New vs. Old Diamonds

name David W.status otherage 30sQuestion - I recently saw a show on gemstone quality syntheticdiamond manufacturers and what companies like DeBeers are doing to detectthem. Basically, the research at DeBeers currently focuses on detectionof nitrogen trapped in the diamond matrix with spectroscopy. Since theatmosphere is mostly nitrogen all diamonds contain some as they areformed. Natural diamonds have had "millions" of years to leach off anytrapped nitrogen and contain almost none. DeBeers concludes that theirsystem of counterfeit detection is nearly foolproof and "obviously"synthetic diamond manufacturers do not have millions of years to wait fortheir product to mature.My question is:Why couldn't a company that has already spent millions for hydraulicpresses spend a few thousand more to eliminate the nitrogen? If theyprecipitated the graphite out of a nitrogen free solution and thenprocessed the stones in a vacuum chamber they could completely eliminateall nitrogen from their stones. This seems to be the obvious next step--Iassume if it would work someone would have already done it, so why wouldit not work?------------------------------------------------Eventually I think the market will make the call...if you remember "culturedpearls" were not at first accepted, but their beauty made the finaldecision...as will the diamonds.Peter Faletra Ph.D.Assistant DirectorScience EducationOffice of ScienceDepartment of Energy=========================================================Hi,As you know, diamond making process is rather difficult and complicated: simulating what it took nature millions of years to accomplish in under 100 hours. But the work is continuing and I expect that we will have real (synthetic) diamond of any desired quality and color in not too distant future. Size is quite another problem.But in response to your question, there are ways to produce diamonds without the yellow color. The yellow color is due to ATOMIC nitrogen dispersed in the diamond. Mined diamond (note that I do not use the term natural diamond) often has nitrogen but the atoms of nitrogen have coalesced rendering the diamond colorless.That fact points the way to an approach to make the yellow color go away: by forcing nitrogen atoms to combine. This has been partially successful: by heating diamond over a long time, the yellow color has been reduced. But this is a lengthy and as-yet incomplete process.The other technique that has been used successfully is to use a"getter" (a material that attracts nitrogen) when making diamond. Aluminum is one such material and by using it colorless diamonds have been produced in Russia.A third option, as you correctly noted, is to grow diamond in a nitrogen-starved environment. It does not have to be vacuum, however.I do not know the practical difficulties with this approach but given the high pressure high temperature environment one operates in, it may be presently uneconomical. I think when assembly-line type production facilities come about, the issue will be properly addressed.One final point about diamonds in general. Diamond as a high-priced luxury item is one of the largest marketing gimmick created by man.Behind all this is a very powerful cartel, unregulated and supernational. It controls the market by controlling the mines, supplies, and distribution channels. That there are no major or potential alternative suppliers or competitors speaks for itself. I do not know of any other commodity (and yes, despite advertisements to the contrary, diamond is a commodity) controlled by one single company worldwide. The problem it faces now is how to maintain its monopoly by convincing the unsuspecting public that diamond is not diamond unless it is mined. The situation is perhaps similar to the days where hybrid /engineered plant seeds were considered fake, unnatural, synthetic.There is no doubt that REAL diamond (ones with perfect and specific crystal structure, specific impurity, color, etc.) will be the ones grown by man in factories in the next few years. All the proposed detection techniques to determine if the origin of a diamond is a mine or a factory misleads the public. Indeed, if what is great about diamond is its beauty (and from a consumers' point of view it is), why would one care about its source? The attempt presently is to perpetuate the false notion that diamond from ore has an investment aspect to it.It does not because if the market were open and free competition would take off, prices would collapse, and diamond for the most part would be treated like other stones. It is an irony that the artificially high price of diamond has fueled the research that will shortly undermine the price structure. Diamond will perhaps be the tulip of the 21st century.Ali Khounsary, PhDArgonne National Laboratory========================================================There are a number (more than 10 at least) ways to "date" minerals usingradioactive decays of minor constituents, or the ratio of various nuclides.This is a very sophisticated science and technology. I am not a gemologist,nor an expert in the dating of minerals, so like you, I am making somereasonable guesses and assumptions.1. I am not sure that companies that make "synthetic diamonds" are targetingthe gem market as a place where their high temperature/pressure technologywould fit. I would think that they would be attracted to the industrial diamondmarket where diamonds are used as grinding media etc. This is much lessdemanding of quality and size diamonds than the gem market.2. Yes, if they were going head-to-head with the gem diamond business, theycould be able to purge the system of N2 or even put the entire machine in avacuum. But their attempt a forgery would be much more complicated. Theywould have to start with fairly "old" graphite because any "new" graphitewould result in diamonds that have much more carbon 14 activity than the"geological" grade.3. Given the lucrative nature of diamond market for companies like DeBeers,I would be very surprised if they do not have a whole battery of chemical andphysical tests for diamond "signatures". I would be very surprised that theywould not be able to tell, not only what country, or part of the world, adiamond originated, but even be able to tell you which mine it came from,and when it was mined. I would be surprised if they did not have a paper trailaccounting for every diamond of significant value -- where it went to fromthe mine, who bought it, how many and what kind of diamonds were cut, wherethese diamond "daughters" then went, and so on.These cartels want to preserve their monopoly, and they have very deeppockets stuffed with lots of cash that a make synthetic diamond makers seemlike paupers. Somewhere in this world DeBeers probably has their ownsynthetic diamond producing facility and know as much as anyone what thepluses and minuses are.This is high stakes business and the "haves" are not going to let the "havenots" into it just because of a few trillion dollars.Vince Calder=========================================================