Ellah Muchemwa: ADPA to launch Africa's first diamond mining standard next year

The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), which is based in Luanda, Angola, and represents the interests of mainly African diamond producers and those with the potential to produce diamonds, will next year launch the Sustainable Development...

04 november 2024

Dmitry Fedorov: I want our jewelry to be displayed at a museum in the future

Dmitry Fedorov is the founder of the eponymous jewelry house. His main focus is the creation of Orthodox-inspired premium luxury jewelry of high artistic merit. He told Rough&Polished about his journey in the jewelry industry, about choosing the ‘Orthodox...

28 october 2024

Responsible business practices ‘no longer optional’, says WDC President Feriel Zerouki

The president of the World Diamond Council takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Rough&Polished readers about the critical work of the WDC. Zerouki, the first female present of the body, which includes all the important industry organizations among...

14 october 2024

James Campbell: Botswana Diamonds optimistic as it enters uncharted territory of using AI for mineral exploration

London-listed Botswana Diamonds has expressed optimism about the company’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scan the exploration database in Botswana to look for new mineralised deposits. Company managing director James Campbell told Rough...

07 october 2024

Artur Salyakayev: For me, happiness is freedom to make my ideas happen and create valuable products

Artur Salyakayev is an art entrepreneur, founder of the International Jewelry Academy (IJA) and the INCRUA jewelry company. He has initiated and developed successful projects in jewelry industry and services sector. He is also a leading expert...

30 september 2024

New Record in the Diamond Valley

29 october 2024

October 2024 was marked by a new record: New Diamond Technology, together with NPK Almaz, have created the world's largest nitrogen-free single crystal diamond (colorless, type IIa) weighing 70.72 carats. This was achieved thanks to new efficient technological solutions for the growth of large-sized electronic-quality single crystal diamonds.

LGD_70_72ct_diamond.jpg

Dimensions of the crystal: 20.29 x 21.33 x 15.59 mm. Growing time: 20 days.

The analysis of geometric and morphological parameters of the crystal shows the possibility of manufacturing several 3/4 inch matrix plates for subsequent iterative growth of structurally perfect substrates of electronic quality crystals up to 2 inches in size by the CVD method (according to the Large Area Device-Quality Diamond Substrates (LADDIS) program), as well as matrix replication of 3/4 inch electronic quality plates using the CVD method. In addition, there is a possibility of manufacturing a unique colorless nitrogen-free fancy-cut diamond (cushion or radiant) of large sizes (over 25 carats). The 70.72-carat diamond is the largest colorless single-crystal HPHT diamond grown to date. It is known that there are CVD diamonds of larger sizes, but they are not single-crystal and are made by successive growth of several layers of the crystal, which can be easily detected by fluorescence methods.

Currently, the market for laboratory-grown single crystal diamonds (both HPHT and CVD) and diamonds made from them (LGD) faces a supply glut. The rapid growth of their production volumes (by 7-10 percent annually) led to a decrease in the cost of these diamonds to record lows. According to Rapaport data, they sell at 99% discount compared to similar natural diamonds.

As a result, a number of the largest factories stopped growing jewelry-grade rough diamonds, and turned to traditional products such as diamond powders, polycrystals and other goods for instrumental purposes.

However, a sharp increase in the volume of grown raw materials and a decrease in their cost also has a positive side. The main purpose of these diamonds is to use their unique electrophysical, thermal, optical and mechanical properties in the production of new-generation equipment in the electronic and optical industries, medicine, space, nuclear energy and other high-tech areas, with previously unattainable functionality. Record technical characteristics of diamond-based devices are available when growing crystals of electronic quality as opposed to jewelry quality. These crystals have a whole range of strict parameters imposed on diamond substrates or optical elements for high tech industry.

Galina Semyonova, Editor in Chief of the Russian Bureau, Rough&Polished