1. According to a scale developed by a German scientist called Friedrich Mohs in 1812, a diamond has a hardness of 1,500 where the next hardest mineral, corundum, the next down on the scale is only 400, then Topaz at 200, and Quartz at 100.
2. A diamond can only be cut along four different lines and does not shatter or fragment, the only mineral to do so.
3. A diamond's surface repels water, but accepts wax and grease, making it easy to separate from any other matter.
4. As a result to being formed so far below the ground, under so much pressure, it's atoms are forced together far more tightly than any other gem, making it intensely dense.
The pressure force needed to form a diamond is the equivalent of the eiffel tower resting upside down on a five-inch plate.
5. The reason for the diamond's sparkle is because of their high density. It can refract light more than any other matter. Some can even change colour.
6. A colourless diamond is pure carbon. If nitrogen is added, a yellow stone is produced, boron - blue. The coloured diamonds are known to be of more value than the clear ones.
7. They have been nicknamed 'ice' because of they feel cold.
8. Some diamonds are glow-in-the-dark, they are fluorescent in ultra-violet light because they can absorb high-energy radiation and send it out again as visible light.
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