The Perfect Synthetic Diamond

Errata:
2:25 Typo. Bottom text should say 1880
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[@surferdude4487]

Ooo! Shiny! My wife's engagement ring has a 6 karat flawless sapphire. A natural stone like that would cost at least $10 k, but since it is a synthetic (yes, she knows it's synthetic) the stone only cost about $60. Isn't technology wonderful!

[@dinok7630]

That is very cool.

[@christopheroliver148]

Yes. It puts the emphasis on what matters (at least to me as a recovering metalsmith), the artistry. I hope you had a nice setting made for the stone.

[@surferdude4487]

@@christopheroliver148 Yes. the setting is difficult to describe. My wife designed it. the material is white gold. The gem is set inside of two arms that wrap it from either side. When people see her ring, their reaction is to grab her hand to get a better look at the ring.

[@klowen7778]

You bet! And wasn't really aware that synthetic diamonds had advanced beyond industrial uses, that they were now competing in the consumer market, until those ads started appearing, touting the advantages of 'natural' diamonds... yep, we live in truly remarkable times!

[@surferdude4487]

@@klowen7778 Yes, there are gem quality manufactured diamonds available now. They are still beastly hard to produce, but without the diamond cartel controlling the prices, they are a lot less expensive than natural stones. Synthetic sapphires are a lot easier and less expensive to produce. Some of the newer smart phones have a sheet of synthetic sapphire instead of glass on the screen. You can choose for yourself but as for me, I won't be paying for natural stones ever again.

[@OffGridInvestor]

I remember hearing about these around 2006/07. We got PILES of yellow diamonds in Australia that were almost worthless until the "champagne diamond" marketing started.

[@jakobnev5973]

People will really spend money on any bullshit to satisfy their desire for costly signaling.

[@contagioushavoc5794]

I dont know if it was at all successful but a few years back there was also the chocolate diamond. Same deal

[@chir0pter]

You say "yellow", but if they were truly intensely colored then they were always valuable. Off-white, not so much.

[@wnxdafriz]

@@chir0pter will say, the weirdest thing i have ever made in my life is make some tiny gold big macs with yellow diamonds for the sesame seeds.... and when i say tiny, talking about the size that you may see on a keychain

[@siyustuff213]

piss diamonds

[@me0101001000]

For those curious: the process of allowing impurities and small crystals to be destroyed to allow larger crystals to grow is called Ostwald Ripening. It was originally used to describe bubbles in foam, but it applies to crystal growth as well. In CVD graphene, we do this as well, but use oxygen to destroy the smaller crystals, letting the larger sheets grow with less defects.

[@kid_missive]

I think you are conflating two different concepts, but ok.

[@me0101001000]

@@kid_missive what other concept? If there's another concept that works like that, I'd love to learn about it. As far as I know, the use of a reactant, heat, or any external force to remove an undesirable product to make way for the desired product is Ostwald Ripening.

[@LenQuerido]

@@kid_missive Why, do you know what graphene is? Carbon is very interesting in all its forms. I did use a lot of different types of graphite and diamond, both natural and man-made and of course there are for technicians a lot differences, because it's our task to study its properties in the lab and in use (industrial diamond used for a range of tools). Never used graphene by the way.

[@Muonium1]

I've never heard of that before but it reminds me in some ways of the Ising model of magnetic domain consolidation in a ferromagnetic material falling through its Curie point. Goddamn I love the comment sections in the intelligent part of youtube. There is so much interesting insight.

[@sunnyjim1355]

Yeah, I'm not curious about this at all. OK, maybe a little bit, but actually no not really.

[@alandoak5146]

My ex-wife loved the synthetic ruby engagement ring we bought at the gem show (gem and ring picked separately and set on site): huge, flawless, economical, no hillside was hydraulically blasted away, nobody died, it suited her aspirational and ostentatious tastes... a big middle finger to the jewelry biz, only outdone by a cracker jack ring or outright rejection of marriage.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

My wife has a beautiful moissanite ring and I trade gems, of course I could find her a similar diamond ring. I'm not crazy. *Moissanite shines much more if you ask me.

[@iqcops]

Well said! 🤣💪

[@MasterMayhem78]

“Ex-wife” 😆

[@ir3188]

@@LaurentiusTriarius Moissanite and many other gems are much prettier than dimond. I work in the stone trade as well and I tell everyone I know, only go to a dimond store if you have amazing counterfeit money.

[@KlodFather]

The words of a true Alpha Male... Salute. "only outdone by a cracker jack ring or outright rejection of marriage." My thoughts exactly. Its wedding chains not wedding rings.

[@robiaster]

Honestly, looking at some of the marketing regarding Diamonds, I find it funny that many of the same tactics have been used to sell NFT's recently. Celebrities were given them with a claimed "purchase", they were advertised in movies, etc. Specifically "bored apes". Also these were compared to fine art, always portrayed as something valuable and rare and all of their value came from perceived value with no intrinsic value to itself. The only difference is that Diamonds also have industrial applications and at least have physical properties that give them intrinsic value.

[@mattsadventureswithart5764]

As much as I like polished stones (especially opal and agates), diamonds are worth the same as NFTs in my mind - nothing. Well, I like them for sharpening my tools, but as a shiny stone in a ring? Nothing

[@alanstringer.]

