Yet Another Company to Produce Synthetic Diamonds

The competition is getting tough on jewelry market, where alongside jewelry manufacturers offering natural diamond gems there is a range of diamond growing labs that can boast 100% diamonds of non-natural origin, extremely high quality and less price. Now there is another company to add to that list: Washington Diamonds Corp.

In order to win the customers Washington Diamonds Corp. should offer something different and they will. First of all, there are going to be diamonds of larger size. As you know, large diamonds are very rare similar as their number is scarce in natural conditions. However, gems of 1-2 carats size are most sought after. Just to meet the needs of the customers Washington Diamonds Corp.

will grow diamonds of 1+ carat. The largest stone they have managed to create is 2.3 carat in size. With the use of CVD technology they will cultivate approximately 150 ct. a month, what is a few thousand carats a year. But don't be in a hurry to seek for these stones, since the company hasn't yet decided how it's going to sell it. Following Gemesis experience, a world-know diamond growing company, Washington Diamonds Corp. inclines to internet distribution.

All the stones will be certified by American Gem Society with the inscription of the latter. The clarity to expect is SI and the color rage is from G to I, what is colorless.

Whose Diamonds Are They?

When it was claimed that man made diamonds are absolute analogues to natural diamonds, people were and still are reluctant to trust that, however the recent events showed that synthetic diamonds worth to be paid more attention to.

Normally each synthetic diamond should be disclosed for the customer to be aware they are buying man made diamonds but not mined. Yet as it turned out lots of diamonds (namely, more than 600 gems) remained undisclosed but this was International Gemological Institute that revealed this fact and raised the alarm. The buyer of such treasure had not even the slightest idea about the origin of the stones purchased, yet the price paid ensured they were natural. Mistakenly.
According to IGI, they've got the cases of two synthetic gems here, more there that were not disclosed, but they've never dealt with such amount of diamonds. What is more, they even don't know whether this is the whole amount or they'll have to expect for a next portion.

IGI stated all diamonds are of the CVD's origin, mostly of small sizes from 0.30 carats to 0.70 carats, the size that is typical for lab grown diamonds. Polish is either “very good” or “excellent” making them extremely appealing. What is more, they are so good that can't be distinguished from mined stones by using usual gemological tools such as microscopes or loupes. One should either possess De Beer's DiamondView or fetch them into gemological institutions for a proof otherwise it's impossible to distinguish them from natural diamonds.
On the one hand, this news should encourage you to keep an eye open for such types of scams which can result in significant loss of money. However, when asked some diamond dealers confessed they would have bought them without doubt because they look like real diamonds. But on the other, when man made diamonds are so good and indistinguishable from expensive stones of natural origin, then why should you pay more?

Scio Diamond Technology Corporation is Going Full Steam

It wasn't actually very long ago when Apollo Diamonds have sold the assets to Scio Diamond Technology and the newly emerged company show their utter commitment to the business. The company is pleased to announce they have 10 new diamond growing reactors now arrived to the headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina fully ready for the mass production of diamonds. However it will take time to get the whole lab infrastructure ready. They also need to hire and train the lab staff prior to they start mass producing diamonds.

Scio's CEO Joseph D. Lancia claims the whole team is very excited anticipating for the critical time in the history of Scio when they run the production of the world's most solid stones. They still have to check a range of systems including exhaust, piping and conduit to make sure they fit the bill. As soon as everything is checked and tested we expect to come across a fresh press release signifying the the launch production.

Briefly about Scio Diamond: as well as Appollo Diamodns, Scio will grow diamonds applying chemical vapor deposition process (as opposed to HPHT method) allowing to get high-class single crystal stones. While Appollo specialized on white stones mainly, Scio will focus their attention on fancy colored diamonds which are very rare in nature. They will manufacture man made diamonds also known as lab-grown or cultured that should not be mixed up with diamond simulants. Scio team claim to offer only real diamonds of high-quality, high-purity of absolutely the same properties of natural diamonds. The quantity of jewelry diamond will be limited with the bulk part of the grown diamonds aimed for industrial purposes.

What is the Most Valuable Diamond Property Today?

Speaking of diamonds, it would be right to say that each diamond property is valuable. It's true to some extent. Actually diamonds possess many properties not typical for any other stones, they are fadelessness, durability, hardness, everlasting and incredible glitter (the latter is very essential for true fashionista). But the characteristic that drew the attention (and investments) of De Beers company is semiconductivity.

Not long ago synthetic diamonds were considered to be the bane for diamond dealers, who would rather reject them as not-diamonds than to give them a chance. However, lab grown diamonds started being graded by European Gemological Laboratory (EGL) since 2001 and by Gemological Institute of America (GIA) since 2007. As you see, man made diamonds are, by far, real diamonds that are sold and promoted on the jewelry marked for about 10 years already – quite a long term, just enough to win the trust of the customers. The more man made diamonds had been publicized by their manufacturers, the more they were blamed by De Beers. But nothing stays the same, everything can change sooner or later. So now the largest world monopolist of mined diamonds is heavily investing in laboratory grown diamonds!

De Beers is taking pains to convince IT pros and the rest of the world that lab-grown diamonds are the best alternative/substituent for silicon due to their thermal conductivity. It means that diamond-based processors are capable of running on higher speeds than similar silicone-based ones. This allows to make more powerful computers not fearing that they will overheat. This was Apollo Diamonds company specializing on producing crystal diamonds wafers, which is now belongs to Scio Diamonds. The technology used to cultivate diamond crystals is known as chemical vapor deposition, where the diamonds are grown atom by atom and gain all the properties of those stones dug from under the ground. So, not to be off the game, De Beers is trying to be involved in the case for promoting synthetic diamonds, serious competitors to natural diamonds in former and now days.

Scio Diamond Technology: a New Manufacturer of Man Made Diamonds

Just recently Apollo Diamonds, a leader in producing high-quality laboratory grown diamonds, have sold the assets to Scio Diamond Technology, yet a new name in the field of diamond market. However, if everything goes smoothly according to company's strategy, next summer will be a season of colorless and pink gems.

Before Apollo Diamonds was known for they flawless colorless diamonds and single crystal diamond wafers, which are widely used in optoelectronics and nanotechnology used for industrial needs. Nevertheless, Apollo diamond gems are also perfect to be set in a wedding ring as they are colorless, traditionally a number one choice for a wedding ring. A new owner claims that they are going to keep producing gems for a jewelry market as before, but probably in lesser amount. According to Joseph Lancia, CEO of the company, these are not gemstones that are in the center of their attention as they are not game-changer as opposite to technology side.

A new company is going to be out of marketing perspective. As you know Apollo Diamonds was offering their gems over the internet, so that you could buy it regardless of the place location you are. Currently Scio stake on the technology rather then marketing, meaning that they will work only with major distributors without dispersing their attention to minor clients.

Another novelty the company is going to introduce is a laser inscription on the stones, like that in Gemesis. Now you will find it easier to identify the story and see if it matches the GIA report.

Robert Linares, the founder of Apollo Diamonds, will still be working for the company. It is know he was paid $1 million cash for growing machines and other property and is expecting to get another million till next September.

So a former leader in manufacturing colorless diamonds is leaving the arena giving way for other giants. One the one hand, it may case some problems for lovers of eco-friendly white diamonds, but on the other it may give a nice push to other diamond growing companies to create still popular colorless gems.