A method for coating a diamond where an initiation site is provided on the diamond surface or initiation of a living polymerization on the site and the initiation site is reacted with a monomer having a site the reacts with and bonds to the initiation site to form an chemically attached chain with a new initiation site on the chain for further reaction with a monomer. An article with a coating upon a diamond surface, the coating the reaction product of a living polymerization reaction with initiation site on the diamond surface.