Diamond imitation is a subject that a large number of scientists have been working on. It arose after the emergence of the theory that it is possible to artificially recreate a natural diamond. Under natural conditions, the stone is rare, and it cannot be called perfect. Since the popularity of such stones is high, as well as the needs of people, consider fake diamonds, what are they called, and in what conditions are they created.
Creation of stones in the laboratory - fake or not
Diamonds created artificially from synthetic materials are incorrectly called copies. This is due to the fact that identical materials are used for their manufacture, but they are obtained in different ways. A real diamond and a fake differ in that in the first case, the mineral is born in nature, and in the second, it comes from human hands.
Artificial stones have all the properties of real diamonds:
- high strength;
- ability to conduct heat;
- identical resistance indicators;
- expressedglitter;
- characteristic structure;
- same refractive index.
The only difference between a fake diamond will be that it does not have any defects. Due to this feature, they are used both in jewelry production and in industry. According to statistics, no more than 20% of natural stones are suitable for use in jewelry. The remaining 80% have cracks, inclusions, turbidity. If you use high-quality materials when creating synthetic stones, then it is very difficult to distinguish a natural stone from a fake, even with modern equipment.
The difference between scientific and popular names
Many scientists have worked in the field of imitation diamonds. "Made in the USSR" - such markings can be seen on precious jewelry with "diamonds" from the times of the Soviet Union. In the field where they are actively involved in the "growing" of synthetic stones, they are called according to the production technology.
When created using high pressure and temperature, the abbreviation HPHT is used, and the marking CDV indicates that a chemical vapor deposition technique was used. Not always the imitation of a diamond acts as its full-fledged copy. In the common people, they are better known as cubic zirconia, moissanite, rhinestone, ferroelectric, rutile, fabulite. However, the most popular is zirconia, which has no similarities with a real diamond.
Out of ignorance, most people call all fake stones cubic zirconia. Naturally, suchdefinition is not correct. However, it is he who perfectly copes with the role of imitation of a diamond, since it glitters in the sun, shimmers with colors, due to its high refractive power. Due to this, cubic zirconia is often used in jewelry.
The history of artificial diamonds
After natural diamonds were discovered in nature, the hypothesis was established that they could not be grown in artificial conditions. Around 1797, after it was possible to establish that the stone was composed of carbon, scientists began to talk about the possibility of their laboratory "growing".
The first attempts to implement the idea come in 1926, but they were unsuccessful. The sample that scientists received did not look like a real stone. However, this experience is considered the starting point for further testing and research. In 1941, General Electrics noticed this.
Initially it was assumed that the technology would consist in heating carbon to 3000 degrees Celsius at a pressure of 5 GPa. It was not possible to develop it to the end, since the Second World War began. It took 10 years for scientists, researchers and employees of the company to be able to return to this work again.
Good quality stone (imitation diamond) was obtained only in 1953. It could already be used in mass production. The only drawback was the excessively small size, which did not allow them to be introduced into the jewelryproduction, so diamonds went into industry.
The relative solution of the problem came in 1970, however, the maximum size of a synthetic stone was within its weight of 1 carat. Things are different in modern laboratories. The Guinness Book of Records holds the world's largest man-made diamond. It weighs 34 carats.
What colors are fake stones
Natural imitation of a diamond is a complex and lengthy process. Therefore, today fakes are obtained in special laboratories. Many consumers are interested in how wide the color range of synthetic stones is. Unfortunately, the choice is so small that it is limited to blue and yellow.
Along with this, transparent "diamonds" have always been more popular, but it takes a lot of time and effort to create them. The process of obtaining colorless stones is complicated by the fact that scientists must constantly monitor the process and prevent boron or nitrogen from entering the composition.
Bromine is used to obtain artificial blue diamonds (it is added at a certain stage of production). The shade can vary from a thick saturated tone to a light, barely perceptible shine. Yellow stones are "grown" with the addition of nitrogen. Sometimes black diamonds are also made. Nickel is used in this case.
In what areas artificial diamonds are used
Approximately 80% of all fake stones are used in various industries. In particular, they are used for the manufacture of bearings, tipsfor drills. If the sample is small, then it is useful for processing into crumbs or dust. Subsequently, it will process the surface of knives, as well as tools for grinding.
The imitation diamond process plays a special role in the production of electronics. Subsequently, needles, some parts of microcircuits, and layers in chips are made from this material. Thanks to this, the thermal conductivity and the level of resistance can be maintained. CVD diamonds are used to make parts for mobile phones. They are actively used to create medical laser beams. These are just some of the areas where quality fake stones can be sold.
Obtaining technologies
Since it is known that diamonds can be "grown" in the laboratory, it is necessary to understand how this happens. Only two technologies are practiced in modern factories. The HPHT technique was the first to appear, and it remains the most popular today. The process occurs by heating carbon under pressure to critical high temperatures. The main advantage is the low cost of a fake diamond.
The next technology is CVD. For a simpler understanding of the process, it is necessary to imagine a chamber filled with carbon gas. Subsequently, it will be deposited on a silicon wafer by heating or using microwave rays. The result of all actions is to obtain a plate up to 3 mm thick. That is why such diamonds are often used in electronics and optics.
There are laboratories that specialize in growing synthetic diamonds, using "explosive" technology, which helps to obtain diamond chips. The specificity of the process is that during the explosion, increased pressure is created, and a lot of heat is also released. If the camera is not submerged in time, the stones will overheat and turn into graphite.
The technology is not perfect, because the same precious crumb is inside the graphite. To get it, you will have to go through the process of washing out (the reservoir is boiled for a day in nitric acid at 250 degrees Celsius). More modern laboratories are still working on a new technique - obtaining fake stones through ultrasonic cavitation. But it is currently in testing.
Modern fake diamond technology
In the middle of 1999, scientists found a way to get a diamond from the ashes of animals or humans. After 3 years, this technique was submitted to the general court. Due to the wide publicity, the business of creating diamonds from the remains became very profitable. As technology advances, today it is not necessary to use all the ashes to make a stone. Ash from a lock of hair will suffice.
The whole process of obtaining a stone takes approximately 12-14 weeks, and its weight will be from 0.25 to 2 carats.
How much does a fake diamond jewelry cost
The very word "imitation" makes people think thatjewelry made from such stones will be cheap. I must say that such an opinion is erroneous, and sometimes a fake is much more expensive than a natural diamond.
There are several reasons for this, for example, it is very difficult to distinguish them by appearance, you can get a “stone of pure water” and not worry that it will fade. The price is primarily affected by the weight of the diamond, but the method of creation and the quality of the cut are also taken into account. Most often, fianite (zirconium dioxide) is chosen for fakes. Its cost per 1 carat is within 1.5-6 dollars, but if you use moissanite, you will have to pay 75-100 dollars.
Comparative characteristics
In appearance, synthetic stones and natural diamonds visually, without the use of special tools, do not differ. Therefore, you can think about creating your own diamond “growing” business. The table below shows the most significant parameters of natural and fake stones.
| Features | Natural diamond | Synthetic diamond |
| Chemical formula | Carbon (C) | Carbon (C) |
| Refraction index | 2, 42 | 2, 42 |
| Dispersion | 0, 44 | 0, 44 |
| Hardness | 10 | 10 |
| Density | 3, 52 | 3, 52 |
Based on the available data, it becomes clear that both stones have the same characteristics. The only difference will be only the duration of the "growth" of the diamond in natural and artificial conditions. In the first case, it takes millions of years, and in the second it will take only a few hours. Diamond is a finite resource and will soon be gone, so imitation diamonds will always be in demand.
