Industrial diamonds are diamonds whose quality is inferior to that of gemstones and for that reason they are used for industrial purposes. Only about 20% of the diamonds recovered worldwide are gemstone quality and all the rest are used in industry. The value of industrial diamonds is only about 10% of all of the diamonds produced all over the world.
The reasons for the fact that most of the diamonds produced worldwide do not qualify as gemstones are their inferior quality, structural problems or too many flaws. For these reasons it is not worthwhile to invest in polishing the diamonds and they are used for other purposes rather than setting them in an item of jewelry.
Industry takes advantage of the hardness of industrial diamonds, which is the same as the hardness level of gemstones, for various purposes. Industrial diamonds are set in jackhammers and are used as coating for metal cutting saws, to name just a few uses. Industrial diamonds are also used for more delicate purposes such as polishing glass. Some of the diamonds are ground up and serve as diamond polishing powder. Industrial diamonds are also referred to as Boart or Carbonado.
