DO DIAMONDS NEED TO BREATHE?

Do Diamonds need to breathe? Do they need room for air?

YES!

Diamonds inhale (or expand) due to heat, and contract (or shrink) due to cold…

AND …I’M KIDDING!!!

Many customers believe in the Fact that Diamonds need room to Breathe. I’m here to say it’s false!

Diamonds Don’t Breath!

They don’t Expand or Contract due to Temperature, Liquids, Rain or Shine… They are Solid Material (The Most Durable and Hardest Rock Created by Nature), and are able to withstand just about anything that man can throw at it (minus a sledgehammer).

Why do people think that Diamonds need to Breathe? Where does this idea come from?

Air Holes

Often holes are Cut out underneath Diamonds in Mountings or Rings (see image above). So naturally, people assume that the Holes are there to allow the Diamonds Air.

But the Holes are really there to make it Easy to Clean the Diamonds, and to make the Diamonds Easier to Set without Accidentally Chipping the Culet (Pointy Tip of the Diamond). Read more about Holes in your Ring.

Gemstones that DO Breathe!

Pearls on the other hand ARE Organic and need to Breathe and Contract in different Liquids, which also results in them coming Loose and Falling out of the Mounting if you get them too Wet for too long. Read: Why Pearls Come Loose.

The same goes with Turquoise, Opals, Lapis, Malachite, Coral, and Amber. Any gems that are Porous or Organic will need special care (which also means, don’t roll them up in a Tightly Sealed Bag for Storage… they could Dry out!). Also read: What Gems to NOT put in an Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner!

But NOT Diamonds!

They don’t Breathe. They need NO AIR!

Just a little TLC and a Good Scrubbing every now and then to Remove the Dirt and built up Crud that stops the Diamond from shinning. Clean them up and Diamonds will always look new again.

Read: 5 Secrets to Cleaning a Diamond

Now there’s a Deep Breath of Relief! :)