Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms
arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. At room
temperature and pressure, another solid form of carbon known as
graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon, but diamond
converts to it extremely slowly. Diamond has the highest hardness
and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that
are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and
polishing tools. They are also the reason that diamond anvil cells
can subject materials to pressures found deep in the Earth.
