The most important diamond properties

Diamonds are not only sought after as the ultimate pieces of jewelry but are also very useful for many industries. Diamonds have several very important properties but the two most important properties they have are their incredible hardness and their dispersion of light. Because of these two properties diamonds are not only desirable by jewelry industry but are also very useful for industrial purposes too.

Diamond hardness refers to its resistance to scratching, and diamonds are the hardest substances on planet which can be scratched only by other diamonds. Diamond hardness mostly depends upon its purity, and purer diamonds (the ones with less imperfections) have better hardness compared to diamonds with lots of imperfections. Its hardness is together with its sparkle one of the main reasons why diamonds are the best available jewelry because since it can be scratched only by other diamonds it is really a perfect choice for daily wear.

The hardest natural diamonds come from Australia or to be more precise from the New South Wales, Australia. These diamonds are usually smaller compared to other diamonds and the main reason of their increased hardness is single-stage crystal growth which means less possibility for different impurities and other inclusions.

Diamond dispersion (and refraction) of light is another important property that deserves more attention. This is really the main reason behind the diamond's unique and unmatched spark. The index of refraction of any substance is defined as n = c/v where n is the index of refraction, c is the speed of light while v is the velocity of light through the substance. This determines the amount of refraction that occurs when light goes from a vacuum into the material. The index of refraction of a diamond is 2.4175, which represents an exceptionally large number.

Diamonds are also the best conductors of heat and have a very high melting point of 3820 Kelvin.