Diamonds aren’t forever. They can get lost, they can be fried in a torch, and they can be smashed to smithereens in a hydraulic press.
For their latest video, the folks at Hydraulic Press Channel on YouTube received a beautiful 1.2 carat diamond, which they promptly destroyed.
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So yes, crushed stones are put to good use
In fact, diamonds are used to cut other diamonds (since nothing else will).
They are flattened for blades and ground to a point for optimized facets and surfaces.
So how do these patterns lead to diamond breakage?
If you were to take a hammer or other blunt object and strike the diamond directly along the neckline design, it would shatter without much effort (but still). That’s why you hear these weird stories about diamond jewelry breaking and people trying to claim that the jewelry is fake. In fact, they probably dropped it or banged it against something at the wrong angle. Admittedly, these angles are very precise, and the further away the angle, the harder it is to shatter.
So if someone dares you to hit your diamond ring with a hammer, give them a stern “no,” wag a disgruntled finger at them and whack them with your newfound knowledge of diamonds.
Why can a diamond be so easily crushed but not scratched?
Diamond is the hardest material known, but this does not mean that it is also the most resistant. You can scratch steel with a diamond, but you can easily break a diamond with a hammer. This shows that the diamond is hard, but the hammer is strong.
The internal structure of the material depends on whether something will be hard or resistant. The internal structure of a diamond consists entirely of carbon atoms which are joined together in a lattice structure. Each atom is a fixed distance from the other, and moving two closer or further apart requires a sudden and extreme force. This is what makes diamond so hard and why you can scratch any other material with it.
Can diamonds be easily crushed?
A diamond can technically be broken with a hammer, but it will be extremely difficult to do so. If you hit the diamond with a hammer, it will fall off and won’t hurt it.
When it comes to owning a diamond, it is important to remember that it is not indestructible. The process by which a diamond can be broken is known as impact or pressure buildup (deformation). If you’re planning to buy a diamond, make sure you understand how it’s been polished and what could go wrong if it’s mishandled. Because steel hammers can shatter diamonds, there’s little chance they’ll cause any serious damage. Diamonds, on the other hand, have low toughness, which makes them durable. It is possible for a diamond to shatter or shatter completely if strong force is applied to it.