August 2020 - Lab Grown Magazine

August 2020 | LG | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 10 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | August 2020 11 A MATTER OF From “instant diamonds” to record- breaking carat weights, with lab-grown diamonds, bigger is better. A lthough lab-grown diamonds remain top-of-mind for many people in the jewelry industry as well as in other sectors, we haven’t seen any headline news of late. It’s as if the LGD industry placed hot news on the back burner, or simply didn’t have any news considered large enough to warrant headline status. Yet, this article takes a look at some very interesting news that is worthmentioning.It’s a story about size : size from an exceptionally large carat weight category; size in terms of the significance of a news story; and size in the sense of the media presence and scope surrounding a story. Size doesn’t just simply matter; it is essential and must be as large and consistent as possible when delivering a message when it comes to LGDs. As the saying goes, “knowledge is power.” Several major and very recent industry milestones are presented in this article to embolden you with news you can use. By Dan Scott Add the Letter “S” to the Word “New” New always makes the news . Be it an innovative diamond-growing process or a previously unheard-of high-carat weight introduction, the magnitude of the message must be aligned with the delivery of such. Whenmajor news isn’t properly announced, it remains silent or is forgotten; it can stifle the expansion of a high-growth industry by simply staying small. Luckily, the reverse is true when newsworthy news is communicated on a large scale. Consider what you are about to read here as a positive reminder that some LGD professionals are working under the radar while achieving over-the-moon results. If those results remain in the dark, only small clusters of industry professionals may benefit. Shining a spotlight onnews thatmatters often reveals newfound business opportunities to help you grow to sizeable success. A sliver of a diamond is required for the seed to build upon itself in order to grow a lab-grown diamond. (Photo: Element Six Technologies) HPTH and CVD – Which Came First? Everyone is probably familiar with the High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) process dating back decades. It remains a focus for industrial applications account- ing for 99% of the worldwide LGD market, according to Element Six Tech- nologies, a De Beers company. Primarily used in China, the HPHT process grows diamonds using diamond presses, i.e. machines that mimic the extreme pressure and heat conditions that form diamonds within Earth’s mantle. The needed pressure is intenseat 725,000 to870,000PSI and temperatures of 2,300°F to 2,900°F. The diamond-source powder dissolves into a molten metal flux and deposits on diamond seed crystals, thus forming the rough. The other widely used LGD application, namely for jewelry, is Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). This process allows diamonds to grow in an entirely different way than HPHT. CVD starts with a natural diamond slice (or seed) placed in a pressure chamber and heated to 1,200°F to 3,000°F, but at a much lower pressure—100 to 550 PSI—than the HPHT method. Recent advancements have made the CVD growth process more advantageous. When methane and hydrogen gas are injected into a chamber under high heat, plasma gas is formed.The carbon atoms are then freed and rain down onto the seed, thus growing new diamond crystals. This process typically produces brown or gray diamonds that are then turned to nearly colorless stones through an annealing process. Comparing the heat required for HPHT over CVD is like comparing the temperature of the sun’s outer layer (HPHT) to a much more manageable 6,000°F (CVD). There is also the issue of growing time and size. Gem- quality LGDs over three carats (HPTH or CVD) may require three weeks to three months to make, keeping in mind the first time isn’t always the right time. The CVD Process Was Invented First In 1952, William Eversole, of Union Carbide, pre-dated the launch of HPHT by General Electric by two years, a strong testimony to the power of the pen. GE made LGD headlines in the 1950s and 1960s ► A little known fact about the CVD method is that it was largely developed by the solar industry to make polysilicon for solar panels.