New Technique May Simplify Synthetic Diamond Process - Nov.2008
Researchers at the Carnegie Institution have developed a new technique for
simplifying the process of making high-quality diamonds, reports say.
Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory’s method uses chemical vapor
deposition to grow synthetic diamonds. Then the team annealed the diamonds at
temperatures up to 2,000° C using a microwave plasma at pressures below
atmospheric pressure. The crystals, which are originally yellow-brown if
produced at very high growth rates, turned colorless or light pink.
Researcher Chih-shiue Yan said, "It is striking to see brown CVD
diamonds transformed by this cost-efficient method into clear, pink-tinted
crystals."
The team also noted that the new annealing process can treat crystals of
unlimited size.
At the Diamond Registry, we have seen a lot of talk about methods that can
produce synthetic diamonds with cheaper and cheaper methods. We were amongst the
first to examine gem-quality synthetic diamonds in the 1970s. We have no doubt
that they will one day be synthetic gem diamonds on the market. However, because
the methods keep getting cheaper, these diamonds will not hold their value the
way natural diamonds do.
In addition, natural diamonds have a different kind of value — emotional
value. They stand for love, because they truly are "forever."
Synthetics are not. They were made in a factory instead of naturally. They may
be nice, but, like a copy of a Picasso, they are not the "real thing."
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