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Has Anyone Made an Artificial Diamond Ring? 117

Posted by Cliff from the grow-your-own dept.
DiamondRingThing asks: "I know that diamond engagement rings are a recent fabrication, and the two months salary required to obtain one is ridiculous. Diamonds are pretty however, and evil never keeps a good hacker down. I'd like to be able to give a diamond to my girlfriend that I know was forged just for her, without any blood on it, and without giving any money to DeBeers. That's why I won't buy an artificial diamond from a jeweler, as I suspect the cartel is involved at that level. Does anybody know anyone that has made their own diamond to set in a ring? How's the cost, and the quality? Thanks in advance."
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Has Anyone Made an Artificial Diamond Ring? More

Has Anyone Made an Artificial Diamond Ring?

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  • Making your own diamond? (Score:4, Funny)

    by TripMaster Monkey ( 862126 ) * on Monday June 06, 2005 @02:42PM (#12738666)

    Does anybody know anyone that has made their own diamond to set in a ring?

    Sure...Superman [imdb.com] used to do this all the time.

    I think Vulcan [imdb.com] did this quite a bit too.

    ^_^
    • Make your own diamond? Not going to happen. Make your own diamond ring? Design your own ring around a less-bothersome stone? Definitely. I wouldn't wait around for synthetic gem-quality diamonds, though. If you want to minimize your interaction with DeBeers, go to a jeweler who will buy an estate ring and then use the jem in the ring you want.

      Or do something like what I did for my fiance. She got double lasik surgery (with wavefront) and a very moderately priced ring with small garnets and diamonds

  • An interesting article at wired.com (Score:5, Interesting)

    by waynegoode ( 758645 ) * on Monday June 06, 2005 @02:43PM (#12738680) Homepage
    I read an interesting article [wired.com] a few years ago at wired.com about the state of the "artificial diamond" industry. It is a bit long and from 2003, but it is very interesting.

    From the article:

    De Beers executive drove directly to Claridge's, and the two men sat down in the tearoom to the strains of a piano and violin duet. De Beers refuses to comment on the meeting--or about anything for this story--but Clarke says he simply placed his diamonds on the table. "When I told him that we planned to set up a factory to mass-produce these, he turned white," the General recalls.

    • Re:An interesting article at wired.com (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Is that guy dead now? ;)

      Seriously, there are several places now that can produce perfect diamonds that can not be distingished from the real thing. In fact, the only way to tell comes from the fact that they are so perfect (too bad if you happen to have a real diamond that is perfect).

      As for making one yourself, no, I don't think so. The process needs some heavy duty equipment. If it were possible for regular person to do it then we would see all kinds of how-tos on the 'Net.
    • http://www.apollodiamond.com/ [apollodiamond.com]

      They'll custom make a jem for you and your wife.
      I have no idea how much it will cost, but honestly to screw over deBeers, it would be worth it.

  • Artificial diamonds (Score:3, Informative)

    by mknewman ( 557587 ) * on Monday June 06, 2005 @02:43PM (#12738681)
    See this excellent article in Wired a while back: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond.h tml [wired.com]

  • Warning (Score:5, Funny)

    by malakai ( 136531 ) * on Monday June 06, 2005 @02:48PM (#12738745) Journal
    Further discussion on this topic and slashdot will feel the power and wrath of De Beers.

    Prepare for 503 errors if you continue to discuss alternatives to natural diamonds.

    You have been warned.

    -De Beers NOC
  • Last time I checked, a couple of months ago, lab created diamonds are still not up to gem quality. Unless you're looking for a convincing substitute, you really don't have a choice.
    • Yeah, if by "not up to gem quality" you mean "not flawed enough". From the Wired article:

      When we meet the next morning in the lobby of the High Council, Van Royen looks tired. He admits to staying up almost all night scrutinizing the stones. "I think I can identify it," he says hopefully. "It's too perfect to be natural. Things in nature, they have flaws. The growth structure of this diamond is flawless."

      Of course, I don't know that you can actually buy these anywhere, but it's pretty cool nonetheless!

  • Lifegem (Score:3, Informative)

    by BrookHarty ( 9119 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @02:51PM (#12738777) Journal
    Theres always Lifegem [lifegem.com]

    • The only problem is that he wanted to give his girlfriend a diamond forged just for her, not from her.Well, unless he forged it from his own mother. That way she would be really happy.
    • They dont even look real, more like cheap 3D...

