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Correct! Diamond is the hardest natural substance known. The measure of hardness describes a substance's resistance to scratches; a mineral with greater hardness can only scratch a mineral with a lower measure of hardness. The measurement of hardness is based on the Mohs Scale, a scale developed by the mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. The top five minerals according to hardness are diamond, sapphire (corundrum), topaz, quartz, and orthoclase feldspar.
Diamond consists exclusively of carbon atoms (like graphite or fullerenes). It is the connection between the atoms, which give diamond its extraordinary properties. In diamond, all carbon atoms make covalent bonds to four carbon atom neighbors in a tetrahedral arrangement, whereas in the soft graphite - another compound consisting exclusively of carbon atoms - hexagons of carbon atoms are stacked in sheets. All of the bonds in the diamond structure are equally strong. Solids with covalent bonds are often very hard and they are notoriously difficult to melt. The properties of diamond such as its hardness, transparency, and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry.
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