The incentive to create man made diamonds resulted from the desire of scientists and researchers to improve technology at a much lower cost than expensive mined diamonds. Valued for their brilliance and luster, diamonds are also extremely hard and durable. A cheaper, more readily available solution like man made diamonds would be a boon to both the world of gemstones and the world of technology. Attempts to find that cheaper, more readily available solution have occurred for years. In fact, man made diamonds history truly began over a century ago.

In 1847, Karl Marx wrote in the book Capital, A Critique on the Political Economy, "If we could succeed, at a small expenditure of labor, in converting carbon into diamonds, their value might fall below that of bricks.” In his short story, “The Diamond Maker”, writer H. G. Wells, also referred to the concept of synthetic diamonds.

Political commentary and science-fiction aside, man made diamonds are produced in two ways: synthetic and simulant. Synthetics are exact in structure and chemistry as natural diamonds. Simulants echo diamond’s fire, brilliance and crystalline structure, but are made from different materials. The first stone in the history of man made diamonds was Moissanite, a simulant. Discovered in 1893 by Dr. Henri Moissan in a meteorite-created crater in Arizona, these tiny diamond-like stones were really silicon carbide (SiC). By heating charcoal with iron at high temperatures in an electric furnace, and by introducing an electric arc between carbon rods and blocks of lime, Dr. Moissan, recreated these tiny “diamonds”. The iron contracted on rapid cooling, generating the high pressure required to transform graphite into diamond.

Others duplicated Moissan’s process, but produced only very small diamonds. Ruff in 1917 and Dr. Willard Hersey in 1926, both “grew” these tiny diamonds. McPherson College still displays Hersey’s synthetic diamond in Kansas at its museum.

Two mineralogists discovered a diamond-like mineral in 1937, but the occurrence in nature was so rare, the German scientists didn’t bother naming it. Only after almost 50 years and a few inventions in technology, did that mineral, zirconium oxide (ZrO2), get synthesized into a man made diamond, one that took the industry by storm and down a new path of production.

Sweden’s major electrical manufacturing company in Stockholm, ASEA, produced a true synthetic diamond (exact structure and chemistry as a diamond) in 1953. Under extreme pressures (8.4 GPa) for an hour, inside a cumbersome machine designed by Baltzar von Platen and the Anders Kämpe, a few small crystals were produced. This formation of a synthetic diamond, however, was never published. So, when General Electric’s Tracy Hall produced in 1954, via a “belt” apparatus, successfully synthesized a diamond, it was that discovery that was published in “Nature” Colleagues easily replicated Hall’s work, and the industrial man made diamond industry was born, dominated for years by DeBeers Industrial Diamonds and GE Superabrasives. Remember that mineral discovered in 1937 by the Germans? Well in the 1970s, the then Soviet Union took that mineral, and using the latest microwave technology changed the history of man made diamonds. Cubic zirconia, produced from zirconium oxide and stabilizing oxides and using temperatures of more than 2,700 degrees Centigrade, burst onto the scene. This diamond simulant, marketed as “Djevalite" in 1977, skyrocketed into popularity in the 1980s when Swarovski & Company, world-renowned producer of leaded crystal began mass marketing it. Annual production in 1980 topped out at 50 million carats, 10,000 kilograms.

While cubic zirconia was booming in the 1980s, a Korean company, lljin Diamond, emerged as a competitor for GE’s and De Beers’ chunk of the market. Later, due to misappropriation of trade secrets by a former Korean GE employee, over a hundred Chinese companies entered the market in 1988.

Element Six, a rebrand of De Beers Industrial Diamonds, broke from the parent company and became independent in 2002. An equity firm called LittleJohn, bought GE Superabrasives in 2003, then changed its name to Diamond Innovations, and in January 2007 sold it to Sandvik.

The industrial diamond industry now has many more major players, including Novotek, US Synthetic, Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal, and Smith Megadiamond. Producing 3 billion carats or 600 metric tons in 2006, the industrial diamond industry annually brings in $1 billion. In comparison the naturally occurring diamonds are mined at an annual rate of 130 million carats (26 metric tons).

