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
Synthetic diamonds are diamond crystals manufactured in laboratories through a technological process, versus natural diamonds, which are produced deep inside the earth through a geological process.
Synthetic diamonds are not to be confused with fake diamonds as we know it, like diamond-like carbon, which is amorphous hard carbon or diamond stimulants, which are made of other materials such as cubic zirconia or silicon carbide.
Synthetic diamonds are actually real diamonds; only they are produced in labs or are man-made, and depending on the process, can even be superior to natural diamonds.
The procedure of creating a synthetic diamond is relatively easier than mining and processing natural diamonds, which is why these stones are usually used in many industrial applications, such as drilling and cutting tools, as well as in electronics.
The process of producing these cultured diamonds was first discovered by French chemist Henri Moissan in 1892. This process created small diamond fragments by heating charcoal, which is carbon, to an extremely high temperature in a cast iron crucible.
It is then rapidly cooled by immersing the crucible into cold water, causing it to shrink, which then creates enough pressure to crystallize the molten carbon into tiny diamond fragments.
After Moissan’s process, the first commercial application of synthetic diamond production was developed by Tracy Hall for the General Electric Company in 1954.
This production process is known as the HTHP or high-temperature high-pressure, a procedure that has been improved upon and has been used to make industrial-grade diamonds to this day. Another main process being used to create synthetic diamonds is the Chemical Vapor Deposition or CVD method, which was first developed during the 1980s.
The HTHP technique applies a combination of heat and pressure on a diamond seed by using either a four-anvil tetrahedral press or a six-anvil cubic press. This is a process that attempts to replicate the natural conditions of diamonds formation inside the earth. The CVD method on the other hand, adds a vaporized carbon-plasma mixture with hydrogen, activated on the diamond seed using microwave energy, which then allows the gas to substrate.
This makes the diamond seed grow in successive layers.
Both procedures can produce cultured diamonds in a span of just several days. These stones can have the identical hardness, cleavage, light dispersion, refractive properties, specific gravity, and surface luster of a natural diamond, and may even contain small inclusions. Some cultured diamonds are even superior to their natural counterparts.
Just some of the known synthetic diamond manufacturers are Apollo Diamonds, Chatham Gems, Gemesis Cultured Diamonds, and Taurus Created Gems.
These companies create a range of lab diamonds, as they are also called, from colorless grade D diamonds to fancy diamonds.
Most synthetic diamonds will have a slightly yellowish hue because of nitrogen impurities that are present during its manufacturing.
These cultured diamonds can be distinguished from natural diamonds by using any of the following: infrared, ultraviolet, or X-ray spectroscopy. Its UV florescence can also be measured with a Diamond View tester.