NFTs, most crypto, and especially fine/modern art (ESPECIALLY especially modern art) are just money laundering schemes. Modern art in particular has been implicated in this way countless times and even has roots with the CIA pushing it on people in order to have something to compete with the Russians' seemingly superior art culture at the time. This whole diamonds thing is just another in a long, LONG line of the broader public not understanding what they're looking at and simply going along with what they're told. Why do the research if someone's already done it for you, right? I literally don't blame them, but it sucks that more people aren't at least curious... or more accurately 'suspicious.'

[@Wyi-the-rogue]

Also, Diamonds are pretty, Bored apes look like shit.

[@aristideau5072]

And what makes those NFT's even more worthless is when I looked into them and discovered that the image itself, ie the JPG, does not reside in the blockchain. The actual image is stored in what is known as 'off-chain' storage (in other words, on a server somewhere). Only the link to the location of the JPG is stored 'on-chain'. The address itself cannot be altered, but there is nothing to stop the image itself being overwritten. It's like saying that you own a book in a library whilst only having in your possession the index card for that book.

[@mikeguy1899]

@@aristideau5072 in some cases you dont even own the rights to the image which makes it even funnier,

[@blanchjoe1481]

Dear Asianometry, Once again thank you for another well researched piece. If you believe DeBeers, then there is a difference between "synthetic" diamonds, and "Real Natural Organic" diamonds, and of course that is why they cost more. Unlike Gold, Diamonds are quite common. I remember when some decades back the South American diamonds came onto the market, huge numbers of them in good quality, however by geologic tendancy, they were all predominantly "yellow" as a result DeBeers created a campaign to convince consumers that yellow diamonds were inferior and not as good as African or Russian Diamonds ( their mines of course ).

[@fjs1111]

yup yup premo work!

[@TimPerfetto]

OHhhHHHAHHAHAHHhhhhhophhhahhahahhahhphhhhhhppoooohhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@christopherleubner6633]

There is a difference, you can easily test for the presence or absance of trace metals using an xrf analyzer. Also most synthetics will have unusual color centers in them. The whole thing is a racket tbh.

[@miinyoo]

Diamonds are literally organized carbon. Take those resources and put them to something of actual use.

[@pauleohl]

@@miinyoo Actual use? We can buy a diamond coated wheel for cutting tiles at any hardware store and the price is less than the tiles for a bathroom. Too bad that Asianometry did not cover this topic.

[@ThomyThompson]

Did my PhD thesis last year about artificial diamond films and their application as bio-platforms due to their inherent biocompatibility with cells and biomacromolecules like proteins. Did extensive research on diamond production with both HPHT and CVD approach and now you drop this video. Diamond is truly a remarkable material and my favorite application so far is the use of large CVD grown diamond as windows for the ITER fusion reactor. It was Lavoisier who discovered that diamond was made out of carbon while burning a diamond in an air tight container with a magnifier glass and directing the gases into lime water. These results were published in 1772. Tennant repeated the experiments and made them more sophisticated and published in 1797. Some other remarks: - GE used a transition metal solvent: iron-rich iron(II) sulfide - The role of tantalum is crucial since the first diamond were grown on an intermediate tantalum carbide layer and nowhere else

[@francescoviscomi4258]

we use diamonds as heat sink for high power lasers

[@User9681e]

Would something like silicone carbide could be used as windows for the reactor too ?

[@ThomyThompson]

@@User9681e The transmission in the range of the pump laser (to ignite and stabilize the plasma) is not high enough for SiC. Diamond has a broader transmission window. A silicon carbide window would be getting to hot. This is also the case because diamond has sublime thermal conductivity properties, so the heat is removed more effectively.

[@ВікторЛукичов]

можна спробувати ростити CVD діамант на стінках циліндра вкритого шаром графену в центрі камери мікрохвильовий і ультразвуковий випромінювач подача газу (co2 і H ) отримаєм діамантову трубку

[@samsmith9764]

For those who don't know, Bridgman mentioned in this video won a Nobel prize in 1946 "for the invention of an apparatus to produce extremely high pressures, and for the discoveries he made therewith in the field of high pressure physics" Using this neat bit of kit allowed him to reach pressures comparable to the Earths deep internal pressure.

[@Muonium1]

Scientifically speaking, diamond is one of the most fascinating materials known to man. Able to slow light to just 40% it's speed in vacuum, a thermal conductivity five times greater than copper and silver, a huge bandgap of 5.6eV - large enough to potentially allow it to be made into deep ultraviolet emitting LEDs, the list goes on and on. Did you know that some diamonds not only fluoresce, but phosphoresce, or glow in the dark after exposure to UV light? Or that thermoluminescence was discovered by Robert Boyle who held a diamond "on the warmest part of my naked body" in the dark? The Gemological Institute of America youtube channel has a whole series of extremely in-depth scientific videos on the various properties of diamond, from Raman scattering analysis, to cathodoluminescence microscopy and infrared spectroscopy authentication. It's an incredible substance that we've only begun to truly understand in a comprehensive way.

[@rhr-p7w]

Thank you very much!

[@Muonium1]

@@rhr-p7w surely

[@dhxmg]

How is it's electrical conductivity? Specifically I'm curious if we could start to see "diamond plated connectors" for audio/PC equipment. (Vapor depositing the diamond onto the cable connectors perhaps.)

