Diamond

Diamond and Its Properties

Derived from the Greek word “Adamas” which means unconquerable or indestructible, diamond has long been considered as the most precious gemstone on earth. It has been sought after, fought over, worshipped and even used to cast love spells in the early years. It has been treasured as an invincible gemstone since its early use as icons in the Indian religion and it was only in the 19th century that the popularity of this material has risen due to several developments. The improved cutting and polishing techniques, as well as the growth of the world economy in 19th century have contributed much to the rise of diamond.

Naturally, diamond is a polymorph of carbon, the chemical element that holds a special and important part to all life. It is carbon in its most concentrated form, but unlike its close cousin, graphite, diamond possesses a number of different structures and extreme properties that made it worth prized as a gemstone with unparalleled sheen and brilliance.

There is much to be said about the properties of diamond. But to tell you the basics, this natural mineral actually is known throughout the world as the hardest material found on earth. It is four times harder than the corundum (sapphire and ruby), which is but considered as the next hardest natural mineral. Many resources have also stressed that diamond is a perfect 10, reaching that number which defines the top of the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It also has an absolute hardness value of between 167 and 231 gigapascals, and it is with this property actually that diamond is named as such.

Aside from hardness, diamond is highly valued for its optical properties. According to several studies, this carbon polymorph has a high dispersion of visible light. It splits white light easily into its component colors, and it is this certain property that makes it a highly valued gemstone. It is also this property that gives it the so-called impressive “prismatic” action which is said to result in fire, especially if the stone is well cut.

The diamond possesses other notable electromagnetic properties aside from its being fluorescent. In the first place, this gemstone is said to be a good electrical insulator, except for most blue diamonds that are noted for their being great semiconductors. It is also a good conductor of heat despite its being an electrical insulator. Well, this property resulted from its having a strong covalent bonding within the crystal, and it's interesting to know that because of its high thermal conductance, diamond is now used in a number of semiconductor manufactures for one particular purpose – to prevent the silicon and other semi conducting materials from overheating.

With such properties, it's no wonder that diamond for long years has been sought and valued commercially throughout the world. This is true even today.