January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
Welcome to the GemologyOnline.com Forum
A non-profit Forum for the exchange of gemological ideas
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:55 am

All times are UTC - 4 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Apollo Diamonds
PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 4:30 am 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:11 pm
Posts: 48
Ha, turns out I copied over my rough draft. Sorry about that, folks. I didn't really care to share my opinions so openly. But a person gets tired and tends to not notice a crucial little detail like not copying the cheesy journalist mindset draft and instead its the babble version. So I call a redo.


Apollo Diamond's website:
http://www.apollodiamond.com/

Any one with interest doesn't have to scratch the surface of the diamond industry long to realize they could focus a dissertation on the subject. While diamonds maybe for forever, I wouldn't want to DeBeers to last ten millionths of a percent of diamonds so far 3 billion year lifespan. Take into consideration cultured diamonds of polycrystalline processes, and the businesses durability seems to wear, add in the Apollo cultured diamond of CVD technology and DeBeers just might start to chip, include the background of conflict diamonds and the company starts to look more murky and heavily included.
The need for (A/RES/55/56) of UN General Assembly. In Angola and Sierra Leone, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) are both forces in alliance with prolonging brutal wars, using diamonds to fund their efforts. UNITA refused compliance with the UN Security Counsel's Lusaka Protocol of 1994; the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) helped facilitate the negotiations of the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front which resulted in the Lome Peace Agreement.
However, because origin of a diamond cannot be identified on the market, being difficult to determine even before polishing, it sets a heavy responsiblity for a diamonds certificate of origin. And a consumer's trust towards this certificate expands much further than what their jeweler can assure them. Due to the longevity of DeBeers advertisement, for many the diamond has come to involve powerful symbolism as Carson Glover, a spokesman for the public relations arm of the De Beers' Diamond Trading Co., reflected "[...]Diamonds are a gift of love, used to symbolize relationships, celebrate milestones -- anniversaries, the birth of a child, etc. [...] Nine out of ten women want the real thing."
With DeBeers controlling 55% of diamond production, it'd be difficult to believe they're free from controversy. The politics and lucrativity of the business seems to almost ask a person to avert their eyes and wallets from a diamond. Leave the evasive wording of Glover aside, a more sound assertion of our last guest speaker, Tom Chatham, expressed, "In recent polls by major companies outside our industry, it was found that 70 to 80% of public would buy a man made diamond...if it was identical [...]".
While I've never failed to recognize a handful of lab created stones with the naked eye and an alert mind charged with caffeine, there are many more synthetics I take interest in that take a few sophisticated tools. While simulant is one of the most open terms in gems, synthetics have a steep criteria, and I ridicule them more than someone saying a nailpolish simulates a certain gemstone. Synthetic stones -- lab created -- has to have the same physical, optical and chemical properties of gemstone it is emulating, making it appear to be an example of its earth-grown counterpart.
One way to create a diamond, which was believed to be the only way possible, is by forcing carbon under extreme pressure and extreme heat. This process crystallizes the carbon, forming a synthetic diamond. Today, the company Gemesis is able to use their machinery to produce diamonds with this process, which is based on the same HPHT methods that were introduced in the 1950s.
Apollo is able to grow a diamond in a much more revolutionary way. If the consumer wants identical, Apollo will prove itself worthy to the diamond customer. While other CVD methods produce minuscule diamond crystals, or polycrystalline, they are a weaker semiconducting diamond, and are sold on the market today, the Apollo CVD process creates a single-crystal stone, just as nature, which opens it to many more doors in the semiconductive realm. The captivating quality of the Apollo cultured diamonds will appeal to the jewelry consumer, period, but the single-crystal distinction makes this something unlike any other synthetic on the market, which infuses the Apollo with a mysticism only comparable to that of a natural.
And that's where the controversy ignites. The diamond industry is trumped. They can say what they may, but this diamond comes much more well-rounded as it's much more friendly, open, and useful to other industries. You can see why, when DeBeers has it's own synthetic diamond on the market, noting Element 6, and Tom Chatham's citing the percentage of people who are open to cultured diamonds.
Apollo diamonds has a bright future with their "perfect and consistent diamond crystal structures." Indeed, they look to be destined to reach far from the boundaries of jewelry into new technologies, and more as they continue to progress. But when I think in terms of the jewelry industry, the symbolism of the diamond ... "the real thing" -- as in love -- seems to fit better into "The genie is out of the bottle, and it can never be put back in." remark of Linares. That pink smokescreen, the appeal of such a mystical, magical and rare occurrence is one description I'd go for if I wanted to describe the real thing, or how to portray the beauty of new life. Apollo entering the jewelry market feels like quite the compliment, and as a consumer I'd adorn myself with their cultured diamonds any day.

