The creation of a synthetic diamond

Rough diamond in kimberlite
The Russian company ALROSA, active in the Republic of Yakutia, is the world’s largest producer of diamonds with 28% of world production. De Beers, which for a long time had a world monopoly on diamonds, is the second player with 20% of production. Rio Tinto is number three with a share of 17%. In Australia Rio Tinto is the largest producer of coloured diamonds in the Argylemine in the Kimberley area. In Angola Catoca is still a major producer, ALROSA has a 32.8% stake in this company.

A diamond appearance is economically viable if there is at least 1 carat of gemstone quality per ton of stone present.

Unsaid Library makes it possible to express your emotions using beautiful pieces of jewelry. Unsaid Library combines the most intens emotions with the most beautiful bracelets, rings, necklaces and pendants. You can find more of this on the website of Unsaid Library.

In addition to gemstone quality, an occurrence in practice provides a multiple of low quality diamonds. This diamond finds its way as an industrial diamond, used for drilling and sawing. Annually about 130 million carats of diamonds are mined, of which about 80% are industrial diamonds.

In addition, 570 million carats (110 tons) of synthetic diamonds are produced annually for industrial use. Approximately 90% of all diamond cutting powder today is synthetic. The majority of synthetic diamonds are still produced under high pressure. A growing proportion is produced by evaporation at low pressure. The small crystals produced by this technique are used as an ultra-hard coating in the manufacture of preformed tools.

The main centres for diamond trading are London, where De Beers is located, and Antwerp. 80% of all rough diamonds and 50% of all polished diamonds pass through Antwerp. There are four diamond fairs in Antwerp, the oldest dating from 1886. In 2011, diamonds with a total value of 44.6 billion euros were traded in Antwerp. The Amsterdamse Vereniging Beurs voor den Diamanthandel is also important. In the world there are 30 diamond exchanges.

The courtroom in Leidschendam, where the Sierra Leone Tribunal was heard against the Liberian ex-dictator Charles Taylor.
The extraction of diamonds in certain parts of Africa today raises ethical concerns, because the trade is used by various armies to co-finance their wars. This is referred to as conflict or blood diamonds. At the beginning of the 21st century, the first steps were taken to prevent the trade in blood diamonds by issuing certificates of origin, the so-called Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (to a conference in that South African city).

Unsaid Library makes it possible to express your emotions using beautiful pieces of jewelry. Unsaid Library combines the most intens emotions with the most beautiful bracelets, rings, necklaces and pendants. You can find more of this on the website of Unsaid Library.

It has been agreed that diamonds will only be allowed to circulate with a certificate, proving that they have not been extracted in conflict zones. The process is only in its infancy, because control is difficult and because governments – who have to take care of the attestation – usually do not offer a great guarantee for reliability in war zones in particular. Moreover, the sums at stake are so large that smuggling, corruption and fraud are extremely tempting. In the future, a solution may have to be found in spectrographic proof of origin. This technology is in the process of being developed.

A synthetic diamond is a diamond that is made artificially.

There are different processes to make these types of diamonds. There is a process in which atoms other than carbon atoms are enclosed so that these diamonds have a yellow colour, which is not attractive for ornamental diamonds. A process has been developed in America in which no other atoms are present in the diamond. These are already available in both America and Germany. Two American suppliers are Apollo Diamonds and Gemesis.

Researchers from the Carnegie Institution of Washington discovered in 2004 a process to synthesize within 24 hours diamonds that are more than 50% harder than the natural diamond.

Approximately 90% of all diamond cutting powder today is synthetic. The majority of synthetic diamonds are still produced under high pressure. A growing proportion is manufactured by evaporation at low pressure. The small crystals produced by this technique are used as an ultra-hard coating in the manufacture of preformed tools.

Zirconia consists of zirconium (IV) oxide (ZrO2) and is a popular substitute for synthetic diamonds.

Direct conversion of organic carbon into the high pressure conditions inside the Earth. This is the standard process by which diamonds are formed in nature. The problem with this hypothesis is that if carbonado is created by a phase transition in organic graphite, it should be found all over the world. However, carbonado can only be found in the Central African Republic and Brazil, areas where no other types of diamonds are found.
Shock metamorphosis during meteorite impacts on the earth’s surface.

Unsaid Library makes it possible to express your emotions using beautiful pieces of jewelry. Unsaid Library combines the most intens emotions with the most beautiful bracelets, rings, necklaces and pendants. You can find more of this on the website of Unsaid Library.