In an age when you may get absolutely anything on-line, it is in all probability no shock that you could buy a diamond-making machine for $200,000 on Chinese language ecommerce web site Alibaba. Should you, like me, have not been taking note of the diamond trade, it seems that the provision of those machines displays an ongoing development towards democratizing diamond manufacturing—a course of that started many years in the past and continues to evolve.
The historical past of lab-grown diamonds dates again at the very least half a century. In keeping with Harvard graduate scholar Javid Lakha, writing in a comprehensive piece on lab-grown diamonds revealed in Works in Progress final month, the primary profitable synthesis of diamonds in a laboratory setting occurred within the Nineteen Fifties. Lakha recounts how Howard Tracy Hall, a chemist at Basic Electrical, created the primary lab-grown diamonds utilizing a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) course of that mimicked the circumstances beneath which diamonds type in nature.
Since then, diamond-making know-how has superior considerably. At this time, there are two major strategies for creating lab-grown diamonds: the HPHT course of and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Each kinds of machines are actually listed on Alibaba, with costs beginning at round $200,000, as pointed out by engineer John Nagle (who goes by “Animats” on Hacker Information). A CVD machine we discovered is extra dear, at around $450,000.
Not a Easy Operation
Whereas the thought of buying a diamond-making machine on Alibaba could be intriguing, it is essential to notice that working one is not so simple as plugging it in and watching diamonds type. In keeping with Lakha’s article, these machines require vital experience and extra sources to function successfully.
For an HPHT press, you’d want a dependable supply of high-quality graphite, metallic catalysts like iron or cobalt, and exact temperature and strain management programs. CVD machines require a gradual provide of methane and hydrogen gases, in addition to the flexibility to generate and management microwaves or sizzling filaments. Each strategies want diamond seed crystals to begin the expansion course of.
Furthermore, you’d want specialised data to handle the expansion parameters, deal with probably hazardous supplies and high-pressure gear safely, and course of the ensuing uncooked diamonds into usable gems or industrial elements. The machines additionally use appreciable quantities of vitality and require common upkeep. These components might make the method topic to some laws which can be far past the scope of this piece.
Briefly, whereas these machines are extra accessible than ever, turning one right into a productive diamond-making operation would nonetheless require vital funding in gear, supplies, experience, and security measures. However hey, a man can dream, proper?
The Nice Diamond Glut
Typically a Hacker Information remark is price greater than its weight in gold (or diamonds), and John Nagle, who developed Nagle’s algorithm for enhancing the effectivity of TCP/IP networks within the Eighties, posted one in response to Lakha’s article. It accommodates factoids about diamonds, with sources, which can be price relaying for anybody curious concerning the present state of diamond manufacturing.
One notable growth comes from De Beers, the diamond company recognized for its dominance within the pure diamond market. By means of its R&D operation Element Six, the corporate is now capable of producing artificial diamonds with flaw ranges within the parts-per-billion vary. This degree of purity far exceeds what’s essential for jewellery, coming into the realm of high-tech functions. Factor Six has even managed to create diamond home windows for lasers as much as 10 centimeters throughout, showcasing the potential for big, extraordinarily pure artificial diamonds.
On the pure diamond entrance, there’s been a shocking breakthrough. Nagle factors out that the trade has developed an industrial x-ray system to look at rocks earlier than crushing, serving to to protect giant diamonds that may in any other case be damaged throughout extraction. This know-how has led to some spectacular finds, together with a 2,492-carat diamond discovered final month. The sorter for this job comes from TOMRA, an organization recognized for high-volume sorting programs utilized in recycling and meals processing.
