My Pink Diamonds

De Beers was founded in South Africa in 1888 and today is the largest producer and seller of diamonds.  Almost from the beginning the De Beers company has had a strangle hold on the diamond industry and a huge advertising budget.  Diamonds are not as rare as the advertiser would have you to believe.  De Beers keeps a huge stockpile of diamonds and tightly controls supply.

De Beers started the very successful advertising campaign A Diamond Is Forever in 1947.  The Advertising Age magazine has voted this to be the most recognizable advertising line of the twentieth century.  This advertising campaign was designed to discourage diamonds owners from putting their old diamonds back into the market.  The success of this campaign turned diamond into the symbol of eternal love and dramatically increased demand for the gems.

The ability to create cubic zirconium happened in the 1950 but it was not until 1979 that it became economically feasible to mass-produce and use them as a diamond substitute.  Only a gemologist can tell the difference between a diamond created by nature and a diamond created in a laboratory.

There are several companies that are investing a lot of time and money in developing a laboratory-grown diamond process and are doing quite well.  Because of the diamonds optical, thermal, chemical, and electronic properties, laboratory-grown diamonds have a lot of potential to affect many industries and not just the Jewelry industry.

Gemesis is a company founded in 1996 and based in Sarasota, Fla., that is growing diamonds in high-pressure, high-temperature crystal growing chambers.  Each chamber starts with a tiny diamond crystal or diamond seed that is bathed in a molten solution of graphite and a metal-based catalyst at about 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit and 58,000 atmospheres of pressure.  The diamond begins to grow, molecule by molecule and in about three and a half days a gem-quality 2.8 carat rough diamond has been created.

A rough diamond of this size can create a diamond of about 1.5 carats that has been cut, polished, and is ready for mounting in a setting.  Naturally occurring colored diamonds will show color because of the trace amounts of impurities in them.  Replacing fewer than five atoms per 100,000 of carbon atoms in a diamond crystal lattice with nitrogen atoms gives a diamond with a yellow coloration or tint.  These diamonds sell for about $4,000 per carat, which is about one third of the cost of a mined diamond.

The company adopted the term Gemesis Cultured Diamond to distinguish its laboratory-grown diamonds from the mined diamond to assure that consumers were not being misled as to the nature of the product.  The first commercial production of gem quality diamonds, were made in 2002.

The company business strategy changed in 2005 from producing from offering individual loose, cut and polished diamonds to retailers to producing and selling only rough stones in lots to jewelry manufactures and designers similarly to the way in which diamond mines sell natural diamonds. 

The man-made diamonds made today are of a better quality than the natural ones.  A trained jeweler will be unable to determine a real one from a made-one unless he had some very expensive equipment.  Insist on a certification before purchasing a diamond for investment purposes.  It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, and its flaws.  If the seller is unwilling to supply a certification with the diamond then he may not be telling the truth and you should find someone who will.  After all when you want to sell the diamond the new owner will want a certification from you.

