Can Diamonds Cut Glass? | Everything You Need to Know

When you hear the word ‘diamond’, what is the first thing that pops up in your mind? Is it beauty, royalty, or perhaps magnificence? What a lot of us don’t seem to know is that diamonds have more industrial/real-life uses than just existing as ornaments to dignify a person’s wealth and that diamonds can cut glass too.

When we think of diamonds, we picture engagement rings, studded jewelry, or famous diamonds like the Hope or the Kohinoor Diamond, which increase the beauty of the whole nation they are kept in.

If you ever wonder, “Just how many more diamonds are used in industry than in jewelry?” then we have the answer for you. The World Diamond Council has claimed that 70% of all diamonds are used for purposes like cutting, drilling, polishing, and grinding. The remaining 30% are considered to be of “gem quality”, and are used for artistic ends.

Do Real Diamonds Cut Glass?

The answer, no matter how much it shocks you, is yes. Diamonds can, and are used to cut glass. To answer the question more scientifically, diamonds score a 10 (the highest) on the Moh’s scale of hardness, while the glass is a 6 – 7 on the same scale. As is the law of nature – the stronger substance always wins. Literally, anything that is higher up the Moh’s scale of hardness (for example – white sapphire) can cut glass. That’s a lot of things that can cut glass.

Do Only Real Diamonds Cut Glass?

Well, no. As stated earlier, anything that is higher up on the Moh’s scale of hardness can cut glass. Even though most faux diamonds tend to rank lower on the scale than glass, there are some other faux diamonds that actually rank higher than glass, but are still lower than real diamonds. For example, Cubic Zirconia, which is a common faux diamond, ranks at a whopping 7.5 -8.5 on the Moh’s scale, which gives it the ability to at least scratch glass at the bare minimum.

Another faux diamond that ranks higher than glass and is closest to a real diamond is moissanite, also known as silicon carbide, which is another faux diamond. It ranks a big 9.5 on the Moh’s scale. There is also the aggregated diamond nanorods, also known as “hyper diamond”, which are close to 10 on the Moh’s scale, according to Wikipedia.

Can I Use the Diamond at Home to Test This Theory?

If you’re someone who constantly thinks about random topics, you’ll definitely have thought about this question. So if you’re planning to drag your diamond jewelry across a pane of glass to check if it’s going to crack or not, then I’d like you to wait for this post to get over.

You’ve got diamond jewelry and wouldn’t you like to check if this theory works. Well, don’t try it at home, for if you place the diamond’s edge (the girdle) to a flat plane of glass, you may scratch the glass. You may even cut the glass, but you also may do damage to your diamond. You could even break your stone.

Cutting Glass with a Diamond-Like a Pro

You should follow a few tips before you try to cut something as delicate and brittle as glass.

Use a specific glass blade to cut glass tiles. It must be of high quality and should be made with a very fine and uniform diamond grain.
Thoroughly clean the surface of the electric tile saw on which the glass tile or glass mosaic is going to be placed: Even a small grain of sand or piece of glass might be enough to prevent the diamond blade from operating correctly. The side of the glass that is painted could be damaged as well.
Revive the blade before cutting: Unless a diamond blade is fresh from the store, it is unlikely to have an edge that is ready to be used for cutting. ‘Reviving’ (clearing) the edge can rectify this issue.
Use plenty of water when cutting glass tiles or glass mosaic: If you have a water cutter with the possibility to regulate the water flow that goes on to the disc, make sure that the valve is adjusted to the maximum flow.
Make sure that the cutting process is not too slow: If the glass blade you are using is of high quality, it will be possible to cut glass tiles very quickly, thus reducing both the vibration and the risk of chipping. If you have a glass blade of medium-low quality, the only thing that can be suggested is using plenty of water, although the result still won’t be perfect.