Diamonds in real life wouldn't make for great armour. They are hard (meaning they are difficult to scratch), but not as tough as people seem to think. And those are two different things. Although as far as stones go I think they're pretty tough? Jade is tougher, though.
Hardness is about how well something resists scratching, toughness how it can handle impacts without chipping.
Think of it this way; we make drills out of diamonds, but not hammers.
Hardness is about how well something resists scratching, toughness how it can handle impacts without chipping.
Think of it this way; we make drills out of diamonds, but not hammers.