As methods of growing synthetic diamonds improves, more and more companies enter the market, especially for diamonds of gemstone quality. Recent entrants include Apollo Diamonds in 2005, who by using an improved method of chemical vapor deposition, CVD, grew a colorless and pure diamond of gemstone size and quality. Other companies, very new like Aida Diamonds and Gemesis, unique like LifeGem, and veteran of the technology, but new to the free trade like the former Soviet based company Tairus, are striving to create a niche for themselves, too.

The history of man made diamonds is fraught with accidents. Apollo Diamonds and the Russians were seeking a way to create synthetic diamonds to aid science. The resulting gemstones were like icing on the cake, a beautiful and exciting addition.

Long craved for their brilliance and luster, diamonds are also desirable for use in science and technology. Their expense and rarity, however, have limited their availability. As a result, scientists have spent the last hundred years trying to mass produce man made diamonds in the laboratory. Dr. Moissan kicked off the trend back in 1893, when he discovered tiny diamonds in a crater in Arizona and attempted to replicate them. Those “diamonds” were actually silicon carbide (SiC) and are now classified as Moissanite, diamond simulants. Others attempted to synthesize diamonds, and only recently succeeded in growing a colorless, pure gemstone quality crystal. These diamond imitations are available in several different forms, classified according to their structure and method of growth.

The definition of a man made diamond is straightforward. It’s a stone with the same characteristics as a naturally occurring diamond, right down to the atom. As mentioned above, diamond simulants like Moissanite are actually made from other material and look like diamonds. One of the most popular and widely known man made diamonds is the simulant commonly known as cubic zirconia. Composed of zirconium oxide (ZrO2), cubic zirconia has been around since the 1970s.

The classification of man made diamonds types is only done to those crystals that are everything diamond-like. Four categories of man made or synthetic diamonds exist: HPHT grit; HPHT large single crystal diamond; CVD polycrystalline diamond and CVD single crystal diamond.

Only two processes produce these four man made diamond types. Each of the processes results in two different types of crystalline structures. Developed by General Electric in 1955, HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) replicates the conditions that nature uses to create a natural diamond. Pressures of up to 5 GPa (giga pascals) along with temperatures of 1,500 degrees Celsius bombard the raw ingredients inside large presses. The results are small, one micrometer to one millimeter, chips and dust known as HPHT grit. Yellow in color due to nitrogen use during production, HPHT grit’s application suitability relies on shape and metal content, but is most often used for abrasives.

HPHT also produces another type of man made diamond, the large single crystal. Measuring up to 10 millimeters in length, these crystals are much larger, and can reach quality and purity levels worthy of gemstones. For HPHT to produce such a large diamond, though, takes a lot of time, sometimes as long as seven days. This creates a product that is more expensive and more technically difficult to create, so HPHT large single crystal diamonds are only used in demanding situations. The HPHT “type 11a”, as of 2007, was nearing the high quality and molecular structure for use in X-raytomographic imaging--replacing silicon.

CVD polycrystalline diamond is number three on the man made diamond types chart. A lower pressure process of growing diamonds, CVD, chemical vapor deposition, heats the ingredients and forms a vapor that, one atom at a time, deposits on a seed crystal. CVD polycrystalline diamond is grown flat, instead of in the cubic and single crystal form of natural diamonds, in a wafer of up to 5 millimeters thick. Depending on the production process, wafers can be grown as large as 30 centimeters (12 inches) across. Medical, optical, environmental and abrasives are just a few of the applications.

CVD single crystal diamond is the fourth man made diamond type. Usually synthesized on a single crystal diamond substrate, the CVD process can also utilize other substrates such as sapphires. The size of the resulting single crystal diamond is small, a few millimeters and meant for sensor and electronic applications. Recently, however, that all changed. In 2005, a former Bell Labs scientist discovered a way to grow CVD single crystal diamonds pure and colorless, just like a natural diamond. With applications in science, this new development also skyrocketed this fourth man made diamond type into gemstone quality.

As technology improves, so will the impact man made diamond types have on science and gemology. Military uses and applications in business are already being researched as are additional uses in technology and the world of jewelry. Economical mass production of man made diamonds may still be dozens of years in the future, but based on present breakthroughs, success is only a matter of time.

