eli5: If you were to make a diamond shaped like a sphere, how much tougher would it be compared to a typical diamond cut?

Question

Probably a silly question, but I’m honestly pretty curious. I know diamonds are brittle, but could a spherical shape make them more tenacious, and by how much?

In: Other

Answer 1

Diamonds break on the crystal structure. A sphere would not make it stronger. It would be stronger if cut along the crystal structure. But that also depends on the type of “strength”. Are we talking compression, tension, shear? There may be scenarios where a spherical diamond is the best option for an application, assuming you’re actually capable of cutting that shape.