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The Science of Natural and Synthetic Diamonds The Millennium Star is currently the most valuable diamond on Earth... priceless (never been sold) It is insured for $100 million Slide 2 Pure Carbon Minerals on Earth Diamonds & Graphite Slide 3 Mineral -- Definition starts as follows Naturally occurring, inorganic solids Man-made made minerals not from a living organism, require the adjective thus amber which is a natural synthetic in front carbon-rich pine sap is the mineral name organic and is not a mineral. Research commissioned by the Diamond Trading Company shows that 94% of women prefer real diamonds to synthetic diamonds. Slide 4 Diamonds may not be forever !! Slide 5 Diamonds from Meteorite Impact The black diamonds known as carbonados ; ( get their name for their carbonized, or burnt, look) Some of the largest are at Canyon Diablo in Arizona Slide 6 How to Generate High Pressures Without Superman or a Meteorite Need a mad scientists and a Piston-Cylinder Machine Slide 7 Nature Generates High Pressure by Burial deep in the Mantle of the Earth Lava erupts from the Pipe at a speed of Mach 5 and a temperature of 32 o Fahrenheit Slide 8 Blue Ground - Kimberlite Slide 9 Natural Diamond Mine in a Kimberlite Pipe Finding diamonds here is like finding a needle in a haystack Slide 10 Diamond Mining & Exploration The Pipe itself or Let water concentrate them.. Alluvial Diamonds Diamond has a high hardness (cant be scratched) & high density making it heavy Slide 11 Alluvial Settle out of water in gravel beds Slide 12 Brazils alluvial diamonds are hundreds of miles from the pipes most of the pipes are undiscovered X-ray the gravel diamonds will fluoresce in blue Slide 13 Diamonds in Kimberlite Matrix Alluvial Diamonds Real Crystals Isometric cubic Often Cleavage Fragments Slide 14 How can a Cubic Crystal become an Octahedral Cleavage fragment ? Start with red cube, break off each corner in yellow. End ups with octahedral cleavage fragment Slide 15 Lieber & Solow is one of oldest clients of the DTC Diamond Trading Company in London. We are one of only a handful of industrial Sightholders worldwide. As such, we are able to consistently keep in inventory a full range of products. A full- time staff manufactures parcels of wire dies, dressing tools, coning tools, shaping tools, form tools and drill bits Slide 16 Natural Diamond Crystal Are Isometric the most common pure shapes are.. Cube: Six sides squares Octahedron: Eight sides triangles Dodecahedron: Twelve sides diamonds http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/diamdiag.htm Tetrahedron: Four sides triangles 1916 Goldschmidts 500+ drawings of Diamond Crystal Shapes. Slide 17 1916 Goldschmidts 500+ drawings of Diamond Crystal Shapes. Slide 18 Congo cube & Interpentration Twin Slide 19 Multiple Crystal Shapes on a single Natural Crystal Cube 6 Dodecahedron 12 Octahedron 8 Slide 20 Dodecahedron + Cube + Octahedron Slide 21 Fine lines are etched into the dodecahedral faces,. Fine square/pits on the cube faces,. Triangles etched on octahedral faces. Slide 22 Use markings to identify the shapes (forms) Slide 23 Approx 20% of all mined diamonds are cut into gems, and the majority of the rest are used in Industry Natural uncut Diamond crystals are more of a rarity to be owned, for several reasons they are highly valued as a cut stone, therefore it is difficult to obtain high quality natural uncut crystals outside of the gem trade, and they are often very small in size. Micromount $450 0.7 cm inch http://www.crystalclassics.co.uk/news-story.php?id=24 Slide 24 The Oppenheimer Diamond At 254 carat (50 gm) this yellow natural octahedral crystal is the largest uncut diamond crystals in the world Discovered in 1964 the stone was presented to the Smithsonian Institution in memory of the late Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, who started De Beers. 