Diamond hands is a slang term for a market participant who holds on to high-risk assets, such as cryptocurrencies and meme coins, even when there’s pressure to sell during downturns or losses. It can refer to either holding on to an asset as hard as a diamond or holding on to it until it becomes as valuable as a diamond. Being a diamond hand is also associated with ‘HODLing’, the crypto slang term for holding assets. By contrast, someone with ‘paper hands’ is known to sell too early.
Commonly depicted by the emojis 💎 🤲 (a diamond and a pair of hands), the diamond represents the unyielding strength of the asset holder, who is represented by the hands. While the term is commonly issued with respect and as a compliment in the community, a negative interpretation can also refer to the hard-headed stubbornness of diamond-handed market participants for not letting go of an asset despite its falling value.