[@stephendoherty8291]

Or that its likely that Diamonds of a much larger size existing deep with the earths core (far deeper than any current mine). That its technically possible based on the gases and pressures that you could send a robot scooper deep enough into the Uranus and Neptune atmosphere and collect massive diamonds that fall as daily diamond rain. I recall a nice SCIFI book where synthetic (or orbitally mined diamonds) allowed them to create large sheets of it to protect New York from the ravages of time-earths weather and protecting timeless structures using one of the hardest translucent materials in the galaxy. All of which is just using wildly found gases and pressure-heat. De-Beers had a large industrial diamond factory in Shannon, Ireland to meet industrial demand for cutting tips that only diamond could manage. Based on current diamond prices, the cartell still exists. Mines love it, diamond owners love it yet Rubies are rarer than Diamonds but sell for less.

[@lUnderdogl]

@@dhxmg Well diamond can be burned. So it is not likely but definetly possible.

[@russellthorburn9297]

The story of diamonds is a story about how easily human beings are both manipulated and corrupted.

[@alexlo7708]

And it is used in political spin in every democracy event.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

That South Africa diamond has a story to it. The kid picked it up and played with it because it was shiny. An Afrikaner offered to buy it, but the boy's mother was about to just let him have it. He had to inform them just how insanely valuable it was.

[@georgeshapiro301]

I think there's a lesson about the true worth of the stone in that story.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

@@georgeshapiro301 also a lesson in why Africa is poor

[@AsbestosMuffins]

@Samson Soturian well, being a colonial plaything for europeans and their racist kids up to the 1990s probably didn't help either

[@scottfranco1962]

Right out of Stienbeck's "the pearl", which, spoiler alert, is not the Pearl.

[@mazimadu]

@@samsonsoturian6013 as an african, YES THIS IS SO TRUE!

[@vytautasvaicys8745]

Your ability to deliver on topics that i did not know I was interested in is unparalleled.

[@samiraperi467]

NileRed would disagree with "diamonds are forever". The things burn (in a pure oxygen atmosphere).

[@jimurrata6785]

Thoisol did this just yesterday.

[@TimPerfetto]

The carbon is forever how dare you

[@TimPerfetto]

@@jimurrata6785 How do you know? Were you there?

[@jimurrata6785]

@@TimPerfetto It was _released_ yesterday. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ6unYZ4icR8is0 I don't think it was _recorded_ yesterday. 🤷‍♂️

[@zaammiii]

I hate that we have a way to make diamonds just as good as the ones in the ground and yet people think "no the suffering makes it special"

[@permik]

Loved the @HydraulicPressChannel reference there! I admire the incredibly high quality work that you put to each and every one of your videos. Greetings from Finland!

[@canadiangemstones7636]

The Diamond Makers, by Robert Haven, is a terrific read. There is a lot more drama to the story, some literally explosive.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Were those the guys on Mythbusters debunking those "make your own diamond" videos?

[@bitrage.]

Big issue with dimonds is they have CRAZY large value loss in secondary market...

[@TheAechBomb]

I wonder why, maybe people know they're not worth anything :P

[@bitrage.]

@@TheAechBomb the ppl that deal with it on a daily basis "pawn shops" look at em as practicaly rocks... show them gold it's a different story.... I tried the argument with the ex.... well she is an ex, so that rock didn't do much...🤣

[@ShirleyTimple]

Nobody wants a used-less rock🤷‍♂️

[@bitrage.]

@ShirleyTimple well it's good for drill tips....🤣🤷‍♂️

[@heroninja1125]

@@bitrage. gold is a universal currency and investment tool that also have many usages in electronics, diamonds are in fact just a shiny extra-hard rock. Also not remotely malleable unlike gold that is extremely malleable.

[@Hobbes4ever]

De Beers was mentioned quite a lot when I learned about monopolies in my microeconomics class 😅

[@stinkeye460]

It is one of the best monopolies.

[@mikehawk6918]

@@stinkeye460 Child's play compared to the banking and oil cartels that run the world.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Caveat: Factories value diamonds according to hardness. Jewelers value diamonds according to shininess.

[@موسى_7]

Fascinating

[@tigerchills2079]

the former is a legit use case. the latter can be replaced by glass :)

[@joetwiddy2139]

Harder stones are easier to work with as well, you dont have to worry about scratching and workibg a bit more heavy handed

[@falsch4761]

@@tigerchills2079 or zircon, I swear I could not differentiate the two

[@BigCroca]

@@falsch4761 or moissanite or even easier rutile

[@EnkiduShamesh]

I worked briefly as an apprentice diamond cutter, and the guy training me (who has cut some of the largest internally flawless diamonds in the world) told me that the main problem with synthetic diamonds is that the grain is always twisted. Diamond crystals have an orientation, galled the grain, similar to wood in a way. Diamonds only cut when the direction of the grain is perpendicular to the direction the lapidary wheel is spinning - the further away it is from perpendicular, the slower it cuts, and the more heat builds up. As you noted, diamonds are carbon and will burn, and that includes scorching on the outside while being cut, requiring the carbon to be polished off. I was in the shop when a 7 carrot stone (full of knaats) got too hot while being cut and several facets had to be recut (I think the stone might have even needed to be re-girdles, though I can't be certain). When the grain is twisted it is called a knaat (similar to a knot in wood). This twisted grain is hell to cut and polish no matter how you orient it in relation to the cutting wheel. I always knew that this problem would be solved at some point, but I'm not aware of it being solved. As the master cutter training me said "synthetic diamonds are just giant knaats." Imagine being a wood carver and all you had to work with was a giant knot of twisted wood. Natural stones often have twisted grain and knaats, but the highest quality ones are clear of them. Synthetics, AFAIK, still won't be able to yield the highest quality cut to the stone, though I'm sure that is only a matter of time. Of course, most people won't notice that the facets of their stone are bumpy due to twisted grain, but it does affect the grading of the stone.

