Diamonds have attracted humanity since ancient times. The extraordinary beauty of these stones has become the reason for their use to create different jewelry. However, later, people revealed other useful properties of diamonds - their unique strength and hardness. To meet the needs of production, nature did not create a lot of this material, so people had an idea - to make diamonds artificially.
The value of diamonds
Diamond is considered a unique stone with a rare combination of important characteristics: strong dispersion, high thermal conductivity, hardness, optical transparency, wear resistance. Due to its physical and mechanical properties, diamonds are highly valued not only by jewelry experts, but are also widely used in various industries. So, this gemstone is used in medicine, optics and microelectronics.
But to fully meet the production needs of pure natural diamonds is very difficult and quite expensive. For this reason, mankind has begun to think about how to make an artificial diamond. Synthetic stone should not only possess the important properties of a real diamond, but also have a more perfect crystalline structure, which is very important for high-tech areas.
How did synthetic diamonds originate?
The need to create synthetic stone arose a very long time ago. But in practice, implemented only in the XX century. Until this time, scientists could not come up with diamond manufacturing technologies, although they managed to establish that they are relatives with ordinary carbon. And after several decades, the first synthetic diamond was created, which was obtained from graphite under the influence of high temperature and pressure by a phase transition. From that moment began the production of artificial diamonds, which today are used in many elements of different equipment and tools.
Diamond Technology
Nowadays, several technologies are used to produce synthetic stone, each of which has its own characteristics. The most reliable, but the most expensive technology is to produce diamond from crystalline carbon, which is placed in a special press for processing. First, water is supplied to the material being processed by powerful pumps. This creates high pressure. Then the water freezes under the influence of a refrigerant, as a result of which the pressure increases up to 10 times. At the last stage, the chamber in which the carbon is located is connected to the electric buses and a powerful current is supplied for several fractions of a second. Under the simultaneous influence of temperature and pressure, graphite is converted to solid stone. After this phase, the press is thawed, the liquid is drained and the finished artificial diamond is taken out.
Diamond cultivation with methane
They also use a simpler technology for the production of synthetic stone - the explosion method, which allows you to build an artificial crystal under the influence of methane. Very often, the production of artificial diamonds occurs according to two technologies. The fact is that in the first case, it is possible to obtain the highest percentage yield of diamonds, but they will be very small. The second technology allows you to significantly increase the resulting synthetic stone by blowing methane under the influence of a temperature of about 1100 º. The explosion method makes it possible to obtain an artificial diamond of any size.
Types of Artificial Diamonds
Nowadays, many varieties of synthetic diamonds are produced: cubic zirconia, moissanite, rhinestone, ferroelectric, rutile, fabulite, cerussite. The most perfect fake of diamond is considered cubic zirconia, or a cube of zirconium. It is zirconium dioxide. Therefore, many have repeatedly heard the name of an artificial diamond zircon. Although it has nothing to do with natural expensive stone.
Zirconia is characterized by high hardness, a high degree of dispersion and refraction. Due to its properties, this stone perfectly imitates a real diamond and is widely used in the jewelry industry. Even experts with the naked eye can hardly distinguish a fake from the original, because they play the same way.
Moissanite is considered the highest quality analogue of diamond. It has the same physical properties as natural stone, and in terms of optical performance it is even better. Its only drawback is that it is inferior in hardness.
Rhinestones made from lead glass, consisting of lead oxide, are especially popular. Due to their composition, these stones play amazingly in the light and have a shine identical to that of diamonds.
Where are synthetic diamonds used?
Artificial diamond is widely used by jewelry factories to make luxurious jewelry that not only looks beautiful, but is also very affordable. Products with fake stones look no worse and wear well.
Cultivation of artificial diamonds is also an integral part of modern industry. Heavy-duty tools are made on their basis: grinding wheels, diamond saws, polishing discs, chisels, drills, scalpels, knives, various cutters and tweezers. Machinery and equipment made of diamond material allow you to process the most durable alloys and raw materials. In addition, diamond provides maximum precision in machines and equipment.
How to create an artificial diamond at home
Some experts argue that it is possible to grow synthetic diamond at home. But the independent manufacture of artificial diamonds will require a lot of effort and time. We will tell you how to grow a mineral from salt, outwardly remotely resembling a diamond.
So, to create such a stone you will need boiled water, sodium chloride, chemical glassware, a blank sheet of paper and a laboratory filter. First you need to cook a small crystal. To do this, fill the beaker 1/5 part with salt, fill halfway with warm water and mix. If it dissolves, then you need to add a little more. Salt must be added until it stops dissolving. Then filter the solution into another bowl, in which the stone will grow, and cover with paper. All the time you need to control the level of the solution. The stone should not be in the air. If the solution has evaporated, you need to prepare a new one and top up.
People who have done such experiments claim that over the course of a week, homemade artificial diamond should grow noticeably.
Artificial Diamond Cost
In the modern world, synthetic stones have occupied a separate segment of the jewelry market. Obtaining artificial diamonds is constantly being improved. Scientists invent new stones that instantly gain mass popularity, while older ones lose demand and gradually disappear from the market. For example, in the mid-20th century, artificial rutile was inserted into jewelry to simulate diamonds . Then it was replaced by cubic zirconia. And in the 90s. all previous diamond imitations have supplanted moissanite.
Artificial diamond prices depend on size, cut and production technology. Many people mistakenly believe that synthetic stones are ordinary glass and do not see any value in them. But in fact, such diamonds often cost a lot of money, and some of them are quite rare. So, other varieties of artificial diamond may cost more than natural counterparts.
Among synthetic diamonds, the most popular are cubic zirconias of different colors. Their average cost per carat in faceted form ranges from 1 to 5 US dollars. And the well-known diamond analogue of moissanite is much more expensive - 70-150 US dollars per carat.
Significant factors in the pricing of stones is color. So, the cost of a yellow diamond is 40-50 dollars for 0.2 carats, but for a stone of orange-pink color, depending on the size, you will have to pay about 3000 dollars.
World leaders
In recent years, China, Japan, the USA and Russia are considered world leaders in the production of synthetic stones. China is most actively developing this direction, constantly inventing new synthesis technologies.