According to recent scientific data and a paper published in Optical Materials Express, diamonds—the hardest material on earth with a rating of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness —are not as resilient as once thought and have been shown to evaporate under exposure to light.

During a recent study led by Macquarie University Photonics Research Centre, a diamond was exposed to intense pulses of UV light. Small holes formed on the diamond’s surface almost immediately.

 “Although this type of light-induced evaporation has been observed in some materials, this is the first time it's been shown to occur for diamond,” said Richard Mildren, lead researcher.

The research indicates that diamonds exposed to intense UV light over an extended time period can evaporate. This information paves the way for future investigation, including methods of discovering diamonds on other planets and in the field of laser drilling, which would benefit from UV light being controlled with the precision that lasers are.

“It's a very practical discovery and we are now looking at how we can exploit this," said Mildren. "If we can make structures in the diamonds that enable us to control the position of the light within a very narrow filament in the diamond, that's the first step to making smaller and more efficient optical devices. …”

What isn’t well known in the public sphere, however, is that the scientific community has been aware of the impermanence and vulnerability of diamonds for decades. Scientists know that diamonds are vulnerable to heavy impact. Diamonds are even routinely used to shape and cut other diamonds in many industries.

Diamond owners need not worry, though. The rate of evaporation under normal conditions, and even under intense sunlight or UV lamps, is so slow that is has neglible effects.

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