While most diamonds are a clear color there are some special colored ones found. Blue colored diamonds are becoming quite popular lately in our society. The color is actually the result of various impurities in the diamond but they are more expensive than clear diamonds because they are quite rare. Only about 1% of all diamonds are blue colored. This makes them the second rarest diamond color available in the world (red is the first).

Blue colored diamonds are classified in four different colors of blue – light blue, fancy blue, intense blue, and vivid blue. The lighter color of blue that the diamond has the more valuable it is. As the blue color gets darker and you can start to see a greenish tint to it the less valuable it is. To identify the true color of a blue colored diamond you need to hold it up to clear light. You will not get good results if you use the fluorescent lights found in many jewelry stores.

It is harder to identify the clarity and cut of blue colored diamonds than clear diamonds though. This is because the color reduces the amount of light that can be reflected through it. It is harder to identify imperfections in the cut as well with blue colored diamonds. Some of the jewelry found with blue colored diamonds range from $3,000 to $200,000.

Since blue colored diamonds are so rare you may have a hard time finding a wide selection in most jewelry stores. However you can ask the owner of the store to help you order customized jewelry that contains blue colored diamonds for yourself or someone else. This is a great way to get a very unique piece of jewelry. Make sure you are clear about what you are interested in as well as your budget for the project. This will allow the jeweler to assist you in the best way possible.

Testing shows that blue colored diamonds are just as durable as clear diamonds so you won’t have to worry about the jewelry lasting a very long time. You can get your customized jewelry with blue colored diamonds in any style of cut you decide. While you will pay for the unique qualities of blue colored diamonds you will find their beauty is unmatched by other colors of diamonds.

It is unknown if this current demand for blue colored diamonds is only a passing trend of something that will be here to stay. Diamonds are a classic gem for jewelry but it not expected that these various colors of diamonds will be used to replace clear ones for traditional jewelry including wedding rings. Blue colored diamonds are popular though for special gifts including mother’s rings, necklaces, and earrings.

What is JewelryTV? Jewelry Television is the only television network that is solely committed to offering America an enormous selection of fine jewelry and gemstones at always fair prices. They are the single largest retailer of loose gemstones (meaning gems that are not fixed to jewelry) in the industry and also America’s fastest growing home shopping network Although their popularity is certainly exploding and their TV programs are distributed to over 68 million households on a daily basis, JTV is only 11th on the list of the largest fine jewelry retailers in the United States.

Perhaps the more important question is: why should anyone shop at Jewelry TV? First, shop at JewelryTelevision because of their fair prices. They have made it their mission to meet the jewelry needs of every American on every budget. From the finest diamonds set on 22k gold to economically-priced yet stunning gemstones that anyone can afford, Jewelry TV guarantees to have something to offer everyone. This willingness to cater to all customers has driven their successes. More and more jewelry lovers around the country and world are coming to realize that they can purchase jewelry through Jewelry Television at prices which are far lower than the prices of that of their local jewelry stores.

Second, you should shop at JTV if you’re looking for a huge selection. Unlike other home shopping television shows, Jewelry TV only deals in jewelry. Simply stop by their website to see how large, yet easy to navigate, their selection is. They have representatives that have gone around the world to find the newest gems, cuts, and colors to bring back and put on their shows. One such example of this is the gemstone Tanzanite, which is a variety of zoisite, and is only found at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. These stunning blue-violet stones are estimated to be 1000 times rarer than diamonds. In fact, many have predicted and fear that tanzanite will some day become unattainable. But Jewelry Television has them in stock; in fact, they recently held the world’s first 24-hour tanzanite sales event. This is just one example of JewelryTV’s incredible jewelry and gemstone selection.

Thirdly, shop at ACNTV (that’s the old name) because it’s downright convenient. If you don’t have the time to wander through huge jewelry stores or surf all over the web looking for jewelry, simply turn on you TV or go JewelryTelevision.com and you’ll be well on your way to finding what you need in much less time. Perhaps you’ll even find yourself enjoying jewelry shopping like you never did before.

The only question remaining to ask is: who should shop at JewelryTV? You—that is, if you want to quickly and conveniently find amazing jewelry and gemstones at beautiful prices.