It’s an important time in your life when you get engaged but don’t let emotion overwhelm your shopping savvy when you purchase a diamond engagement ring.
Diamonds are valued on:
Color – the purer and whiter the more valued
Clarity – the transparency of the stone and any inclusions (visible flaws)
Cut – how well cut the diamond is (not the shape)
Carat – how much the diamond weighs
Color can be manipulated in several ways. The diamond is shown under a colored light that offsets any yellowness in the stone or is shown against a black cloth backdrop instead of white. The setting of the stone can influence the perception of the color. A white gold or platinum setting contrasts with a yellowish diamond making the yellow cast more obvious, while a yellow gold setting doesn’t make the yellow color as obvious. None of these methods are dishonest as long as the seller states the actual color grade.
However some dishonest sellers misstate the color grade intentionally or enhance it. Yellowish diamonds can be made to look whiter by touching the side of the diamond with indelible purple ink which neutralizes yellow. The diamond can also be painted to neutralize the yellow. The “paint” isn’t at all obvious, can’t be washed off and may take months of cleaning before it wears off.
All natural diamonds have some flaws. The diamond can be set to hide an obvious flaw on the edge of the diamond, the prong of the setting hiding the flaw. If you’re buying a one or more carat diamond in your engagement ring it should be examined unset. Diamonds can have a crack or fissure filled thereby concealing it. Sometimes an inclusion can be lasered out. These techniques are not unethical as long as the seller discloses they’ve been used.
The weight of the diamond is measured in carats and increases exponentially. In other words a two carat diamond with similar clarity, color, and cut, will cost much more than twice the price of a one carat diamond. Some diamonds are cut to leave a bit of unpolished area on the girdle to make sure the diamonds reaches that important one carat weight. A .95 carat diamond price per carat cost is much less than a 1.00 carat diamond price per carat cost.
A three carat diamond engagement ring can vary tremendously in value depending on how many diamonds make up the three carats. A two carat center stone offset by two 1/2 carat diamonds would be costlier than a ring with a one carat center stone offset by four 1/2 carat stones, even though both rings have three carats of diamonds.
Diamonds that are two carats don’t look twice as big as a one carat stone. The increase in perceived size is only about 50%. A word of warning: Be leery when someone says a diamond spreads 1.5 carats. That doesn’t mean it weighs 1.5 carats, just that it looks the same size as a 1.5 carat diamond when viewed from above. That can be achieved by cutting the diamond broader but shallower.
Cut is one of the more important factors. A badly cut diamond loses its brilliance and sparkle compared to a well cut diamond. A round brilliant cut diamond is about half the size of that same diamond in the rough, or uncut. Some diamond cutters will try to eke out two one carat stones out of a rough diamond crystal by sacrificing the quality of the cut.
The best way to know that you’re getting what you’re paying for when purchasing your UK diamond engagement ring is to purchase from a reliable dealer that provides a diamond grading report from an independent gemstone laboratory.

Diamonds, known for their beauty and durability, were, until late, almost always seen in various jewelry facets alone- diamond earrings, diamond rings, diamond necklaces, diamond pendants. With the jewelry trend leaning towards personalized jewelry more and more people took resort in loose diamonds. In the present fashion era, loose diamonds hold a very high prized position in the market due to the convenience of molding them into any desired facet.Though it is easy to select loose diamonds, there are certain things that one should check for before deciding on what would be the final purchase. One thing that needs to be studied and decided is the kind of diamond that is to be searched. Will it be a round diamond or a princess diamond or an emerald diamond? What will be the color and clarity of the diamond? What will be its carat weight? And the like.While round diamonds is by far the most preferred choice the cushion diamonds and radiant diamonds are also speeding up in popularity. The shape of the diamond is absolutely a matter of personal tastes but the cut of a diamond must be such that it brings out maximum radiance and brilliance. Also the choice of the cut depends on one’s budget. As far as the clarity of a diamond is concerned, it need not always be a flawless diamond; a clarity grade in which the inclusions of a diamond are not clearly visible to the naked eye is good. But obviously, more the clarity more will be the price of the diamonds.The carat weight of the diamond is again a matter of choice. Depending on the budget one maintains and the size one wishes to have, the determination of the carat weight might differ.Once decided on all these points you are ready for your purchase. And with so many online diamond portals, the process of purchasing loose diamonds has been simplified further. All you need to check with after deciding the kind of diamond you wish to possess is to see that you buy certified loose diamonds. The certificate of a diamond marks its credibility. Also it helps in insuring the diamond.There are various independent gem laboratories that issue certificates for diamonds such as GIA, AGS, EGL and the like. GIA being the most recognized of all labs, GIA certified loose diamonds command maximum price. Following these are the AGS certified loose diamonds and the EGL certified loose diamonds. B2cjewels.com is an online shopping site which presents to you certified loose diamonds in all shapes and grades as per your requirement.

