|
|
Analysis of diamond in 1796 proved it to be pure carbon, and it took more than 150 years from then until a method of making a cultured diamond was invented. The secret was unlocked in the 1950's by Swedish and American scientists. Pressures of over 55,000 atmospheres and 1400 degrees Centigrade, plus molten iron to cause the change from graphite to diamond are needed to make a culture diamond.
Learn more about differences between cultured diamond and natural diamonds: Click Here
General Electric managed to create cultured diamonds 1954 by using a 400-ton press to crush carbon at an enormous pressure. GE's machine economically produced cultured diamond dust for industrial uses, and by the early 1970s the company had even produced a cultured diamond as large as 2 carats. But that effort took so much time and electrical energy, that it was more expensive to buy a mined diamond. There are several current American operations attempting to make a cultured diamond. Carter Clarke, retired army general, stumbled into a cultured diamond producing process during a trip to Moscow in 1995. Clark bought the process and moved it to Sarasota Florida, where he has produced some large sized yellow cultured diamonds, which he is just beginning to market under the name of Gemesis.
The cultured diamond is different from Cubic Zirconia that is so popular. Cubic Zirconia is not as hard as a diamond, causing it to have a lower luster and surface scratches. Cubic zirconia weighs about 1.7 times more than a diamond, which is useful to know when looking at loose stones. CZ diamonds are thermal insulators, while diamonds are among the most efficient thermal conductors known to man. Cultured diamonds have the exact same properties as natural diamonds and are almost impossible to distinguish from natural diamonds. Like cubic zirconia, cultured diamonds are internally flawless.
The reason for creating a cultured diamond is not just to add sparkle at a low cost. The diamond the hardest substance known, and it is because of its thermal conductivity that the cultured diamond has created so much interest. Tremendous heat can pass through a cultured diamond without causing damage. The modern microprocessors run hot - at upwards of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, they can't go much faster without failing. Cultured diamond microchips could handle much higher temperatures, allowing microprocessors to run at speeds that would liquefy ordinary silicon. With the arrival of cultured diamond creating companies, a cultured diamond could be used for semiconductors.
De Beers, the giant diamond cartel, which is in charge of most of the natural diamonds in the world, is scrambling to invent testing devices that will easily be able to test cultured diamonds and distinguish them from natural diamonds, in order to keep the price of natural diamonds from falling dramatically. De Beers promoters will say, " You give your loved one a diamond to signify 'forever'; how can it mean anything if it was made yesterday?"
Wide Selection of Low Priced Jewelry
If you are looking for rings, earrings, bracelets, pendants and necklaces, check out the following links for a wide selection of diamonds, pears, gemstones and more at very low prices! Free gift boxing, secure online shopping, a 30-day money back guarantee and free FedEx shipping on order over $150.
