Diamonds aren’t forever. They can get lost, they can be fried in a torch, and they can be shattered to smithereens in a hydraulic press.
For their latest video, the people over at the Hydraulic Press Channel on YouTube got a beautiful 1.2 carat diamond, which they promptly destroyed.
This means that we can now create a new version of rock, paper, scissors. Diamond, dictionary, hydraulic press. In our version, hydraulic press beats diamond, and dictionary beats hydraulic press.
But, I hear you protest, how can a hydraulic press crush a diamond, when diamonds are the hardest natural material in the world?
Because “hardest” is not the same as “indestructible.” It’s absolutely possible to break, crack, or otherwise damage a diamond–jewelers, after all, are able to cut a diamond into those lovely facets we all adore. One ill-timed blow to a diamond right at it’s weak spot (which varies depending on the stone and the cut) and even the hardest diamond could chip or crack.
And even if it is a little painful to watch a gem-quality diamond meet its untimely end, it’s important to remember that diamonds are just a compressed form of carbon, and carbon is just about everywhere. In fact, people have made diamonds out of lots of things that contain carbon, including peanut butter and tequila. Cheers!