Your basic google:


ZPEnergy.com - Man-made diamonds sparkle with potential:
http://www.zpenergy.com/modules.php?nam ... e&sid=1550
(The above article is from USAtoday and can also be found on the Apollo site)

C&EN: COVER STORY - THE MANY FACETS OF MAN-MADE DIAMONDS:
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/8205 ... monds.html

I liked this part:

"Many people said that growth of diamond at low pressure violated the second law of thermodynamics.

You were thought to be a fool or a fraud if you proposed this,"

John C. Angus, professor of chemical engineering at

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland.

The Epoch Times | Synthetics Drive Revolution in Diamond Technology:
http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-7-15/30353.html

Cultured Diamonds: "Twins David", Cultured Diamonds Meets Go-Lieth De Beers! Synthetic Diamonds:
http://cultured-synthetic-diamonds-cvd- ... chips.com/

Breakthrough in Diamond Industry , Jeff Neal: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance:
http://biz.yahoo.com/opt/051011/b1ef30f ... tml?.v%3D1

American Geological Institute - Geotimes - July 2004 - Trends Column:
http://www.geotimes.org/july04/trends.html

[/url]


Last edited by Cinnabar on Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:00 pm 
Offline
Platinum Member

Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:42 pm
Posts: 2591
Thanks for the links and the insight.

Diamonds are like anything else with material value, illusions and symbols of status.
My personal view on them is no secret. So if anyone can make a synthetic for a portion of the price, I applaud them.

Let's not get into ethics during the chat.

_________________
Proud to be a DSN and JTV shopper, just love the guys!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Synthetic diamonds
PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 4:12 pm 
Offline
Valued Contributor
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 12:19 pm
Posts: 191
Hi Cinnabar -

First, allow me to get a pet peeve off my chest: It's "bear" with me [as in "put up with me for a moment"], not "bare" [as in "let's get naked"].

OK, now that's over with, I'd like to agree with you on feeling skeptical about DeBeers "Diamonds Are Forever" campaign, however brilliant and successful it's and its offshoots have been the past century.

The conflict diamonds issue is also intensely distressing.

But, diamonds are hard to beat for durability and sparkle. So it would indeed be nice if synthetics could be produced in plenitude. While this might kill some aspects of the trade, it could only encourage other aspects and create new opportunities. Remember the Wired article, with the cover model coated in "diamonds"? Wouldn't that be fun?

But then, I speak as an outsider who doesn't even subscribe to Rapaport.

Staying tuned,
Chris


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Synthetic diamonds
PostPosted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 3:32 am 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:11 pm
Posts: 48
Chris, I'm not sure what you mean by your last comment. I read "But the surface chemistry of how carbon atoms actually attach to the diamond lattice still remains murky, Linares notes." Are you refering to that or are you confusing Gemesis with Apollo? The polycrystalline and single-crystal formations? *shrug* I've worn some crappy mili diamonds in my life, I've worn a 10 ct diamond in my life. Gray pos to just about flawless. And I certainly never wore a stone based on durability... If I really need sparkle I head towards swarski, if I feel like glowing I go for peridot, and so on for scintillation and fire. I've never had nice ice particularly call to me. I count on my setting for durability more than the stone. But then, I'll still wear apatite rings, and I still buy tension settings. Just retip the prongs and make a decision not to climb the tree after the kid, and all is usually fine. I just like something with interest.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 3:48 pm 
Offline
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type

Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2005 4:07 am
Posts: 10
*drools at the concept of a 10 carat Apollo diamond*


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 4 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Gemology Style ported to phpBB3 by Christian Bullock