Synthetic Diamonds
When having dinner with some relatives the topic of diamonds came up, as a few people knew I had gotten my GIA (Gemological Institute of America) accreditation.
My brother in-law said, "Who buys diamonds nowadays, anyway. Just get one of those fake ones. No one can tell the difference."
You should have seen the look that his wife shot him. It was obvious she did not approve of his comment.
The course I studied told me that synthetic diamonds are grown in a laboratory, and have essentially the same properties as natural diamonds: chemical composition, crystal structure and physical and optical. Most synthetic diamonds are made for industrial use. Japan, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the last thirty years have grown gem-quality synthetic diamonds in small quantities. Synthetic diamonds are generally produced using one of two methods. One method uses high pressure and high temperature ( you might find the HPHT acronym used), and the other uses chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Synthetic diamonds have not replaced diamonds for jewelry and engagement rings . Part of the appeal of natural diamonds is their rarity.
Synthetic diamonds are different from diamond simulants (such as cubic zirconia) which only look like diamonds. Diamond simulants can be natural or synthetic. Diamond simulants have physical and optical properties because of their chemical compositions that are different from those of diamond. This makes them easily identified by a trained gemologist (or jeweler).
Synthetic diamonds produced by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are grown at very high temperatures. However the pressure under which they are grown is much lower than the HPHT method. The CVD growth technique can produce thin, brown to near colorless synthetic diamond crystals that are considered suitable for faceting for jewelry purposes. Synthetic diamonds grown by this new method differ in their gemological properties from those grown by the traditional HPHT technique.
Natural diamonds we know have formed deep in the earth under immense pressure.The High Pressure High Temperature diamond manufacturing method uses equipment that mimics the pressure and heat filled environment under which natural diamonds formed.These synthetic diamonds can be made in several colors: yellow, blue, green, pink, red, purple and colorless.
High Pressure / High Temperature is also used to add color to a clear diamond or to change the color of some colored diamond. It can also make some diamonds clear. There are two types of diamonds to which this process is applied: type Ia diamonds, and type IIa diamonds.The color which seems to be most readily available from manufacturers who work with changing the color of diamonds is yellow. The reason this appears to be the easiest color achieved is because HPHT can turn a diamond to yellow (or greenish yellow, or green) when it is applied to type Ia diamonds and these are much more common than type IIa diamonds. (less than 2 percent of all diamonds mined are type IIa).
My brother in-law said, "Who buys diamonds nowadays, anyway. Just get one of those fake ones. No one can tell the difference."
You should have seen the look that his wife shot him. It was obvious she did not approve of his comment.
The course I studied told me that synthetic diamonds are grown in a laboratory, and have essentially the same properties as natural diamonds: chemical composition, crystal structure and physical and optical. Most synthetic diamonds are made for industrial use. Japan, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the last thirty years have grown gem-quality synthetic diamonds in small quantities. Synthetic diamonds are generally produced using one of two methods. One method uses high pressure and high temperature ( you might find the HPHT acronym used), and the other uses chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Synthetic diamonds have not replaced diamonds for jewelry and engagement rings . Part of the appeal of natural diamonds is their rarity.
Synthetic diamonds are different from diamond simulants (such as cubic zirconia) which only look like diamonds. Diamond simulants can be natural or synthetic. Diamond simulants have physical and optical properties because of their chemical compositions that are different from those of diamond. This makes them easily identified by a trained gemologist (or jeweler).
Synthetic diamonds produced by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are grown at very high temperatures. However the pressure under which they are grown is much lower than the HPHT method. The CVD growth technique can produce thin, brown to near colorless synthetic diamond crystals that are considered suitable for faceting for jewelry purposes. Synthetic diamonds grown by this new method differ in their gemological properties from those grown by the traditional HPHT technique.
Natural diamonds we know have formed deep in the earth under immense pressure.The High Pressure High Temperature diamond manufacturing method uses equipment that mimics the pressure and heat filled environment under which natural diamonds formed.These synthetic diamonds can be made in several colors: yellow, blue, green, pink, red, purple and colorless.
High Pressure / High Temperature is also used to add color to a clear diamond or to change the color of some colored diamond. It can also make some diamonds clear. There are two types of diamonds to which this process is applied: type Ia diamonds, and type IIa diamonds.The color which seems to be most readily available from manufacturers who work with changing the color of diamonds is yellow. The reason this appears to be the easiest color achieved is because HPHT can turn a diamond to yellow (or greenish yellow, or green) when it is applied to type Ia diamonds and these are much more common than type IIa diamonds. (less than 2 percent of all diamonds mined are type IIa).
sources: http://www.gia.edu
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