      Cool concept if they are legit..
    • In case you all were wondering I cannot seem to find anything in google about lifegem being a scam. It DOES seem that the owner tried to get the diamonds certified and released such information in a press release, but the certification company distanced themselves. From a few news stories, it seems that they do indeed make diamonds, but according to at least one funeral director they are not exactly a perfect diamond. Considering the source material, I don't think that this tidbit would suprise anyone. T
  • If your future wife doesn't care about the diamond, get something else. Manufacturing diamonds isn't something that you can do.

    My wife was cool about my objections to diamonds, so I get a really nice sapphire and put it on a very unique setting.

    • If your future wife doesn't care about the diamond, get something else. Manufacturing diamonds isn't something that you can do.

      Find a company like Jamming Gems [jamminggems.com], which sell synthetic gemstones, and you can get a much better cost than for natural stones. For example, you can get a 20mm x 15mm oval synthetic alexandrite for $14.99 -- a stone which, if natural, would be worth over $20,000. By spending less on the stone(s), you can have a more impressive ring made, and get a custom setting, so you're not ju

  • Does anybody know anyone that has made their own diamond to set in a ring?
    This is a joke right? You're trolling or something? If I knew how to make precious gems in my garage, I certainly wouldn't share the secret on Slashdot!
  • They are not artificial, but Sirius Diamonds [siriusdiamonds.com] of Canada is one source where you can stay away from DeBeers and other diamond cartels.
  • I was recently looking this up and most diamond "growers" are focusing on the lucrative colored diamonds, which are much cheaper than dug-up colored diamonds of similar quality but are about as expensive as a white/clear diamond of similar quality.

    Silly cheap gem-quality white diamonds aren't really here yet, but if she wanted a blue or yellow diamond the size of her thumb, she can:)
  • If your looking for clear your only choice is http://www.apollodiamond.com/ [apollodiamond.com] they don't make it clear where you can buy their diamonds and I have not been able to find a source. If you can deal with color- yello blue or pink then you can use Gemesis http://www.gemesis.com/ [gemesis.com] You can buy loose gemesis stones online from http://www.diamondscultured.com/ [diamondscultured.com] and get it monuted by a local jewler.
  • without any blood on it, and without giving any money to Debeers

    Just buy her a Canadian diamond...

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/diamonds/ [www.cbc.ca]

    • Canadian diamonds are controlled by DeBeers.

      If you are looking for more resources for canadian diamonds, check out this [google.com] Google Answers question, which is essentially the same as yours.

      If you are serious about getting Debeers-free diamonds, well, good luck. Read up on them and you'll understand why, but know that those who claim to be selling you a non-DeBeers diamond may be selling you a story. However, most people are simply looking for (and willing to purchase) a story - a good feeling - so perhap

      • Canadian diamonds are controlled by DeBeers.

        Evidence?
        • DeBeers owns the world's dimaond mines, and controls all distribution of the diamonds extracted. they specifically control the (abundant!) supply to create an image of rarity.

          this was all talked about in Wired Magazine a year or so ago - with a great deal of talk about artifical diamonds from various companies - including one group that builds /sheets/ of diamonds for $0.05/kt.

          this is well-known fact among many jewelers. where it's documented, i have no idea.
      • Canadian diamonds are controlled by DeBeers

        Not really - Please cite your source.

        Although their fingers are in there a little, their participation is minimal. If you're looking for "clean diamonds", Canada is the way to to go:

        Canada's current production comes from two mines: the Ekati Mine, owned by BHP-Billiton (80%), Chuck Fipke (10%) and Stewart Blusson (10%), has over 100 kimberlite pipes on its property, of which eight are considered economically viable and will likely be mined. The projected min

  • Canadian Diamonds (Score:4, Informative)

    by g1zmo ( 315166 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @03:12PM (#12739030) Homepage
    If your conscience is bothered as much as mine is by the horror stories of the diamond-mining industry, there are always the Canadian alternatives [www.cbc.ca].
  • Right here [apple.com] stands a man
    With the power to make a diamond with his bare hands.

