Material properties of diamond to a very large kinetic energy barrier, diamonds are metastable; they will not decay into graphite under normal conditions. Material properties of diamond Diamond is the allotrope of carbon in which the carbon atoms are arranged in the specific type of cubic lattice called diamond cubic. Diamond is an optically isotropic crystal that is transparent to opaque. Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material known. Yet, due to important structural weaknesses, diamond's toughness is only fair to good. The precise tensile strength of diamond is unknown, however strength up to 60 GPa has been observed, and it could be as
Recycled diamond Recycled diamond A recycled diamond is a diamond, which had a prior use and has re-entered the diamond supply chain. Diamonds in recent times have become good candidates for recycling, due to a number of reasons including their hardness and the gemstone being a finite and valuable resource. Diamonds are the hardest known naturally occurring substance and rate a 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It has been speculated that the value of the market could be as high as $1 trillion US dollars. Traditionally, diamonds are considered a valuable commodity and large quantities of rough diamonds have