[@madmaximus2836]

I worked for De Beers in the 90s as engineer. By far the best company I have ever worked for. Worked on extremely high tech and fun projects. When I started there the HR lady said: Oh and everyone gets a standard bonus of 10% per year. Do you want it as a "13th pay-check" or receive a prorated amount every month? Performance bonuses was extra. We also had free medical onsite healthcare, 3-course lunches etc. Worked with great and highly skilled co-workers. Just a great overall company.

[@sportclay1]

My father Dr. Robert DeVries, Francis Bundy, Bob Wentdorf, Jim Fleischer were GE's High pressure lab, "diamond mine" developers at the GE R & D center in Niskayuna, NY. My father and this crew had nearly 60 patents related to the diamond synthesis processes as well as the synthesis of gem quality jade and Cubic Borozon Nitride, CBN(which is as hard as diamond). Gem quality stone produced at the R&D center were numerous in the 70's and GE CEO Jack Welch gave them as gifts to customers and dignitaries. Bob Wentdorf acquired some peanuts from President Jimmy Carters Georgia peanut farm and carbonized them and they made a tie clasp for Pres. Carter with three 1 carat diamonds. They made diamonds from many odd materials, Chocolate ... They were able to control color at that time and the stones in that piece were Red, White and Blue. My mother had several pieces of jewelry made with stones produced at the R&D center. The other members of the team also enjoyed this benefit. My wife has a ring with one of the early stones. I have a small pill container with about 2 dozen rough stones that have various flaws. The rough stones were taken to NYC to the diamond district to be cut and mounted. GE built a lab in Worthington,OH to produce large quantities of industrial diamonds. I have a large number the high pressure vessels used to create these stones. They get used for door stops and paper weights. Made from Tungsten carbide and other alloys. One of the most significant developments was the sintering process for bonding the crystals together in a matrix that would hold up to severe abrasion. Hence the cutting teeth on oil and water drills used through out the world and the common sharpening stones and dental burrs etc. Diamond is natures teflon, very difficult to get it to adhere to anything. In the Smithsonian in DC the natural history museum Gem and Mineral exhibit is a display of the first GE diamonds and pictures of my father and Francis Bundy. Dr. DeVries passed away last year at 99.

[@adam872]

Slight correction: Argyle is/was a Rio Tinto mine and ceased production in 2020. It's being rehabilitated and returned to local indigenous groups.

[@zurielsss]

Didn't the 2 companies , Rio and BHP merged or have a Joint venture?

[@adam872]

@@zurielsss there was merger planned in 2008 but BHP walked away from the deal

[@alexis1156]

Effectively the natural diamond market is, or at least was a monopoly, they started to jack up prices to absurd levels, and then what happened is.... People found alternatives, and that alternative was, you guessed it, artificial diamonds.

[@howlingwaters2741]

Hi @Alexis synthetic.😊💎💥👀❤️

[@alamagordoingordo3047]

You are a breath of fresh air for my mind. Thank you.

[@ThePhiphler]

Rubies did this whole transformation from rare geological resource into manufactured good as well, just much earlier.

[@kutkuknight]

As a goldsmith: there is ZERO practical difference between artificial and natural gems. Except that artificial ones are cheaper and not the result of slavery…

[@FlintIronstag23]

Here's a quick comparison I found for a 1 carat round brilliant diamond with D color, VVS1 clarity, and excellent cut: Natural Diamond from Whiteflash: $12,582 Lab Created Diamond from Brilliant Earth: $2,640 Moissanite diamond simulant mounted on a sterling silver ring from Amazon: $45.95

[@Jason_Quinn]

Slide at 2:28 shows "1870" for both stats.

[@silmarian]

I remember reading an interview with a gem -quality diamond startup who said she'd received death threats over her work from existing interests. I think this was in the late 90s? IIRC, they also blindfolded the journalist on the way to the lab, and as this was before smart phones they wouldn't have worried about gps so much.

[@nfriedly]

I just started reading the book Diamond Age a couple of days ago, what a coincidence! I'm really enjoying it so far.

[@Pillowcase]

Fantastic book

[@TheOtherBill]

Stephenson? You'll enjoy it. He's addicting.

[@TimPerfetto]

How dare you ruin the life he gave you and worked in hell to see

[@adam872]

It's a great book

[@parkerault2607]

If you haven't read them already, you'll love his other early books. Everything after the baroque cycle is kind of meh though. Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon (essential reading for any engineer!), and the Baroque Cycle (a trilogy prequel to Cryptonomicon) are my favorite books and I've read them all multiple times. Absolute bangers.

[@AnnatarTheMaia]

Diamonds are very important in industry, for example for cutting and grinding, or lasers.

[@johnnycarholder7282]

Chocolate diamonds are just Industrial diamonds that had a very good marketing and advertising campaign.

[@dheibeljr]

That campaign a few years back infuriated me. I knew there would be uneducated fools rushing to buy overpriced trash that is the low grade version of something that is already rather common, and get ripped off. THe only reason to ever buy a "chocolate" diamond is if the piece requires that color for artistic reasons.