Certified Loose Diamondswww.b2cjewels.com

Many people who trade in diamonds do not realize that the manner in which you handle your diamonds and diamond jewelry can actually impact the jewelry business. But there is a very simple and basic reason why this is true.Diamonds whether studded in jewelry or handled loose, have a natural tendency to draw oil and greasy dirt towards it and every time the diamond is handled by bare hands, it tends to pick up some grease from the hand. As we all know, grease attracts dust particles from the air and eventually there is a layer of grease and dust that covers the surface of the diamond. And we all know that when that takes place the light that reflects from the diamond is affected negatively.The property of diamonds to attract grease has not always been seen as a negative property. In the earlier years, this property of diamonds was effectively used by diamond miners to separate diamonds from other minerals in the same ore. This was done by covering a belt in grease and wax and then allowing the crushed ore to run over the belt. As the crushed ore passed over the greasy belt, the uncut diamond rough would stick to the belt as the other minerals remained unaffected.However, these processes have changed over time and there are more sophisticated methods that are now used to separate diamonds. But one thing is for sure, this unique property of diamonds continues to be the bane for those who handle and trade diamonds daily.The scientific reason for why a diamond that is covered with a layer of grease and dust looses its sheen is due to the refractive index. The shine of the diamond is dependant on the light that enters the diamond and the manner in which it moves out of the diamond. When the light passes through a clean diamond the interface is between diamond and air. The refractive index of air is 1.0 but the refractive index of grease is 1.5.In more practical terms what this means is that the diamond’s critical angle increases and the amount of light that reflects from the pavilion reduces significantly. The light does not go through the crown but falls inside and then some of it escapes out of the pavilion. And since the entire light that enters does not move in a focused manner but diffuses in the diamond, the shine, brilliance and glint of the diamond is far lesser than it could be.Now, the customers who buy diamond jewelry do so because of its shine and luster and way it attracts attention too. Therefore, it is very important for one to keep the diamond jewelry shining.Make sure that the diamonds are not handled unnecessarily except when they need to be. Keep the area where the diamond jewelry are displayed completelty clean and tidy. When you are handling the diamonds make sure that you hold it with tweezers, or wear gloves or use any lint/dust free cloth. After your customers handle the diamonds make sure that you wipe them with a soft, clean cloth before you replace them in their safe haven. As your diamonds dazzle your customers, you will realize that the cash registers ring more often and keep you smiling.

The first wave of gem-quality manufactured diamonds hit the market late in 2003.  Man-made diamonds is nothing new and the technology has been available since the mid 19th century.  Small diamond crystals were created for industrial purposes such as grinding wheels, drill bits and saw blades.  What is new is that a Florida based company can now produce rough 3-carat gem-quality diamonds 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at a cost of less than $100 dollars.

Companies like the Gemesis, Apollo Diamond and others are producing quality diamonds and yet the price of the man-made or cultured diamonds are only about 15 percent less than mined diamonds.  Gemesis and Apollo Diamond companies are using diamond jewelry business to finance their entry into the semiconductor industry, which is where the real money is.

As computer chips get faster and smaller they run hotter and hotter.  Microprocessor chips can generate up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  If they get much hotter the silicon will simply turn into a puddle.  Diamonds can solve this problem because they can stand much higher temperatures than silicon.

Several things must happen before diamonds are going to be used as semiconductors.  The first is the cost must come down.  With Gemesis reporting in 2003 that the cost of producing a 3-carat diamond was about $100 and Apollo Diamond Company reporting cost of about $5 per carat the first obstacle appears to have been overcome.

A large volume of cheap diamonds is needed.  You cannot rely on a steady supply mined diamonds.  Since De Beers Diamond Trading Company has monopolized the diamond business for over 115 years by forcing out rivals and by controlling the supply of available diamonds the ability to manufacture diamonds is the answer.

Each diamond must have the same electrical properties and the next.  Diamonds are naturally insulators (they do not conduct electricity) and to become semiconductors for the computer industry they must be able to conduct both a negative and positive charge.  Scientists have found that if boron in included during the lattice formation of a diamond it will be able to conduct a positive charge.  Recently both Israel and France has announced a major breakthrough in manufacturing a negatively charged diamond.  Boron is a substance that will also give a diamond a bluish coloration.

