Posts Tagged chemical vapor deposition
Diamonds: Jewelry and More
Posted by in Jewellry on March 6th, 2010
Diamonds are allotropes of carbon , whose hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry.
Diamond in Greek means “impossible to tame”.
Diamonds are found mainly in central and southern Africa ,although significant sources of the mineral have been discovered in Canada ,Russia ,Brazil ,and Australia.
There are Synthetic Diamonds and Natural Diamonds.
There is something so special about diamonds, and they are so valuable, that people have been trying to make them for a long time.
Synthetic diamonds were first produced in 1953, in Stockholm ,Sweden by ASEA ,Sweden’s major electrical manufacturing company. Pressure was maintained within a device at an estimated 83,000 atmospheres for an hour to produce these diamonds.
It now seems that it is possible to make diamonds in a laboratory so perfect down to the same atomic structure that DeBeers, the world’s largest diamond consortium, is running scared.
And you know what, these diamonds can be made and sold at a profit.
Apparently there are in Russia alone 5 laboratories producing synthetic diamonds that have the same atomic structure as natural diamonds but with ONE difference, they are too perfect.
They have the same characteristics as real diamonds, the same hardness, same conductivity, the same sparkle.
Different types of Synthetic Diamonds
2 different processes are being used to produce Synthetic Diamonds:
The oldest process uses pressure, lots of it, and carbon.
Since diamonds are carbon, eventually people were able to make diamonds in this manner, but these diamonds were easily distinguishable from natural diamonds.
Originally, the pressure process was developed by GE and, by major manufacturers, on a much larger scale.
There is also a cubic press system.
The newest process actually grows diamonds layer by layer as a chemical process and is called Chemical vapor deposition.
This process allows many new uses for diamonds which in the past had previously been either too expensive to implement or too difficult to make.
The most important characteristic of CVD diamond growth is the ability to control the properties of the diamond produced.
Diamonds are now being used to machine tools, especially for non-ferrous alloys.
CVD diamond also has applications in electronics. Conductive diamond has been demonstrated as a useful electrode under many circumstances.
Diamonds are also being used as radiation detection devices.
Diamonds also have uses as semiconductors because the diamonds can be contaminated with impurities.
Diamond is the ideal material. It can be used in computers to run them at speeds that would melt anything on the market today.
Diamonds can also replace rubies to make lasers of extreme power.
Diamonds can be used as memory storage devices which could be so small as to allow a cellphone to fit into a watch and an iPod to store 20,000 movies.
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Article Source: Diamonds: Jewelry and More
Tags: chemical vapor deposition, natural diamonds, dispersion of light, diamond consortium
Introducing Cubic Zirconia
Posted by in Jewellry on January 18th, 2010
Cubic zirconia is a cubical crystalline form of the zirconium dioxide or ZrO2. This is a kind of the synthesized material that is hard, colorless, and optically flawless. It can be made into variety of different colors by making use of different technologies that are available worldwide. Come people also call it cubic zirconium but that is completely different.
The best part of cubic zirconia is that it has very low cost, highly durable, and has close visual resemblance to very popular substance called diamond. Cubic zirconia is considered as the most economically important type of competitor to the diamonds since the year 1976. Sometimes it is also marked as Dominique. The main competition of cubic zirconia is a synthetic gemstone that is synthesized from synthetic moissanite.
Startling diamond type of appearance with inexpensive price range makes it highly popular type of gemstone. Cubic zirconia is used frequently in different types of jewelry like cubic zirconia rings, bracelets, earrings, and pendants.
The main properties of cubic zirconia is that it is flawless, crystalline, clear enough so that it can be rated to “D” on the scale of diamond clarity. It is available mainly in the soft yellow color. CZ jewelry sparkles more brightly as compared to the normal crystal and is much harder than the other gems. It weighs around 65% more as compared to the diamond. However it has been noticed that the cubic zirconia has high dispersion rate as compared to the diamond. Because of its high dispersion properties it gives a brilliant spark and reflects back many different colors through its crystalline structure.
