DailyDirt: Diamonds Don't Just Look Pretty....

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Thu, Nov 3rd 2011 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Diamond is a fascinating material due to its extraordinary hardness (and other properties such refractive index, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and chemical inertness). Diamonds have also been historically difficult to synthesize in desired quantities. However, making artificial diamonds is becoming a practical process, so it's possible we'll see more and more products made from artificial diamond. Here are just a few interesting links on this awesome allotrope of carbon.

Chemical impurities locked inside diamonds could help clarify some major geological processes. We don't know much about how the carbon cycle from the ocean floor mixed with the Earth's mantle, but superdeep diamonds could give us some clues. [url]
About 4,000 contact lenses with embedded gold flakes and diamonds will be made available for sale in India. "Your optometrist must have been a thief because he stole some gold and diamonds and put them in your eyes..." [url]
De Beers is investing in artificial diamond manufacturing for the semiconductor industry. In a few years, maybe marriage proposals will include microchips that are graded on their color, cut, clarity, etc... [url]
To discover more interesting science-related stuff, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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Filed Under: allotrope, carbon, diamonds, semiconductor
Companies: de beers

12 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 3 Nov 2011 @ 5:29pm

DeBeers is not inventing anything, it has already been invented.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_vapor_deposition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch emical_vapor_deposition_of_diamond
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_diamond

That is how the crystal at NIF are grown.
KDP Crystal Growth - YouTube
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Nov 2011 @ 5:35pm
  
  Re:
  Oops! reading fail, it was not inventing it was investing :)
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  - Michael Ho (profile), 3 Nov 2011 @ 5:50pm
    
    Re: Re:
    heh. yup. De Beers is just taking the cash it has from its diamond monopoly and doubling down on more diamond businesses.... which will probably help ensure its future diamond monopoly.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Nov 2011 @ 7:28pm

Diamond is an allotrope of carbon. Carbon has six protons! If you do the math, and consider that six is an evil number, this means that Mike is conspiring with Google as predicted by Nostradamus.

I'm a desperate lawyer and I'm about to lose my job. I need help. Someone, please help me! HELP!!!! Believe my ridiculous conspiracy theory!!! I'm a paid shill and my employer is about to fire me because I'm not convincing anyone! Please believe me so that I won't get fired.

There, I think I can create conspiracy theories even more ridiculous than those of Techdirt IP maximists. How did I do?
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- Anonymous Coward, 4 Nov 2011 @ 6:37am
  
  Re:
  D-, that was horrible, at least make your rant relevant to the story. GEESH amature!!
  
  Eventough you're unemployeed you can still pirate movies, music and games so you won't have to do without entertainment.
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  - The Groove Tiger (profile), 4 Nov 2011 @ 8:27am
    
    Re: Re:
    But... diamonds!
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    - Anonymous Coward, 4 Nov 2011 @ 4:15pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      They last forever you know. Kinda like Copy protection lengths ...
      
      (since it'll just keep getting extended anyways).
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Wolfy, 3 Nov 2011 @ 8:09pm

AC#4... is that all you've got? The entertainment around here is getting pretty lame.
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Joe, 3 Nov 2011 @ 9:02pm

Gold/Diamond Infused Contact Lenses...
What would happened if you had a laser pointer shone in your eyes while you were wearing these?

More damage to the eyes? Freaky Laser-light show? I am curiositically aroused...
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- Butcherer79 (profile), 4 Nov 2011 @ 4:37am
  
  Re: Gold/Diamond Infused Contact Lenses...
  "I am curiositically aroused..."
  
  Best you get your hands on those public domain films that have been talked about here recently ;-)
  
  http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111031/14012416574/various-lawsuits-trying-to-avoid-admitt ing-that-porn-classics-debbie-does-dallas-deep-throat-are-public-domain.shtml
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Nov 2011 @ 6:45am

Diamonds are a big scam, DeBeers artifically creates a scarcity by buying up all the worlds diamond supplies. They have stockpiles of the things.
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- Anonymous Coward, 5 Nov 2011 @ 4:13am
  
  Re:
  You are an idiot whose knowledge of the industry is stuck practically in the Dark Ages.
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