known to be out there; hardness is defined as resistance to scratching. Diamond’s hardness has been known since antiquity, and is the source of its name.
The hardest diamonds in the world are from New England area in New South Wales, Australia. These diamonds are generally small, prefer to semi perfect octahedral, and are used to polish other diamonds. The hardest of the diamonds is considered to be a product of the crystal growth form, which is single stage growth crystal.
The use of diamonds has historcially been associated with their hardness;this property makes diamond the ideal material for cutting and grinding tools. Diamonds also can be used to polish, cut, or wear away any material, including other diamonds. However, diamond is a poor choice for machining ferrous alloys at high speeds. Industrial-grade diamonds are either unsuitable for use as gems or synthetically produced, which lowers their value and makes their use economically feasible.
The hardness of diamonds contributes to its suitability as a gemstone. Because it can only be scratched by other diamonds, it maintains its polish extremely well. Unlike many other gems, it is well-suited to daily wear because of its resistance to scratching—perhaps contributing to its popularity as the preferred gem in an engagement ring or wedding ring, which are often worn every day.
