How Durable Are Diamonds?

Diamonds and diamond jewellery can be a pretty significant investment. It is no wonder then that a first-time diamond purchaser will be concerned about how they can protect their diamond properly. 

First things first: can diamonds get scratched? Actually, diamonds are one of the hardest and toughest natural materials on earth, measuring a whopping 10 on the Mohs scale (where 1= softest and 10=hardest). They are able to withstand intense heat and chemicals at the same time. That being said, you don’t have to worry about your diamond getting scratched by your set of house keys or any other rough materials. In fact, your diamond might be the one doing the damage! 

Now let’s delve deeper within the diamond to find out how tough the inside of a diamond can be. This is where we need to understand inclusions in diamonds. 

Diamonds with large inclusions, or a large number of inclusions, will have a low clarity grade. Inclusions are small imperfections within a diamond that are created due to the extreme pressure and heat that it goes through when being formed. These can be in the form of clouds, hairlines, cavities, abrasions and so on, and are also signs of weak points within the diamond. The weak points can result in a pinpoint, chip, nick or sometimes even a fracture. 

So know and understand the weak points of your diamond (because every diamond has different weak points at different spots), take good care of it, and it should maintain its value.