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...