1 inch Slide 25 In Paris, Don Pedro Davilla (ca.1775), had a mere 16 diamond crystals in his enormous collection of over 8,000 total diamond specimens Paul Seel (1982) assembled the worlds largest collection of several hundred diamond crystals, each of which "illustrated some morphological fact" Aurora Collection ( contains no diamond crystals) Slide 26 Cut diamonds increase in value over 5x A 603 Carat Diamond comes from Lesotho - South Africa; named the "Lesotho Promise sold for $12 million Lesotho Promise Diamond necklace cut from one stone into 26 jewels $60 million Slide 27 Diamonds are the most valuable commodity on earth based on dollar value per weight. The Hancock Red weighs only 0.95-carat, is purplish-red and sold for nearly $1 million. One carat is equal to 0.007 oz. This is $14 million / oz. A diamonds value can be more than 200,000 x greater than an equal weight of gold Slide 28 A proper cut causes colors to appear Diamond has high dispersion bends red light much more than it bends blue light Slide 29 The Cullinan Diamond is the Star of Africa The worlds largest gem-quality uncut diamond was found in 1905 and had a weight of 3025.75 carats (approx 1.5 pounds). The fragment was cut into 105 gemstones, the largest is 530.20 carats known as the Star of Africa, which is in the British Royal Scepter located in the Tower of London. The crystal morphology suggests that this diamond is in fact only a cleaved section of a larger octahedral crystal, which has never been found. The nine largest of the 105 pieces cut into gemstones Slide 30 Law of Constancy of Interfacial Angles Contact angle for quartz pyramid is 46 o Contact angle for diamond octahedron is .. 70 o Slide 31 The Golden Jubilee at 546 carats The Unnamed Brown became the Golden Jubilee when King Rama IX of Thailand (also known as King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great) was given the stone to the 50th anniversary of his coronation in 1997. Not many people in Thailand know that the Golden Jubilee is a diamond, as the government decided to tell its people that the Golden Jubilee is a large golden topaz Slide 32 The previous record price paid for any polished diamond was $16.5 million for a 100.10 carat stone, the Star of the Seasons, that was auctioned by Sotheby's in 1995, thus selling for about $165,000 per carat. Priceless. Insured for over $100 million Slide 33 The Millennium Star was part of the Splendor of Diamonds Exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC over the summer of 2003 Slide 34 Use of the octahedral cleavage as a diamond cutter If your laser cut is not along the cleavage direction, when you hit the diamond for the first cut it will shatter. Slide 35 Finding the Octahedral Cleavage Slide 36 Piqu is a tiny black spot caused by undigested carbon inclusions (natts) within diamonds. Black material found within a diamond's internal cleavage planes is often graphite Slide 37 Carbon piqu inclusions are sometimes removed by diamond enhancements such as laser drilling, which can leave their own types of unique inclusions.laser drilling Slide 38 All of the microscopic diamond inclusion photography in this talk was generously contributed by the AGSL gemological testing laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is reproduced with their permission.AGSL Slide 39 Feather Inclusions Partial octahedral cleavage forming around a stress point See triangles See garnet causing stress Cleavage Plane = rainbow Slide 40 Tube Inclusions Liquid filled inclusions where faces meet = lines Slide 41 Crystal Inclusions Mantle minerals captured by the diamond as it grew Chrome Diopside Pyrope Garnet Grossularite Garnet Slide 42 Twinning Wisps Inclusions bubble on surface between two twins Twinning Wisps will often create stress and cause a feature inclusion to form Slide 43 http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/diamond_inclusion_library.html Inscriptions are embedded graphite in a laser cut Clarity One of the 4Cs in a cut stone How to evaluate the inclusions. Slide 44 Color in Diamonds result from inclusions of other elements & defects within the diamond lattice Yellow is the most common colour, and minute inclusions of nitrogen will give yellow hues Rare colors such as blue and pink are highly prized in cut gems Boron will create a blue color Missing carbon atoms in the atomic lattice, called defects, will cause a diamond to turn pink or red. Artificial lattice defectsdue to irradiation causes green and/or black diamonds. Slide 45 Natural red & pink are most valuable Pink Diamonds from the Argyle-Mine Australia Chocolate Diamonds Slide 46 Synthetic Diamonds. High Pressure & High Temperature (HPHT) (maximum size about 6 carats) enormous energy costs Chemical Vapor Deposits (CVD) Growth rate of a millimeter / day on the surface of an (100) wafter Slide 47 Slide 48 Chemistry of Chemical Vapor Deposits CVD Diamonds Chemical injected High temperature breaks Bonds and strips electrons C deposited on substrate as both graphite and diamond; but H+ etches the graphite off to form CH gas leaving just the diamond on the substrate Slide 49 Fluoresence of CVD diamonds is orange to red not the blue of natural diamonds Typical anomalous double refraction due