Unhappy with merely drinking their expensive spirit, meddling scientists have found a way to turn tequila into diamonds.

The final diamond film was hard and heat-resistant – properties that could make the diamond useful as coatings for cutting tools, high-power semiconductors, radiation detectors and optical-electronic devices, the scientists explained. They plan to begin industrial-scale applications around 2011, and hope to interest a tequila producer in widening its market beyond the traditional beverage.

No word on what brand makes for the highest-quality tequila diamonds.