Intel uses large silicone wafers that are 1 foot in diameter (slightly over 300 millimeters) for their semiconductor manufacturing process.  As of 2003 the Apollo Diamond company has been successful in creating 10 mm square diamond wafers and predicts it will be able to produce 4 inch wafers within five years.  Europe and Japan have been investing heavily in diamond semiconductor research.  The Japanese government has allocated over $6 million dollars a year to build the first-generation diamond computer chip.  If we are not careful the Japanese will become the leaders in the new diamond computer chip industry.

Converting from a silicon based semiconductor to a diamond based semiconductor will not happen over night.  Krishnamurthy Soumyanath, Intel’s director of communications circuit research said that it takes us about 10 years of to evaluate a new material.  But when it does happen it will be huge and I am ready for mine now.  Now if we can only get Microsoft to quit introducing a new operating system every other year or so then perhaps Diamonds Are Forever would be true for the business world also.

As the name implies synthetic diamonds look like real diamonds but do not have the same properties as real diamonds.  The ability to determine the differences between chemical compusosition, hardness, weight, and some of the light handling characteristics of real diamonds and synthetic diamonds with the naked eye is extremely difficult.  Man-made diamonds are not considered synthetic diamonds because they do have the same properties as real or mined diamonds.

Cut Glass was probably the first material used to simulate a diamond.  It is readily available, easy to cut and polish and when seen from a distance, looks good.  With all of the information available to today’s consumer trying to pass cut glass off as a diamond rarely works.  Cut glass is still seen in costume jewelry and in the movies today because of its extremely low cost.  The use of cut glass has widely been replaced by the most popular diamond alternative, cubic zirconium.

Since 1976 cubic zirconium has been the most widely used material for synthetic diamonds.  Its low cost, durability and light handling characteristics have made it extremely attractive in producing low cost jewelry.  Cubic zirconium light handling characteristics is so close to that of a diamond that only a trained eye can tell the difference between the two.  The annual global production had reached 50 million carats by 1980.  Cubic zirconium will weigh about 1.7 times more that a diamond.  The hardness rating of cubic zirconium is between 8.5 and 9 whereas diamonds have a hardness rating of 10.

Moissanite or silicon carbide was named after Henri Moissan after he discovered the new mineral in fragments of a meteor found near Diablo Canyon in Arizona 1893.  Henri Moissan is also credited as the first person to have created a man-made diamond in a libratory in 1892.  Moissanite is a naturally occurring mineral that is slightly softer than diamonds with a hardness rating of 9.25 but has almost all of the other properties of a mined diamond.  Charles and Colvard introduced gem-quality moissanite jewelry in 1998.  The thermal conductivity test use to distinguish diamond from other artificial stones was rendered useless because moissanite has almost the same thermal conductivity as a diamond.  It requires highly specialized equipment to determine if a gemstone is moissanite or a diamond.

With the high quality of synthetic diamond on the market the only way you can be sure that you have a genuine diamond is to have it certified and if you are purchasing a new diamond insist on a certification before purchasing.  It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, and its flaws.  If the seller is unwilling to supply a certification with the diamond then he may not be telling the truth and you should find someone who will.  After all when you want to sell the diamond the new owner will want a certification from you.  Here are a few suggestions for testing to see if you are looking at a genuine diamond or a synthetic before you invest in a more conclusive test. 

Using your diamond to cut glass to prove that it is hard enough to do so may prove to yourself that it is a diamond but that type of abuse can damage any stone.  You could ruin a perfectly pretty piece of jewelry.  Another frequently used to test diamonds is called the light test.  Shine a black light through the gemstone in question.  If a blue light shines though it the diamond could be real.

Careful clean any oil and dirt from the surface of the diamond and then gently blow upon the surface of the stone and if your breath shows for a few seconds after, you have a fake. Genuine diamonds clear up breath almost immediately.

Whether you’re looking to purchase wholesale diamonds for investment purposes, for business purposes, or just because you love the idea of owning diamonds on your own, there are some things to look for when it comes to a diamond wholesaler.  Before you run out and start plunking down your investment dollars or jewelry business start-up finances for any loose diamonds, keep in mind that you don’t want to send money to just any diamond wholesaler.  Like any other investment option or business vendor, you need to be choosy and use some discretion.

