Diamond is one of the most popular and most-sought-after gemstones in the jewelry world. It is used often in the manufacture of brilliant engagement rings. Diamond is one of the polymorphs of Carbon, and its atoms come in a crystal structure otherwise known as diamond cubic.
Generally, it is the ultimate abrasive and serves as an excellent electrical insulator. Also, it is a transparent element, and it crystallizes in the isometric system.
In terms of hardness, using the Mohs scale of hardness, it is rated at 10. That means that it is one of the hardest gemstones that naturally exist in the Earth’s core.
Its hardness entirely depends on orientation, crystalline perfection, and purity. Its hardness also contributes to its suitability as a gemstone. Also, it can maintain its polish for a prolonged period due to its scratch-resistant nature. That means that it would last as long as you need it to, even if worn daily.
That said, you may be wondering whether diamonds can get scratched at any point in time. Sit back as we answer this in the other parts of this article.
Can a real diamond be scratched? Why or Why Not?
Because diamond scores a whopping 10/10 on the Mohs scale, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is the most rigid metal to exist.
For this reason, we would easily assume that it cannot get scratched, neither can it break. The statement is only verifiable, to some extent. As much as a diamond cannot get scuffed by metal, it can get grazed by another diamond.
Something else that you should note is that diamond has the potential to scratch any other gemstones. The mentioned is majorly due to its hardness.
So, to polish your diamond jewelry, you are better off using diamond dust. Fasten it to a spinning wheel that allows your diamond jewelry piece to be polished off the stone. The cutter then positions the rough parts of the diamond at angles.
To explain this further, we will compare the grain directions of wood to diamond. Wood has 2-grain orientations, often known as cross-grain or parallel to the grain. On the contrary, diamond has 3-grain directions, and its hardness differs entirely from its grain orientation.
One of the diamonds grain orientation is quite similar to the parallel to the grain orientation in wood. This type of orientation reveals perfect cleavage. For this reason, when you struck a diamond with a relatively sharp or hard object parallel to its cleavage, then its crevice plane my chip or split.
Can diamonds be scratched by metal?
Did you know that saying something is ‘hard’ isn’t the same as saying that it is ‘strong’? That means that metal may not scratch a diamond.
However, you can scratch metals such as steel with a diamond. Remember that diamonds feature carbon atoms in their entire structure that fuse in a lattice-type arrangement.
For this reason, every particle is distant from the next and would require extreme force to break.
That significantly contributes to its hardness, and this is why it can scratch any other material.
Metals, on the other hand, tend to have an ionic structure. The ions are easily movable. That being so, they absorb any level of force instantaneously. So, we can establish that metal cannot scratch diamonds, but diamonds can scratch the metal.
Can diamonds be scratched by concrete?
If the diamond bond is more rigid than the concrete, then it will not get scratched. What happens is that the diamond will resist cutting directly into the concrete.
However, if the diamond bond is softer than the concrete, it will get scratched.
When this happens, it produces a little wear and an uneven scratch pattern.
Can black diamonds get scratched?
Black diamonds occur very rarely in the Earth’s crust. They are the rarest of all colored diamonds. For this reason, natural black diamonds are quite hard to polish.
At the same time, they are hard to cut. To add to that, they have colorless streaks. These colorless streaks cause surface imperfections in the interior parts of the diamond.
Considering their hardness, they are almost entirely scratch proof. Also, the diamonds tend to withstand abuse and levels of force from any other material. In as much so, they can get scratched by another diamond.
Can lab-created diamonds get scratched?
Lab-created diamonds are optically, chemically, and physically similar to a mined diamond. Also, they are just as hard and resistant to abrasion as a mined diamond.
They are cut with the same precision, and they all come with a laser inscription alongside a report. Considering their overall hardness, they are scratch-resistant.
However, they are vulnerable to damages by other diamonds.
Can you scratch a diamond with sandpaper?
As mentioned repeatedly in all parts of the article, diamonds are among the world’s hardest stones and the most valued gemstones in the jewelry world.
One of the homemade tests to confirm whether your diamond jewelry piece isn’t a fake item would be to rub sandpaper over the diamond on your ring.
In this case, real diamonds wouldn’t be scratched by the rough surface on the sandpaper you would be using to test its authenticity.
If you scrape your diamond jewelry piece with sandpaper and it scratches off, then it is not a diamond. It is probably made of a different material, perhaps cubic zirconia.
Conclusion
There are multiple ways through which you can prevent any scratches on your diamond jewelry items. Ensure to always take off your diamond jewelry before performing any physically intensive tasks.
In this case, you shouldn’t wear diamond jewelry when bathing, gardening, or doing any household chores.
Also, you shouldn’t store any loose diamonds you have with other diamonds or gemstones. That is because, at one point, they will smash against each other and end up with multiple scratches.
Lastly, you should perhaps try to schedule annual appointments with your jeweler to ensure that your diamonds are still in good shape.
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Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.