Diamonds have always been an incredibly popular gem for inclusion in jewellery items. It used to be the case that only the extremely wealthy in society could afford these sought-after jewels, but with today’s technology, it is not only real diamonds mined from various parts of the world but also synthetic diamonds that are available. It is hard to tell these diamonds apart and even gemologists have to use sophisticated equipment to be able to tell a synthetic diamond from a real one. Whether you are looking for a genuine diamond or a synthetic one the common link between the two is their beauty. If you are looking into Buying Diamond Rings Online it is worth taking a look at https://www.comparethediamond.com/
The process of creating a synthetic diamond can take a number of weeks and takes place in a laboratory. Whereas natural diamonds take thousands of years to form and are mined in areas directly beneath our feet. Here is a brief look into how synthetic diamonds like those you can find in many jewellery items are made.
Two of the methods used for creating these man-made diamonds require the use of a single diamond grain. This ‘diamond seed’ as it is sometimes called is used for larger diamonds to grow from.
Image Credit
The first method is called ‘High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT), which as the name would suggest requires the use of extreme pressure and temperature. This is the first method that was used in the synthetic production of diamonds back in the 1950s. The natural pressure and temperature of the Earth are mimicked, and the temperature reaches around 3,000 degrees Celsius. The aim of this process is to dissolve carbon into diamond seeds.
The second, and more modern, a method is that of Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). This method requires smaller equipment than that of HPHT and lower pressures are needed. The process is very similar to the process used in 3D printing. A vacuum chamber is filled full of hydrogen and methane, which are used to produce a carbon source. High temperatures are then used to turn the gas lower pressures are needed. The process is very similar to the process used in 3D printing. A vacuum chamber is filled full of hydrogen and methane, which are used to produce a carbon source. High temperatures are then used to turn the gas mixture into a plasma that then releases small carbon pieces. These are layered onto an existing diamond seed that is placed into the vacuum chamber. The seed then becomes a larger diamond.
Image Credit
As technology becomes more and more advanced the process of creating a diamond becomes much simpler and the timescale to wait for one of these jewels to ‘bake’ reduces dramatically. This means that regardless of your financial status you can afford a diamond of some sort and with even the professionals struggling to tell the difference most other people won’t be able to tell either.