First, keep in mind that a diamond wholesaler will be offering a large inventory with different cuts, carats, and so on.  It’s up to you to educate yourself about what makes a diamond valuable and why there will no doubt be a wide variety of prices between diamonds of the same carat, and so on.  Your diamond wholesaler may offer some tips and education in this regard but it will be up to you to learn as much as possible about diamonds themselves.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Society (AGS), and the International Gemological Institute (IGI) are the three most widely known and respected diamond grading laboratories in the world.  Each of the grading laboratories have developed a very similar nomenclature for identifying the 4 C’s of diamonds.  The 4 C’s stand for Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut.

You could insist on a certificate from GIA or AGS for each and every diamond you purchase for a wholesaler but bear in mind that this certification process will increase the final price of the diamonds.  A certificate describes the quality of a diamond, but it does not place a monetary value on the gem.  An appraisal places a monetary value on your diamond, but does not certify the quality of the diamond.  After you have been purchasing diamonds for a while you should be able to learn how to certify and appraise the diamond on your own and not rely on any outside sources.

A diamond wholesaler should be a direct importer of diamonds rather than a reseller.  They may cut their own as well; this usually means that you get a better selection when it comes to quality and value, something that will be very good for a startup jewelry business.  When you start to deal with a reseller, the costs go up, so it’s best to look for a wholesaler of diamonds that imports their merchandise directly.

You need to be sure where the wholesaler gets his diamonds from.  There are many gems that have a poor history for how they have been cultivated; many civil wars in Africa and other areas are started and waged over diamond mines.  Diamonds known as conflict diamonds originate from the war zones of Africa. 

In May of 2000 The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was adopted.  It is a plan that could halt the trade of conflict diamonds by establishing a way that diamond origin could be certified.

On December 1, 2000 the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution defining the role of conflict diamonds with the intent of cutting off the sources of funding for rebel forces and to help shorten the wars and prevent their recurrence.

Among the countries most affected by the terror inflicted by traders in conflict diamonds are Liberia, Sierra Leone and also Angola.  Unscrupulous groups still manage to elude the legal barriers and still find ways of infiltrating the diamond centers of the world.  Insist on a certification before purchasing any diamonds.  It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, flaws, and its origins.

If you do some research about any potential diamond wholesaler and check their paperwork carefully, you’re sure to make the right decision for your investment or business.

Nicole Kidman’s hit song “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” is enough to prove that females love Diamond Jewelry as much as they love their boy friends! Diamond Jewelry has always been the best gift which any lady would love to take as her anytime present and Diamond related products (like Diamond studs) does possess some magnetic power which is enough to leave the girls dreaming.

Diamond studs act like magnets when it comes to impressing girls and loose Diamond have been part of almost every mafia related movie of the 1970s. If you are planning to buy a mesmerizing gift for your girl friend (or your wife) then you should always opt for Diamond jewelry or at least a Mount Blanc Pen. Anklet, Diamond bracelet, Diamond ring, and Diamond stud are some more examples of diamond jewelry gifts which will leave your lady astonished. It will be better if you already have some experience in buying Diamond jewelry else we are sure that you might end up buying a design which she might not appreciate. It is suggested that you take your significant other with yourself while going for the shopping spree else there are huge number of chances that she won’t appreciate your gift. Girls have the knack of turning guys down for no reason!

You should be aware of the fact that girls wear diamond rings on their third finger as the vein which goes straight to her heart is found on the top of her third finger. This started as an Egyptian belief but these days science has given significant proofs related to this fact.

The word Diamond has gained so much publicity that many organizations have tried to use the name in order to attract people towards themselves. The circular shaped machine in the scientific facility “Diamond Light Source” is called as Diamond. A very popular flying industry is called by the name Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc. A train named Black Diamond Express runs successfully in India. Many industries are famous just because they deal with loose Diamonds. They will sell loose diamonds to those who have expertise in converting them into attractive jewelry. These and many such examples prove the fact that the word Diamond is sometimes enough to bring fame to any organization.