[@SeanBZA]

Yes I bought industrial diamond as cutting and dressing tools, they are not expensive as that, and just get expensive when you want them to be gem quality.

[@trent6319]

@@dheibeljr How is this any different than clear diamonds? Are clear diamonds not overpriced rather common gemstones

[@chir0pter]

@@trent6319 "Common" lol. Common is quartz, or garnet. If you've ever done any rockhounding you'll understand the difference between "common" and diamond.

[@TheAechBomb]

@@dheibeljr I think they look cool honestly, I'd buy one if it was really cheap

[@Acein3055]

The whole diamond and gem industry is built on deceit. I'd like to see it fall.

[@michaelmoorrees3585]

In the 1990s, Nova made a documentary on synthetic diamonds, and DeBeers. This video, is great update, of the 20+ year progression. Several processes are used in semiconductor manufacture, so of course, who else, would make this video ! They were getting close, in that old Nova Documentary. Not that big of a surprise, that todays synthetic diamonds are of better quality, than the mined ones.

[@Muonium1]

I remember watching it as a kid as well. Anyone here interested can see it if you search for PBS NOVA "Diamond Deception". If you're into that sort of thing, I have NOVA documentaries on lasers and nuclear fusion from the 1970s on my channel.

[@jimalcott760]

@@Muonium1 17:43 17:43

[@Muonium1]

@@jimalcott760 ???

[@DuelPorpoise]

as a professional jeweler, I'd love to know where I could find a good wholesale diamond for ~$500 a carat! that said, I think the route of the man made diamond is closer to that of the manmade sapphire and emerald than the pearl. the gemstone industry has done a better job marketing many other kinds of natural gemstones over manmade gems, hell Chatham has been making emeralds for over 100 years, but their extremely good looking emeralds haven't done what culturing did to pearls yet. But perhaps your assumption will be closer to the mark? it would be nice to see diamonds go down in price like amethyst, I could sell a larger quantity for less individually, but more profit, much like when gold was cheaper.

[@TimPerfetto]

I'm a regular jeweler and I've never heard of a diamond

[@DuelPorpoise]

@@TimPerfetto regular unleaded jeweler?

[@christopheroliver148]

What I like is that if more and more minerals are available in high quality as synthetics, then it might put the emphasis back where it belongs on the artistry of the piece rather than how big the rock is.

[@KP-ty9yl]

@@christopheroliver148 Rings aren't about the artistry for everyone, though. I think if the average person had a $1000 budget for a ring they'd spend $950 on the setting and $50 on a synthetic. Me, I'd spend $950 on a natural stone and $50 on a silver setting. It's more about the natural beauty and rarity of the gemstone; synthetics don't do anything for me. No different than if someone collects rare coins, they want an original, genuine coin even if it doesn't look as pristine as a modern replica.

[@jimjam6598]

@@KP-ty9yl Yessss you hit the nail on the head. It's what some people don't seem to understand about the industry.

[@ReasonablySkeptic]

From the 10 women i've asked ALL OF THEM stated that _"they would NEVER accept a Synthetic Diamond"_ because they _"look different and they can tell"._ So it seems, at least from my limited pool the media brainwashing is crazy strong. But regardless, I'm glad the Synthetic Diamond are winning and that now they must compete with a BETTER PRODUCT instead of just a monopoly.

[@j.w.8663]

You see they should be rather called "Cultured Diamonds", like cultured pearls. It sounds fancy. That's why cultured pearls won over natural. 'Synthetic' is synonymous with 'fake'.

[@mattsadventureswithart5764]

I would rather see a beautiful piece of agate on a ring than something that looks like polished glass...

[@aristideau5072]

I worked for a software company in the 90's which provided reporting software for Argyle (one of the handful of mines in the world that produces pink diamonds) and one of the sellers told us how the diamond selling process worked Antwerp. The seller from Argyle would arrive with a bag full of diamonds and then take a handful and place them on the desk. He, along with the buyer, would grade each diamond from the sample, categorising them on clarity, colour, size etc. They would haggle back and forth moving diamonds from one pile to another. Once they agreed to the gradings and set a price they would then apply that to the whole bag. There were also representatives from DeBeers in the building who would intimidate the buyers.

[@Dingomush]

My Ex still enjoys her Ruby wedding ring and the silver coin work ring that I made her, rather than a diamond. I refused to pay some thugs inflated prices for a gem that isn’t even rare just because they want to store several tons of the material and line their own pockets…..

[@door-to-doortaxcollector3484]

I've actually been reading about the diamond industry for a few days and this was a nice surprise from one of my favourite channels.

[@lohphat]

The lesson is “Don’t be a brainless marketing tool”.

[@unknownhours]

I think Moissanite is a better gemstone: almost as hard, and with higher index of refraction and double refraction. Diamond semiconductors is a technology I am excited for. Diamond is the best semiconductor, but semiconductors need to be extremely pure. I think there a couple of companies working growing silicon and GaN on diamond substrates to take advantage of its incredible thermal conductivity.

[@TimPerfetto]

No you dont you just want to ruin his life

[@unknownhours]

@@TimPerfetto Excuse me?

[@lawrencefrost9063]

Never heard of Moissanite. But I know what I will be buying for my wife.

