There are many methods to manufacture diamonds in the world, but the most common method is static high-pressure high-temperature synthesis with catalysts. According to the characteristics of the synthesis technology and the crystal growth mechanism, these methods can be categorized to the following types:
Diamond is the hardest material on the earth. It has high thermal conductivity, high insulation and high chemical stability. It can be used to process non-ferrous metals such as aluminum and copper both efficiently and precisely, and is especially suitable to process hard and brittle non-metallic materials.
On September 5, 2009, Henan Polytechnic University (China) successfully synthesized an 8.2mm, 2 carats weight high quality yellow diamond.
8.2 mm, 2 carats synthetic diamond made by Henan Polytechnic University (China). |
Diamonds can be synthesized or be so called “cultured” in man-made environments, and the synthetic diamonds can be the same with or even better than natural diamonds. Gemesis, the world’s leading gem quality synthetic diamonds producer in Florida, USA, says: “Gemesis cultured diamonds are at the forefront of a revolution in the diamond jewelry industry. A Gemesis cultured diamond is a diamond, grown under the same conditions as diamonds grow beneath the earth’s surface. By applying tremendous heat and pressure, a diamond begins to grow, atom by atom, layer by layer, just as it does in nature. A Gemesis cultured diamond possesses the same physical, optical and chemical properties as earth-grown diamonds.”
Yellow synthetic diamond gemstones made by Gemesis, a company in Florida, USA. |
It was said that the production cost of a Gemesis cultured diamond is less than 1% of the price of a same natural diamond. Gemesis is producing big diamond gemstones in huge quantity. Also, its diamonds’ color can be yellow, pink, blue, green, or even red, which are rare in the nature and are known as “fancy color”.
Cultured yellow diamonds surround a pink diamond. Made by Gemesis. |
It was reported that Huanghe Whirlwind Company (China), one of the biggest synthetic diamond manufacturers in the world, is also researching gem quality synthetic diamonds and already can produce 6mm ones. Huanghe Whirlwind used to produce small synthetic diamonds for diamond tools.
The market’s responses to synthetic diamond gemstones are active. A jeweler in USA said: “If you go into a florist and buy a beautiful orchid, it’s not grown in some steamy hot jungle in Central America; it’s grown in a hothouse somewhere in California. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a beautiful orchid.” “Nobody cares if it’s from De Beers. My clients just want a nice diamond.”
With the same or even better but much cheaper synthetic diamond gemstones’ emerging on the jewelry market, it can be anticipated that the natural diamond gemstones will have no advantages and their values will decrease dramatically. If you have natural diamond gemstones or have investments on them, you will have to be prepared.
Colorless gemstone cut from diamond grown via another method called “CVD” (Chemical Vapor Deposition) by Apollo Diamond, a company in Boston, USA. |