Dreamers might also refer diamond to be the tiny stars that fall on earth to bring shine on a female’s body. People of ancient origin used to call Diamonds as the tears which would fall on earth when God cries. Concentrated form of His tears would take the shape of shining Diamonds after reaching earth. As per Hindu mythology the bones which are left after extremely courageous and pure sacrificial are Diamonds itself.

History says that Kings of various dynasties used to wear Diamond jewelry and many knights of the medieval history would wear Diamond jewelry as these would render them unbeatable. Diamond also became the source to drive away the evils and dig off guilt from various rogues.

Now let us unravel one more myth which you do believe in since you came to know about it. The story “Hope Diamond” which sank with the huge Titanic is completely false. The makers of Titanic showed this in their movie and “Hope Diamond” became the hot topic amongst people but serious research after the movie the release of movie proved that Eva Lyn Walsh McLean, the lady who wore Hope Diamond had actually cancelled her trip at the very last moment.

The cutting process is obviously one of the most important steps in the journey of a diamond from a rough diamond to a polished and glittering one. Just as there are specific locations where diamond mines have been located, there are various centers across the world known for their diamond cutting expert resources. The factors that determine the manner in which these centers operate are varied and include customs, regulations, labor costs, prices and the proximity to diamond mines.In fact most of these centers are created due to some specific environmental, governmental or economic situation. Each cutting center is known for its specialty and while one center may be popular for its expertise in churning out well chiseled small diamonds, the other might be known to be able to produce unique and irregular cuts.Antwerp is probably the world’s oldest cutting center and it was a key center for the European gem trade in the middle ages. It is very well known for its cutting of large diamond rough and a very important center in this industry today. About 80 percent of the world’s diamonds pass through this center and some of the most important and prestigious De Beer sightholders are based in Antwerp.Russia started its diamond cutting industry in a small manner. Small workshops were set up where the cutting work was completed. However, the discovery of the rich diamond deposits in Siberia turned the course of diamond cutting industry in Russia in 1955. The Russian cut diamonds soon began to be known for their precision and finesse. In 1990’s De Beers made one of the Russian firms, it sightholder and today Russia cuts diamonds from its own mines and also those from De Beers.Another center that emerged post the World War II was Tel Aviv. This was because most of the skilled diamond cutter Jews fled Holland and Belgium to settle in what we today know as Israel. While the country produced small cut diamonds initially, they soon became the top producers of large diamonds and fancy, unique cuts. Tel Aviv is probably the most technologically advanced diamond cutting center as of now and exports around $4 billion worth of polished fancy cut diamonds. Most of these diamonds coming out of Israel are actually absorbed by the US market.The diamond cutting industry in India prospered more when the Argyle diamond mines were found in Western Australia. These mines produced large amounts of small sized roughs that were suited to be cut as small diamonds. An expensive diamond cutting center would not at all be feasible for such work since the high labour cost would ultimately get passed on to the cost of making small diamonds and thus making them unaffordable and heavily priced. Therefore, India was a natural choice due to its cheap labor and large workforce. The main place where diamond cutting takes place in India are Maharashtra and Gujrat.These two places are the international trading center of India. Even though most of the diamonds that are cut in this center are below 3 pts, about 90% of the diamonds pass through this center by weight and 35% by wholesale value making it India’s largest export in 2000. More than 50 lakhs people are employed directly or indirectly in this industry in India.New York is known for its special cuts, especially for large diamonds. The beauty of the diamond cuts and the size almost equals that of Tel Aviv and Antwerp. Since the labor costs are high in New York, the cutting center confines its operations to large high quality extraordinary diamonds, some of which adorn the fingers, wrists, necks and ears of the wealthiest diamond lovers in the world.Thailand is known for cutting fashion colored stones. China has received a large amount of government backing in this area and today it specializes in small well-cut rounds.Canada with its new discoverd mines, is the most recent entrant in to this area. This has happened due to the discovery of Ekati diamond mines that are under development in the northern tundra. The government would like the locals to benefit from this find and therefore a certain amount of stock of roughs is being sold to the local diamond cutters.The diamond industry is a dynamic one and the emergence of these diamond cutting centers is also a proof of the same. As diamond mines were discovered and developed and made professional, specific diamond cutting centers were identified based on their proximity, labor cost, specific expertise and skill. These are the very centers that have been mentioned above – some that became large renowned cutting centers after years of hard work and others that have windmills that would turn them into profitable centers in a matter of days.