to strain caused by plastic deformation --Tatami Defect is found only in natural diamonds. CVD diamonds are strain free Slide 50 The Future Turning unusual carbon forms directly to diamond Slide 51 So, will a 10,000 Amp current heat a 0.001" graphite fiber to at least 3000 K at needed pressures? Graphite has a resistivity of 1375.0 microohm- cm at 20 C. If we have a one cm length of fiber, it will have a resistance of (0.001375 W- cm)(1 cm)/p(0.00127cm) 2 = 271 W. The rate of power dissipation will be (10,000 Amps) 2 (271 W) = 27.1 X 10 9 Joules/second. At 3000 K graphite has a heat capacity of 2.5 Joules/gramK. Our hypothetical fiber contains 1.3 X 10 -5 grams of graphite. To raise its temperature from 295 K to 3000 K will require (2.5 J/gK)(1.3 X 10 -5 g)(2705 K) = 0.09 Joules of energy. At a power level of 27 GW, this will take only 3.3 X 10 -12 seconds. No problem. I am convinced that this method of diamond synthesis of carbon fibers will work. Is Z-pinch the future? A recent posting on the diamond blog Slide 52 Im afraid the numbers dont lie Norton, Were definitely nerds that may be true Henry. but we are very rich !! Modern Diamond Scientists Slide 53 Exploring in North America for new diamond deposits Slide 54 Where can you get Diamonds in N. America? In your dreams.. Not worth it. Slide 55 Crater of Diamonds State Park Murfreesboro, Arkansas Thirty-seven acres of diamond producing plowed field within a single crater, is the only site in the world where diamonds are regularly found and is open to the public Slide 56 Archean-age Rocks on the surface... vs under sediments USA -- Unexplored diamond pipes are in the Wyoming Province Slide 57 Over 400 Unexplored potential Diamond Localities in Colorado, Wyoming, & Montana Rocks in region must be early Precambrian in age > 1,500 million years old Explosion pipe must be present seen as depression lake without drainage Slide 58 Over 400 Unexplored potential Diamond Localities in Colorado, Wyoming & Montana . Rocks must be brecciate into pulverized fragments blue ground helps A drop of acid on the soils will cause it to fizz. Lots of carbonate causes a vegetation anomaly.. Iron Mnt. Colo. Slide 59 Over 400 Unexplored potential Diamond Localities in Colorado, Wyoming & Montana . You will find fragments (xenoliths)of mantle material peridotite and eclogite (olivine & garnet) You will find gem quality fragments of associated minerals. red pyrope garnet = Cape Ruby green chrome diopside = Cape Emerald green olivine = Peridot Slide 60 Diamonds are called 'ice by many prospectors because its excellent thermal conductivity attracts heat. When touched to your lips, it will conduct heat away from your lips and give a sensation of feeling cool. 200x greater than copper Take a quartz crystal with you. A diamond will easily scratch the face of the quartz (dont use glass because all associated minerals will scratch the glass). One of the easiest methods is to use a relatively inexpensive device marketed as a 'Diamond Detector' or 'Diamond Detective at about $99, which measures the conductivity. Set up a small grease board: diamonds repel water and are attracted to grease Over 400 Unexplored potential Diamond Localities in Colorado, Wyoming & Montana . How to recognize that diamond in the rough when you find it Slide 61 Iron Mountain, State Line, Sheep Rock districts of Colorado Kelsey Lake, Colo waste dump (6.2 carat stone in 2003) Leucite Hills in SW Wyoming diamonds found Twin Mountain Lakes, Wyoming is a major district of 50+ volcanic explosion crater found sitting within view of Interstate 80 west of Cheyenne Indian Guide district in Wyoming (west of Chugwater) Happy Jack There are explosion deposits south of Laramie Over 400 Unexplored potential Diamond Localities in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana 1996 2000 Slide 62 Chuck Fipke A short, absentminded Canadian geologist named Chuck Fipke, discovered diamonds in Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories, in 1991, he started the largest staking rush in North America since the great gold rush.Lac de Gras Nick-named "Stumpy" and "Captain Chaos" Slide 63 The 3 Commerical Localities in 1998 Slide 64 Ekati and Diavik diamond mines at Lac de Gras on the Slave Craton became North America's major commercial diamond mines Diavik, on an island in Canadas Northwest Territories, began production in 2003 (ice road trucker are used to move all provisions) The Ekati opened in 1998 There are 156 known kimberlites within the EKATI block of claims and 41 are known to contain diamonds Slide 65 Thank You !!!