Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
October 9, 2010
My cousin said she read scientists have found a way to turn human hair into diamonds. This sounded preposterous to me but she stubbornly insisted, though she said she can't remember exactly what the article said because it was too packed with scientific jargon for her to really fully grasp it. I'd love some clarification. She's nuts, right?
October 14, 2010
OK, I looked it up because it sounded crazy, but yeah, it does exist. There are synthetic diamonds that are made using the carbon in ashes or in hair that's gone through heat treatment. then the vaporous carbon is collected and used to make diamonds. Clever. We should all heat up some hair strands and produce diamonds out of them, we'll make a fortune, lol.
October 12, 2010
Your aunt is not nuts! It's the future, man! It's happening. Not exactly like your aunt phrased it but close. hair is actually used in diamond synthesizing to create what is referred to as "memorial diamonds." These are synthetic diamonds (Which means they are completely real, don't confuse this term with "fake diamonds." Synthetic diamonds are made of the same chemical compounds and structured like naturally occurring diamonds, only that the are made in a lab. but they are considered real diamonds in the market.) So memorial diamonds are synthetic diamonds that use the carbon found in human and animal hair in gaseous form. The extracted carbon is used in a the process called HPHT, which stands for High Pressure High Temperature, in which it is molded into the chemical structure of a diamond. This is a method used in all manufacturing of synthetic diamonds, not just "memorial diamonds." So tell your aunt she was right on the money. Diamonds are essentially made out of hair... Wild, right?
