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What is a Diamond?
Diamonds are
typically formed deep beneath the earth's surface. They are made up
of pure carbon which has been placed under immense pressure for
millions of years. The intense heat produced due to this pressure
hardens the carbon. Natural diamonds are rare to find and are very expensive.
Fortunately,
we no longer have to wait for such a long time to set our hands on
diamonds. Diamonds created by man are much faster to produce and of
remarkably good quality. A layman would find it difficult to
distinguish between a natural diamond and an artificial one.
How Diamonds
Are Created – Naturally and Manmade
You would be
amazed at the fact that diamonds are made from the same substance
that the lead in your pencil or coal is made up of. The only
difference is that atoms are arranged more tightly in a diamond,
which makes them harder. This bond is formed when carbon is exposed
to extreme temperatures and very high pressure. Rare diamonds of high
value develop deep underground: more than 100 miles below the surface.
The
temperature 100 miles below the earth's surface is between 1100
degrees and 1400 degrees Celsius and the pressure of rocks formed by
layers is high enough for diamonds to form. Besides carbon, other
gases like nitrogen and substances like sulfur are trapped inside the
crystal. These substances are responsible for giving diamonds their
color. Under normal circumstances, diamonds are colorless, although
green, pink and orange diamonds also exist.
Most of the
carbon comes from the mantle of the earth and some from the bodies of
shells and other micro-organisms like algae. Most of the carbon is
buried in rocks that are dragged down into the mantle due to
continental drifts.
So, if it is
because of natural reasons that diamonds are made, how is it possible
to make diamonds artificially? Creating a material that is as hard as
diamond has had been the aim of many scientists. These scientists
have been successful in creating gems harder than any other crystal
from a gas mixture.
The crystals
are successfully grown using a high growth-rate chemical vapor
deposition (CVD) process. In order to allow the crystals to grow, the
following measures are taken:
Step One
The crystals
are placed in a chamber and are subjected to high pressure and high
temperature to harden them.
Step Two
Gases like
hydrogen and methane are then bombarded with charged particles, or
plasma, in a chamber.
Step Three
The plasma
generates a chemical reaction that brings about the occurrence of
"carbon rain", which falls on a seed in the chamber.
Step Four
After this
rain comes in contact with the seed of the carbon, atoms start
arranging themselves in the same structure as the seed.
By adopting
the above method, diamonds can be made to grow up to 10 millimeters
across and 4.5 millimeters in thickness.
Regardless of
how the diamonds are made, naturally or artificially, the choices to
be made when purchasing a diamond remain a matter of personal
preference. Some argue that that the artificial diamond contains none
of the mystique associated with the amazing processes that occur in
nature, while others argue that the man-made diamond is an identical
substance that can be bought for a fraction of the cost. If left to a
woman to choose her engagement ring, it could be the difference
between a 0.5-carat weight ring and a 2.0-carat weight ring.
Ultimately, the choice is yours – or hers as the case may be. |