Cubic zirconia is considered as best choice for wedding bands or rings because they are affordable and very beautiful. In recent years there have been many manufacturers who have tried to improve the properties of cubic zirconia. For this purpose they have started coating the finished CZ with the film of a diamond like carbon or DLC by using chemical vapor deposition. DLC is sometimes also known as the Amorphous Diamond. This result of this process is that the cubic zirconia that is returned harder, and lustrous.
There are many uses of cubic zirconia. Jewelry made from this substance in the form of necklace, bracelet, rings, etc is very popular everywhere. It has become choice of many famous celebrities. They are very affordable and it is almost impossible to differentiate the original diamond jewellery from them by the naked eye. Only a skilled jeweler can make out the difference. Their economic price range is the main reason behind their popularity all over.
Posted by diana, I’m writing a jewelry guide blog, there are many articles and pitures about Cubic zirconia , cubic zirconia rings, CZ jewelry
Article Source: Introducing Cubic Zirconia
Tags: diamond cubic zirconia, diamond clarity, cubic zirconia rings, chemical vapor deposition, synthetic gemstone
Things to Know about Hybrids Diamonds and Simulants
Posted by in Jewellry on July 9th, 2009
People are easily confused with the many terms emerging like hybrid diamonds, diamond simulants, man made diamonds, synthetic diamonds, and many others. If you’re a diamond jewelry lover, you need to know the differences of these terms so that you can make an informed purchase.
Materials that look similar to mined diamonds are called simulants. Typical examples are white corundum, yttrium aluminum garnet, rhinestones, strontium titanate, gadolinium gallium garnet and the new diamond hybrids. The characteristics of diamond simulants are the same as real diamonds and at times, it can also make use of artificial material. It is different from synthetic diamonds in terms of material properties. The hardness and dispersion properties are like real diamonds; oftentimes, only the professionals can tell the difference.
Leaded glass is another common simulant which is also called rhinestones. Other materials include synthetic retile and strontium titanate. So far, many common simulated diamonds are quite popular because of their brilliance and fire. However, with the creation of the new diamond hybrids, their popularity might still be surpassed. To ensure that diamond simulants have fine craftsmanship and great looks, it should appear like mined diamonds, cater for the non-destructive testing, match with the standard tests for density and durability, harder than other gems, have sharp and crisp edges, flawless, can be polished finely, pass the window panel examination, have specific gravity of at least 3.5, have similar weight, and match with the color and optics properties of mined diamonds. All these conditions should be fulfilled for a material to pass as a simulant.
The simulants are subjected to any of the two procedures known today – HPHT (high pressure high temperature) and the CVD (chemical vapor deposition). However, the new diamond hybrids did not make use of these procedures and instead, it was produced using the FCVA-Ion Jet Beam Diamond Seeding. Such method is more affordable but the diamond hybrids cost more than other simulants. It is sold for $800/carat. Most simulated diamonds cost under $100 to about $500 per carat.
Some people may still think that simulants are still pricey. Well, here’s another great option for you – hybrid diamonds. According to reviews, hybrids are more affordable than simulants since the production process is quite cheap. It is composed of minute diamond crystals and was aligned to create one diamond. Modern technology was able to aid in the creation of hybrid diamonds that were flawless and beautiful. It has the same color as the mined ones and high quality versions can also be found. The hybrids are durable and have an F-G grade. If you don’t like off-white diamonds, hybrids are a great choice.
Despite the emergence of these diamond alternatives, mined diamonds are still in great demand. Not all individuals would want to settle as second best especially if they have money to spend on their jewelries. The less fortunate ones will surely go for diamond alternatives because of their good quality and beauty at half the price. Diamonds can accentuate your regular wardrobe and with the availability of the new diamond hybrid or simulated ones.
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Article Source: Things to Know about Hybrids Diamonds and Simulants
Tags: gadolinium gallium garnet, chemical vapor deposition, diamond simulants, yttrium aluminum garnet, man made diamonds