[@userre85]

@@lawrencefrost9063it's more brittle

[@tedmitchell226]

Having worked in the industrial diamond manufacturing market, yellow and black were predominately used, when it came to intricate shapes CVD was a nice option although they were mainly black but a log as they were called 1x1x2.5mm sold for a $1.00 a piece and the gem looking ones were about $30.00 a piece, these were different shape usually triangle. A CVD is just as hard as a real diamond. If I remember correctly the Blue diamond is the top of the list for expense and usually came from Russia

[@chemistryinstruments7156]

The synthetic diamonds have been good for mid infrared optics

[@Indrid__Cold]

The High-Temperature-High-Pressure history of gem diamond synthesis is even more colorful, and filled with intrigue. The Russian material scientists of the Soviet Union created a geometric anvil process that produces huge quantities of diamonds to this day.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

They sure as hell don't

[@LenQuerido]

Most of the synthetic diamonds come from small 'mama-papa' companies as they are called in China. In 2004 there were 20.000 of these companies in China. The diamond was assembled, mixed, and sieved to get a fixed quality. That was compared with MBS 730, 740,750 from GE. Another name and to be compared to...

[@hamsta11]

Once synthetics can scale production of VVS2 and higher 4+ carat diamonds then they'll be in a position that naturally mined diamonds cannot supply sufficient demand of irrespective of price. If they can dominate that end of the market thru sheer available inventory the lower end of the market will eventually follow.

[@onlypranav]

So when are we getting $50 - $60 a carat diamonds? Shouldn't it be here already since the cartel is broken? Perhaps a little more for cutting, but surely not 20x

[@SS-hz4jo]

Great video. Thank you. I love the idea that synthetic diamonds can eliminate some diamond mining exploitation.

[@howlingwaters2741]

I love my 3ct pear shaped white lab grown anniversary diamond! I love our house, too! 😆🚫💸

[@EdgedPixie]

This has filled me with a desire to create my own diamond for means to propose, when I'm ready to. I'm somewhat of an academic, so the growth of technology and technique with all its history, really speaks to me. And the concept of a diamond made personally, offers far more emotional value than a mere shop-bought rock that helped fund a century of monopoly and corporate cabal-ship.

[@38josue91]

3:00 awesome! Thank you for presenting the full stereographs. The extra dimension more than makes up for the lack of details in these old pictures!! ❤️❤️

[@OgbondSandvol]

Thanks for the high-quality work!

[@StrawB0ss]

Everyone forgets how much time it takes a skilled craftsman to cut and polish a stone well.

[@RalseiGaming]

i have a friend who is 78 very kind old man and all he has done for the past 30 years is prepare opals and his current price guide on selling is from the 70s and he’s severerally underselling opals i have tried a lot to help him fix it but i think he currentally might be developing dementia cause sometimes he barely remembers stuff as recent as last week but his collection is absolutely amazing is probably over 400 thousand carats of black australian opal

[@tjmmcd1]

DeBeers had one of the most successful maketing campaigns, where they alleged men should spend at 'least' a month's gross salary on a diamond engagement/wedding ring. Women, in turn, would display their new rings ostentatiously, as if her new spouse's worth was solely dependent upon the size of the diamond in her wedding band. Of course, 'most' men were forced to finance the purchase of a wedding band, instead of using the money toward things that were much more necessary. "Sorry honey. I can't afford a down payment for a house because I used the money to buy you a totally USELESS shiny crystal, sloely for you to impress your coworkers and friends".

[@BorderCollieWithAPassport]

Yes, it’s all a scam.

[@genma986]

No man should spend money on a diamond ring.

[@wile123456]

No woman or enby either

[@kalactose348]

Why?

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Get creative when adorning your lover. Get her a tigerskin coat, a royal garmet in Africa.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

@@kalactose348 kinda wasteful when it comes down to it

[@samsonsoturian6013]

@@wile123456 near all diamonds are purchased by men

[@pierred3l3cto47]

One of my favorite videos of yours ever. And you're just getting better better at these things.

[@stickymoney]

Thoroughly enjoying your detailed, indepth yet succint summaries of different industries.

[@thirstfast1025]

I work in a diamond assay lab (process raw samples of kimberlite to determine diamond content), and I can tell ya, we're not getting busier....

[@SaceedAbul]

Your knowledge of a wide range of (and at times seemingly random) topic is amazing.

[@موسى_7]

When diamonds become cheap, I wonder what will replace them in jewellery. In China, jade is likely. Also, Soup Emporium KZbin channel said that the cartels aren't the reason for high diamond prices, because diamonds suitable for jewellery are actually rare, unlike ugly diamonds.

[@Asianometry]

As the video explains, cartels aren’t the reason why diamonds are expensive today because there’s no more cartel.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

If you could make a diamond you can make any gem. Also, common ugly diamonds are used in many industial cutting tools.

[@موسى_7]

@@Asianometry then the intro contradicts this very point.

[@موسى_7]

@@samsonsoturian6013 Yes, but that doesn't make jewellery diamonds cheap. Also, diamond is pure carbon. Other gems may be more difficult.

[@sednabold859]

@@موسى_7 Sapphire/ruby are the same substance (depending on impurities), aluminum oxide crystals called corundum. They are made into strong windows for high end mobile devices or pressure chambers with the potential to be grown much larger. For other ‘gems’ the question is it worth it to grow them industrially when their qualities are less desirable/ raw prices are lower. Cubic zirconia is also another star child of synthetic gems for industrial use being easily grown. also replying to your name screwed up the formatting of my post. Emeralds are also easily grown

[@DigiLab360]

Absolutely Brilliant! Well done for an amazing assessment. While it hurts to admit, kudos to De Beers for adjusting to the changing market.

