The Truth About Synthetic Diamonds
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, Chatha 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.
Paul Easton is the Marketing Director for Polished Diamonds. High Quality Diamond Rings at 1/2 retail Prices available at: => Polished Diamonds.co.nz – The Diamond Ring Specialist in New Zealand
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History of Synthetic Diamonds
As the name implies syntheti diamonds look like real diamonds but do not have the same properties as real diamonds. The ability to determine the differences between chemical composition, 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.
Mossanite 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.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/history-of-synthetic-diamonds-484782.html
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