The Properties of Diamonds

The more you know about diamonds the more you will be able to do. You will be able to find the right diamonds for the right situation and you will be able to make sure that you are not scammed out of money. Is this something that you will like to do? Well, let’s learn some more about diamonds. Today we will learn about the properties of a diamond. What makes the diamond unlike any other gem out there? Diamonds are much different then other gems, which is why they are so sought after. If you know about the properties of a diamond then you will be helping yourself out greatly to get the best diamond you can.

The Properties

The reason people like diamonds is because these gems can catch a sparkle that other gems just do not have. The sparkle is one of the things that people enjoy. With the sparkle come the different hues of color that can be seen within the diamond. The best color to see in a diamond, for value purposes, is grey. Other people choose different diamonds just cause they like the color within it. One of the most fascinating properties of the diamond though is the hardness. Diamonds are not even approached by other gem in the hardness scale. It is something that can they can share all on their own, and what separates them.

Mohs Hardness Scale

Friedich Mohs, a German mineralogist, developed a hardness scale for gems. The softest thing possible is talc. This is so soft that a fingernail can scratch it. Up the scale in 5th position is apatite. This is easily scratched by a knife and is just able to scratch glass. The hardest thing that Mohs found was a diamond. This ranked 10th on the list. Diamonds are so tough that they can only be scratched by other diamonds, and nothing else. They are the strongest gem, which is a great attraction to them. Not only are they nice to look at, but they are very powerful. A diamond can be 10 to hundreds of times harder then the next hardest gem on the list, corundum. If you can scratch the diamond you are buying then you know you are facing fraud.

Why are They Hard?

It is the molecular structure of the diamond that makes them so hard. Within diamonds are carbon atoms that are linked together. Every carbon atom will share electrons with four other carbon atoms, and this forms a tetrahedral unit. When this unit is formed then it also forms a very strong molecule. This is different then other carbon linking there is. For example, graphite is carbon linked, but those atoms only link to one other atom each. Therefore it does not catch the bond that a diamond is able to form. This is why a strong bond within the diamond is unmatched.