The harder and rarer the crystal, the more valuable it is. Or is it?
Diamonds have a unique appeal as a way to exhibit status, desirability, and unbridled material excess. But the superstrong mineral is also used on the edges of cutting tools, superpowered drill bits, and even as an industrial abrasive. But now scientists have forged a crystal with even harder properties than the diamonds of your dreams.
A group of researchers has developed a material called lonsdaleite, also called hexagonal diamond, in large enough quantities to study and analyze. And the team found it to be stronger than diamond, according to a recent study published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
In other words, diamonds may soon be surpassed by something harder.
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