Natural diamond moral controversy is getting worse and the demand for synthetic diamonds is expanding

At present, about a quarter of the natural diamonds circulating on the world market are sold at high prices to finance illegal armed conflicts and civil wars. In some areas, there are even illegal trades in which diamonds are directly exchanged for weapons of mass destruction; The bloodyness is far more than the environmental problems of natural mining and the child labor of miners.

Mass-produced and low-cost synthetic diamonds obviously cannot meet this special large capital demand, thus slowing down the development of the artificial diamond market to a certain extent, but also developing inevitably: the synthetic cost of artificial diamonds is low and the price is low. It is also environmentally friendly; it also avoids the controversy about the ethical issues brought about by the transaction; and there is no difference in the nature of diamonds from natural diamonds. For natural and man-made issues, the president of Israel Diamond Consulting, Even-Zohar, gave his opinion: For modern young consumers, how big is it to buy a diamond from the “ground” and a diamond from the “underground”? What is the difference? Who cares about the ground?

In fact, synthetic synthetic diamonds have no difference in physical properties and chemical composition from natural diamonds dug underground. The laboratory process places the carbon seed in a microwave environment, fills the methane mixed gas, heats it to a high temperature in the microwave, generates a plasma ball, and then gas blasts, and the carbon atoms crystallize and accumulate on the diamond seed crystal, thereby Growing diamonds.

The preparation of an artificial diamond takes about 10 weeks, and the finished product is very delicate. In order to distinguish between natural and synthetic drills, high-precision machine testing must be relied upon to distinguish them.

According to an industry research report released by Bloomberg, the sales of synthetic diamonds in the global $80 billion in diamond sales in 2014 accounted for only a small portion; in 2014, the production of synthetic diamonds was about 360,000 carats, while the output of natural diamonds reached 146 million. carat.

A survey of consumers aged 18 to 35 in North America shows that nearly half of consumers still love natural diamonds. However, there are industry forecasts that by 2026, synthetic diamond production will soar to 20 million carats. It is said that Wal-Mart and Warren Buffett's Herzberg Diamonds have begun to store synthetic diamonds.

In the game of diamond market share, natural diamond production and sales sellers still play romantic cards. They believe that only natural diamonds buried in the underground for more than 10 billion years can bear all kinds of beautiful meanings that people give to diamonds. Behind the natural diamonds that have undergone time precipitation, they carry a unique natural and human story that is unmatched by the diamonds produced in the laboratory. According to the survey, a 1 carat natural diamond in the New York jewelry store has a market value of 10,000 US dollars, while the same 1 carat artificial diamond has only 6,000 dollars. By comparison, the price advantage of artificial diamonds is self-evident and greatly Avoiding the ethical controversy brought about by natural diamonds, its consumer demand is also great in the future.

Vishal Mehta, CEO of Singapore IIA Technologies, said: “We are creating a new industry and gradually becoming a prolific synthetic diamond producer. Environmentally friendly, unethical controversial 'pure' diamonds are increasingly accepted by modern consumers; This is also a key point in the development of synthetic diamonds." (Compiled from ScienceAlert)