Hobbies And Interests
Significance
The hardness of diamonds increases their worth as gemstones and also makes diamonds valuable in industrial applications, such as drills, scratch-proof films and surgical tools. Between 75 and 80 percent of diamonds are used in industrial applications.
Fun Fact
The Mohs Hardness Scale is relative, not linear. Diamond is much harder than corundum, which has a hardness of 9. Diamond would have a value of 42 on a linear hardness scale.
Considerations
If a diamond is scratched by anything other than another diamond, it is an imitation diamond. Imitation diamonds are usually created from glass, cubic zirconia or moissanite. Cubic zirconia has a hardness of 8.5, while moissanite has a hardness of 9.25.