[@nixietubes]

No matter how frequently you upload I get excited every time, and I love the diversity of your topics!

[@subramaniantr2091]

"Where's the hydraulic press channel when you need them!" This deserves a medal.

[@feraudyh]

- I have a synthetic diamond to show you. - Hold my de Beers! Seriously though, I have a distant relative who hold quite a few patents on synthetic diamond making. The company is Diams Concept.

[@quantumbitz3473]

CVD diamond brings T.E. Bearden's concepts flooding to mind. A notion on cryogenic Casmir effect also is intriguing.

[@iluvmyjewels8619]

What the hell does this even mean…. 🙄

[@johnslugger]

*The synthetic diamond makers have finally made a version that can't be identified by the GIA ID machine. They even put flaws in the stones making them look imperfect.*

[@soundtrancecloud5101]

3:15 - The cult of diamond 💎 pricing.

[@davecool42]

Great eye opener. I wasn’t aware of all the recent changes in the industry. Synthetic all the way!

[@grizwoldphantasia5005]

Ditto -- hadn't known synthetics have come far enough to undo DeBeers.

[@LenQuerido]

You must listen to the story. I remember an American company making pure synthetic diamonds in all kinds of colours. The diamonds were suitable to be used as jewellery and were very pure. Incidentally, the process was quite costly, but cheaper than the market supply. The fact that the diamonds could be produced in all possible colours did not please De Beers at all, as did GE my supplier at the time. They destroyed the company by making good use of the law, and perhaps they later took it over for a few pennies just to be on the safe side.

[@strickca991]

And yet women will still say they want a blood diamond that costs an absolute outrageous amount because they connect large amounts of money to love.

[@vickyburton2434]

My jeweler just started offering lab created diamonds and they are 2/3 less in cost and gorgeous! I have never had anyone offer to pay me half of what I paid for my natural mined diamonds, so I am tired of paying for the same thing.

[@JohnDlugosz]

Thanks for including an errata in the video description.

[@jmd1743]

Big money in industrial uses. Imagine if we could have gold for the price of pig iron due to space mining, it would revolutionize infrastructure for instance you could have wiring that doesn't corrode for applications such as signaling for subways where it's a matter of life & death and there's a constant threat of moisture.

[@wile123456]

Space mining will be owned and monopolised by 1 or 2 billionaires, so it will never be cheap

[@ostsan8598]

Gold from space is going to cost much more than gold from the Earth, due to the cost of getting all the equipment out of the Earth's atmosphere and waiting to get the gold back to Earth. Then refining, which means either sending up refining equipment to space or sending the gold ore to Earth. Gold from space isn't going to be competitive unless mined gold increases dramatically in price, or the majority of gold used is outside of Earth.

[@jmd1743]

@@ostsan8598 The gold we're mining are in the grams per multi ton load of mined rock & dirt. We're mining gold so deep in the ground that workers are only allowed work for so many hours per work day for the sake of their health. It's only going to get worse from here. China is also facing production bottle necks for their meat. They have pig meat sky scrapers and yet they're required to buy up farms in America. We're hitting diminishing returns with the meat industry, so much so that Tyson is investing into cell cultured meat unlike how Kodak refused to invest into digital cameras. We will require a fundamental shit in how we do our industries but once we do we'll have industrial revolutions.

[@brynnrogers5081]

Glass fibers don't corrode, carry data far faster, and are as cheap as sand. Copper is still a better conductor of power than gold. Proper copper wires have insulation bonded over them, and they will not corrode.

[@jmd1743]

@@brynnrogers5081 That's a good point, we could upgrade our routes to use fiber optic signalling when we do decide to electrify routes so you wouldn't have trains idling to save a buck on fuel.

[@pyrokuda9743]

One of the best channels on my list. Great video!! Thank you

[@cliffjewels]

Very well researched and insightful ! Thank you for this 👍❤️

[@fenglin4695]

Diamonds are already produced on a large scale and in batches on assembly lines in China. You can buy even a few tons of diamonds.

[@geninji6117]

I created some small ruby recently but it’s not gem worthy. I used a hydrogen torch, tungsten crucible and aluminum oxide +chromium oxide. I hope to get gem quality as I try new ways.

[@accutronitisthe2nd95]

I've always known diamonds were WAY OVERPRICED and have NEVER bought any, BUT I do love GOLD!

[@sidl8698]

550 per carat... That rule of thumb goes out the door the second the stone gets above 1.5 carats, as the price exponentially increases as the stones carat weight increases.

[@pentachronic]

Just proves that diamonds are just rocks with little value apart for industrial uses.

[@lorenwilson8128]

Nanodiamonds can be made from xylene subjected to a plasma at the correct energy and frequency. The hope is to make better lubricants among other products. This process makes very small diamonds (hence the name nanodiamond) but they fluoresce like natural diamonds do.

[@lorrygoth]

I have heard someone make a compelling argument that some unique flaws only occur in naturally grown diamonds and therefore are extremely rare and not worth trying to mimic in lab grown but I don't buy or wear diamonds because I'm poor and have been forced to watch Blood Diamonds too many times to ever consider supporting the diamond market.