Everyone knows that diamonds is the hardest gemstone and women all over the world go crazy to own a diamond jewelry. This beautiful gemstone is renowned for its lustrous beauty, but very few people know of its ability to be used in other fields like electronics, machinery etc.The two aspects of this gem stone are so diverse in association and nature that one does not really connect the two uses with each other.The diamond has certain very unique properties that enable it to be used in these various applications. It is the hardest substance on earth, has an extremely high thermal conductivity, is optically transparent and has high electrical resistance.The hardness property of the diamond makes it amenable to be used as a cutting tool, especially for hard substances like marble, granite and hard wood. It is embedded in mechanical tools to enable the shaping of engine blocks and automotive components.Once the process of developing synthetic diamonds was discovered, these synthetic diamonds were obviously the most preferred option for use in machinery. Apart from the cost, there are many other benefits of using synthetic diamond in tools. synthetic diamond growth can be controlled and monitored to produce desired shape and consistency. This is not the case with respect to natural diamonds where nature determines the shape, size and contours of the diamond based on various random natural events. Since the development of the synthetic diamond takes place in a laboratory, the level of impurities and mineral inclusions can be controlled. Due to these reasons and more the synthetic diamond today is sturdier as compared to the natural ones.Another property that lends itself to use in mechanical work is that of thermal conductivity. The type IIa diamond can conduct up to 5 times more heat than the metal copper. The fact that it can absorb high levels of heat means that it can be used to reduce the friction in many engineering parts. Including the diamond as a ‘heat sink’ helps in extending the life of the machinery since it avoids wear and tear due to friction and heat. ‘Slices’ of synthetic diamonds are also be used for other industrial and surgical tools.Much research is being done to use diamond chips instead of silicon chips in computers and it is being said that such computers would be 1000 times faster than the existing ones.Even though the diamonds were being produced synthetically in the early 1990’s, they had not made their appearance in the jewelry industry. Large synthetic diamonds could be used only by using a lot of energy and ultra-modern technology. Since the engineering and mechanical market needs were yet not being met completely by the synthetic diamond supply, the proliferation of the synthetic diamond in the jewelry industry was abated. Another reason why the synthetic diamonds did not make their way into the studded necklaces was the fact that most of the synthetic diamonds being produced were still yellow or brownish in color.The development and growth process of large diamonds required for the tools industry itself took too long. In 1990, De Beers claimed to have produced the largest synthetic diamond; a yellowish brown piece that was about 14.20 carats. This diamond alone took 500 hours to grow. Three years later they reported having produced a 34.80 carat crystal that took 600 hours to grow. Another few years and De Beers claimed that it was possible to produce 30 carat crystals in lesser time. But now one can find synthetic diamonds in many fancy colours and in white colorless shades too.Even though there were great obstacles in perfecting the art of making gem quality synthetic diamonds, some companies forged ahead and continued to research the process. The challenge that they faced was that they could not avoid the nitrogen from entering the diamond while during the process of production, the gas that gives the diamonds the yellow color. GE was the first company to produce an almost colorless synthetic diamond by eliminating nitrogen from the process. This was done by using a metal flux, a substance that melts and dissolves other material in it. Special compounds were added to the metal flux to keep the nitrogen from entering the process chambers. Even though De Beers had also discovered the art of making synthetic colorless diamonds, neither company released their experiments and the colorless gems that came from them into the market. However, a Thai-Russian joint venture in Thailand distributed lab made colorless diamonds in the market.Since the jewelry market does not require large pieces, these colorless synthetics are faster to grow, produce and sell in the market. Though the synthetic diamonds caters to a larger audience of the gem industry, they increase the possibility of being swindled, fraud and non-disclosure in the trade. As the production process is perfected and better quality colorless synthetics are produced and marketed each year, the challenge for the professionals in the jewelry industry becomes harder.Source: GIA