Diamond Education/History partIII
Electrical conductivity
Other specialized applications also exist or are being developed, including use as semiconductors. Some blue diamonds are natural semiconductors, in contrast to most other diamonds, which are excellent electrical insulators.
Toughness
Toughness relates to a material ability to resist breakage from forceful impact. 3.4MN, has been measures the toughness of natural diamonds. This is actually good compared to other gemstones, but poor compared to most engineering materials.
Color
Diamonds can occur in nearly any color. Yellow and brown are by far the most common chosen colors. “Black diamonds are not truly black, they just contain numerous dark inclusions that give the gems their dark appearance. Colored diamonds contain impurities or structural defects that cause the coloration, while pure or nearly pure diamonds are transparent and colorless. The most common impurity, nitrogen, causes a slight to intense yellow coloration depending upon the type and concentration of nitrogen present.
A blue diamond goes for nearly $8 million dollars.
Identification
Diamonds can be identified through their high thermal conductivity. Their high refractive index is also indicative, but other material has similar refractivity. Diamonds do cut glass, but they as well easily scratches other diamonds, but this damages both diamonds.