Diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man. On
the MOHS Scale,
Diamond is rated a 10. The MOHS scale is a scale that
measures the hardness of Gemstones from 1 to 10. Diamond is the only Gemstone measuring a 10. No doubt about it,
Diamond is the king! And even though Diamond is a ten and Corrundum (which is
Sapphire and Ruby) is a 9, Diamond is actually about ten times harder and more durable than its second place contender.
So with Diamond being so durable and hard, can it be chipped or broken? If it's the hardest substance known to man, you'd think it would be unbreakable. Is it?
Nope! Diamonds can certainly be chipped or broken.
Diamonds grow and crystallize with cleavage lines. If struck at the right angle and the right amount of impact, Diamonds can actually separate. Almost like putting a wedge in a tree, once a direct blow is made, that tree can split all the way down the line. Cleavage lines are the Diamonds weak spots. Diamonds are cut and shaped following these lines. Other than that, Diamonds are very durable. So durable in fact, that the only way to polish a Diamond is with another Diamond. Diamond dust is what does the polishing job.
But no matter how hard a Diamond is, it's still easy to chip the edge of it. The edges are the weakest part of the Diamond. Called the Girdle, the Edge of the Diamond is thin and vulnerable. Prongs are spaced around your Diamond's edge to help protect the Girdle from chipping, let alone losing your Diamond.
A good strike at the right angle can take a section of the Girdle away. Sometimes a good hard strike can fracture your Diamond and turn it into pieces of cloudy sections.
Diamonds that have been worn for years and years get tons of little small chips all the way around the Girdle. These fine fractures are termed "Bearded Girdles" (see picture on next page)
So what does a Chip and Bearded Girdle look like? Read on...