[@cdl0]

A famous quote from Prof. Sir Charles Frank, who did much research on diamonds, _inter alia,_ was, "Crystals are like people; it is the defects that make them interesting." While it is possible to synthesise blue or yellow fashion diamonds, the colour which has thus far evaded mankind's efforts to make is pink.

[@curlyhairdudeify]

Moissanites look almost identical to lab created diamonds at a fraction of the price of lab diamonds, and they shine better.

[@alexandrep4913]

Yeah, de beers is going to get shafted after all this. No one is going to accept synthetic diamonds at a premium just because of De Beers is selling them, especially when they are the ones that spent serious money on putting synthetic diamonds down.

[@indridcold8433]

I fail to understand why there are some that consider the synthetic diamonds as inferior to mined diamonds. They are chemically identical. If anything, the synthetic diamonds have far less inclusions. Perhaps there is a witchcraft reason as to why some desire the mined diamonds over the synthetic diamonds. Perhaps the abuse, degrading conditions, punishing work days, and exhausting work conditions the miners face during the mining of the diamonds is in the diamonds and witches can harness that suffering and death.

[@saadsyed7531]

I would disagree with the term ‘synthetic’ which would portray the meaning that it is somehow made with alternate materials.. Lab-created is the right word since it’s simply a human controlled process however what it produces is a REAL diamond, no different from an earth-mined diamond.

[@lizziebutdiff698]

Rule of thumb when buying precious metals and gems, Its not valuable if you cannot pawn/resell it at 90% of the cost.

[@Sl4yerkid]

Good, I always hated that everyone thought diamonds were expensive, and they are, but they aren't expensive because they are valuable, they are expensive because of the price manipulation.

[@ms-jl6dl]

They are expensive because people want them. Price is the numerical expression of the relationship between production costs,demand and supply and in this case the demand is the most overinflated (artificial) part. Diamond is pure fashion marketing product,nobody needs diamonds like nobody needs Ray-Bans but still is ready to knowingly pays 10 times the production costs. We're not talking about antibiotics here or about grains.

[@cariyaputta]

"Environment friendly pearls", while they hunt down every single whale in existence.

[@vanhetgoor]

It is remarkable that an illegal operation could stay in business for such a long time. It is almost like some money must have been used to keep eyes shut and lips sealed.

[@ricki-bobby]

The discoveries in the Canadian Shield also changed the industry to some degree

[@gus473]

Yes! Was looking for this point! 😎✌🏼

[@favesongslist]

Love your videos, keep up the excellent work, Happy Christmas from the UK.

[@PieterPatrick]

No more blood diamants. I get reminded of that every day I play FarCry 2.

[@megalonoobiacinc4863]

awesome game is awesome, with realism mod and high fps its a dream to chill in

[@PieterPatrick]

@@megalonoobiacinc4863 Redux & realism. With original colors and on the hardest level. I never take the bus and I only save at a savehouse.

[@megalonoobiacinc4863]

@@PieterPatrick damn, hardest as well but I'm an avid bus user. Also the game kinda throws the save function in your face which defeats the purpose of safe houses mostly :/ I played through multiple times with different weapon setups, favorite of course being sniper,mac/uzi. Silent mp5 also worked surprisingly well. Guess copying your way would be a great reason for one more playthrough

[@PieterPatrick]

@@megalonoobiacinc4863 I also play with a controller... 🙂 Playing with a mouse it to easy. A mouse turns it into a point and click game. lol Not saving for a long time makes the game-play intense. You really don't want to die at that moment, it gives me the feeling of real immersion. I learned to play like this on a Xbox, it did not had the option of quicksave.

[@tonyycheng]

Thanks, it is such a great video. With detailed steps I diamond history. I really appreciate your 5-STAR work!

[@sticustom]

I’m sure the Argyle Mine was owned by Rio Tinto not BHP because when I worked for Rio Tinto they use to offer us Argyle Diamonds at a cut price. Especially Pink Diamonds. I’m pretty sure Rio wouldn’t do that for BHP. PS The Argyle Mine is now closed.

[@roberthubbard5696]

The use of a microwave plasma of methane and hydrogen produces perfect "lab-grown" diamonds. The color of natural diamonds is from the tiny impurities in the stone. To color lab-grown diamonds they just add a small amount of a specific gas to the process, so the color is uniform and the diamond crystal form is not degraded. There was a lawsuit involving De Beers who wanted the name "synthetic" used but they lost and the correct term is now "lab-grown" which doesn't have the less-perfect sound of "synthetic". They are more perfect than natural.

[@maxheadrom3088]

one of my professors spent the last years of his life trying to make a film of diamond - diamonds are electric insulators but excellent heat conductors.

[@knghtbrd]

Anyone who'd actually pay extra for the De Beers brand is literally saying they're happy to pay extra to know they're giving money to people responsible for world dictator levels of human misery. That's just disgusting.

[@iancowan3527]

Lol... I love they used Fluorite crystals in the cover image used from the thumbnail...

[@verydenise]

The things that make diamonds special are hardness/durability and sparkle. Lab grown diamonds have that. Period.

[@adoatero5129]

- “So, in a way synthetic diamonds are breaking the diamond market, just not in the way people wanted perhaps.” I don’t understand the reasoning behind the ironic remark on the last sentence of the video. I understood from the video that prices of diamonds have come down significantly because of synthetic diamonds (also because of competition). If they indeed came down, why were people disappointed?