# Diamonds... What? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386 "2002-09-07T03:54:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JS\_Princeton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JS\_Princeton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JS_Princeton)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386/21 "2002-09-09T13:51:25Z")
DeBeers, in its attempts to ward off “artificial diamonds” (because it would spell the end of their monopoly) has come up with an imaging way to test whether the diamonds were created naturally or in a lab. It seems diamonds grown in a lab are much more predictably ordered (arguably of better quality) and this comes out in image scans while diamonds that are natural are more of a jumble. So DeBeers has marketed this “check” for “naturalness” to the jeweling merchants (and by proxy to the consumer) in order to ward off monopoly breakers intent on growing artificial diamonds of jewel quality. Even as we speak, enterprising Russian scientists are discovering new and better ways to create “imperfect” diamonds to fool the scanners into believing they are natural. I hope they break the monopoly yet. Every time I see a DeBeers Ad I want to through a brick at the television. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386/22 "2002-09-09T14:17:29Z")
I believe that no DeBeers execs come to the US because they would be arrested/served in relation to anti-trust enforcement. I’ve seen this reported in several news stories so I don’t think it is an UL. ---
**Author:** ![Sparc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Sparc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparc)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386/23 "2002-09-09T14:19:28Z")
> [@](#): > > _clairobscur_ > > He didn’t mention colonialism. Well he did, by indirect reference > [@](#): > > _Sally B. White_ refers to either a black woman that pretends to be white, or it is a slur towards a white woman insinuating that she is of colonialist persuasion, or simply a racist. I guess that given the context it is here intended to be the second meaning we should infer. > [@](#): > > Doesn’t the De Beers have now some sort of code of good conduct concerning the origin of the diadmonds it buys? They have a cosmetic program that supposedly avoids the purchase of so called “blood diamonds.” I highly doubt it has any real effect though, since it’s fairly easy to erase the origins of a diamond. In the end it only means that De Beers will not buy diamonds directly from an area in conflict or known for slave labor practices. Sparc ---
**Author:** ![JS\_Princeton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JS\_Princeton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JS_Princeton)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386/24 "2002-09-09T14:42:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > This seems odd to me. Silicon carbide has the same crystalline structure as diamond, so it seems to me that it ought to have the same fracture planes, or “grain”. Why doesn’t it? \*\* You also have to consider that the size of the silicon is different than that of carbon. Though the bonding angles will be similar, they will not be exactly the same. Also, being a denser crystal seed than carbon changes the crystal pattern. In practice ionic (or in this case covalent) replacement will alter many of the physical properties of the mineral with which you are dealing. ---
**Author:** ![Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milton_De_La_Warre)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386/25 "2002-09-09T15:28:57Z")
FWIW, I have heard that: DeBeers has had a very long lead on Russia and Canada (and Arkansas, I suppose) in developing its mining and processing operations. They have also supposedly stockpiled a very large inventory in (successful) attempts to keep the supply artifically low, keeping prices up. Supposedly, whenever a non-monopoly producer makes moves to gain market share by offering a lower priced product, DeBeers lets them know that they could easily undersell the competitor with comparable-to-better diamonds for almost any length of time and still stay solvent. I don’t know the truth in the story. ---
**Author:** ![I\_am\_Sparticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@I\_am\_Sparticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_am_Sparticus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386/26 "2002-09-09T16:00:56Z")
No, I don’t know why a Moissanite doesn’t have the same fracture planes, but my web search from the manufacturer indicates that they are ground down. As for corundums and beryls (sapphires/rubies and emeralds), they can be made in the lab of higher quality than in nature, but are worthless in comparison to the natural crystal because of demand. A $10k emerald from the ground can be bought for $50 bucks from the lab and look a lot better. As for Alexandrites, my jeweler friend had three matching ones of about 1.5 carats each (diamond volume, I am estimating by sight) a few years back. He wanted $250k for them and got it. They are not naturally available anymore. But you can buy lab grown ones for about $10 bucks. They are different colors under different kinds of light. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamonds-what/127386.md?page=1)