What would you think if someone removed a handful of small stones from their pocket, revealed them to be diamonds, and proceeded to crush them into fine dust? Many might think they’re crazy, but that’s because they don’t realize that the diamond abrasive market answers for a large percentage of the worldwide diamond market.

It might not seem obvious, but did you realize that only about 20% of the diamonds actually mined are used for jewelry? About 80% of the diamonds mined are not suitable for use as jewelry. They may be unclear, totally opaque, or too small – but those are hardly flaws in the eyes of the industrial market.

The market for industrial diamond abrasives and diamond powder is much different than the gem aspect of the diamond market. We still value diamonds very highly. Except in our case, while many may value diamonds for their "shinier" qualities like clarity and color, we prefer to appreciate how extremely hard and strong they are.

Why Diamond Powder?

Diamond powder is often referred to as a super-abrasive while materials like pumice and sand are considered "regular" abrasives. This is because the hardness of diamond is on an entirely different level when compared to sand and other synthetic abrasives. As a super abrasive, diamond powder is capable of cutting, polishing and grinding materials that would otherwise prove extremely difficult to work with.

So what is diamond powder for?

When diamond powder is used, it is typically for cutting and grinding materials like glass, ceramic, tiles, and other gemstones. To cut these materials, diamond powder is bonded to materials like the drill or saw – allowing more accurate and effective cutting or grinding with something a now diamond covered drill bit, saw, or sander

On the opposite end of the spectrum, when diamond powder is used for polishing it is applied to the material with as little as a cloth, which is then used to polish away scratches and abrasions. This has allowed car service centers to remove scratches from windshields, shine priceless antique collectibles, and professionally polish other diamonds and gemstones.

So as you can see, while the diamonds that go into making diamond powder might not be the picture of luxury you typically expect from diamonds (in the more popular sense), diamond in the form of powder is capable of achieving some truly remarkable results.