A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c32.s16.30

v2.c32.s16.30

"Such being the views then held respecting the unbreakable and indestructible character of the diamond, it is easy to understand why the Greek word adamas, signifying unconquerable, should have been applied to this stone, although its application to the diamond is singularly inappropriate and inaccurate when its extreme frangibility is considered. Many a doubtful stone has been submitted to the test of the hammer, with the belief that the blow would be resisted only if the stone were a genuine diamond. Probably many beautiful stones have been sacrificed to this old belief. As a matter of fact, diamond is easily fractured, a very moderate blow from a hammer sufficing for the purpose; its perfect cleavage places it among the most brittle of minerals."