  • Pawn shop (Score:4, Insightful)

    by lawpoop ( 604919 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @03:19PM (#12739091) Homepage Journal
    Diamonds purchased from a jeweler are overpriced because you're getting it from a cartel. I recommend getting a ring from a pawn shop; the price of that diamond will be closer to an actual market value of that gem. The cost will be considerably lower than that from a jeweler, and you are getting the exact same type of rock.
    • Except of course there is the stigma of buying a pawn shop diamond...you're buying someone else's heartbreak, it's "used", etc.

      I'm not saying I agree with these sentiments, but if you ask the average woman in the US if she wants a "new" diamond or a larger pawn shop diamond, I'm betting "new" wins 100% of the time.

      • Re:Pawn shop (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Planesdragon ( 210349 )
        I'm not saying I agree with these sentiments, but if you ask the average woman in the US if she wants a "new" diamond or a larger pawn shop diamond, I'm betting "new" wins 100% of the time.

        I wager if you put the two rings in front of the "average woman", she'll go for the bigger one. Especially if you get it appraised first, so she can compare the cost difference.

        FWIW, though, any women worth marrying is either smart enough to see through the whole deBeers scam on her own, or trusts you enough when you
      • If you are worried about the "new/used" stigma, you can always buy the ring at the pawn shop and have a jeweler remount the stone in a different "new" setting.

        Or, you can just skip the stone altogether as my wife and I did. We recently celebrated our 20th anniversary and replaced our aged and dulled wedding bands with new two-tone tungsten and gold wedding bands. Neither of us missed paying for the stone. Besides, she doesn't really like diamonds anyway.

        If you don't know what she likes yet, it may be h
      • ...but if you ask the average woman in the US if she wants a "new" diamond or a larger pawn shop diamond, I'm betting "new" wins 100% of the time.

        thank the lawd some of us have uncommon women. what other kind of woman sits with you in bed, each on a laptop, the whole morning?
    • My wife and I wrestled with this one for a while, and finally settled on purchasing an old stone in a new setting (old settings can suffer from too much metal fatigue for proper sizing, or break more easily). Its an "Old European Cut" stone, which is really cool. Its a cut no one makes any more, and rather than reflecting the light shone onto/into it in pure white like all modern cuts, the natural imperfections in the hand cut stone cause it to refract the light into a rainbow of colors. It was also far, fa

  • You MUST be joking! (Score:4, Funny)

    by bhima ( 46039 ) <(Bhima.Pandava) (at) (gmail.com)> on Monday June 06, 2005 @03:35PM (#12739225) Journal
    Man there's just so much wrong with this idea!

    One: It would cheaper to buy a 3rd world nation from which to mine the diamond, or perhaps fund your very own coup, than to build the lab required for such an undertaking.

    Two: The ridiculous outlay in cash is "proof that you truly love her" and without this she will have troubles interacting with her friends who, to a girl, have been subjected to the same brain washing and with her parents who partook in the brain washing.

    Three: Buying blood diamonds has little impact on the goings on in Africa, it's an extremely fucked up place and the few dozen land mines bought from from the money from your diamond is nothing compared to mountains of small arms and land mines the G8 is selling to the various wacko revolutionaries and wacko tyrants or just the wacko white farmers, On CREDIT.

    Three: While it is admittedly difficult to find a women worth spending your life with who doesn't want some ridiculus gem on her finger in the US, this is not so much the case elsewhere in the world.

    Food for thought: How long does a diamond last? How long does a human last? How long does the average marriage last? Now considering these facts why isn't the used diamond market absolutely flooded? Where the hell did they go? OK My Mum had some from my Grannies that she gave to my sisters but come on, where are the rest?

    My take on this... I fought a lot with my ex about this before we were married and she, of course, brought it up when we getting a divorce. Actually I'm pretty sure she still holds the comment "Do you realize how many land mines were planted in Africa with the money from that ring" comment, I made in front of our parents, against me. That was a sign I should have never married that women to begin with and should of held out for the fantastic Girlfriend I have now. I just pray that my daughter doesn't start to exhibit the same wacko tendencies...

    • Re:You MUST be joking! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by np_bernstein ( 453840 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @08:57PM (#12742251) Homepage

      Food for thought: How long does a diamond last? How long does a human last? How long does the average marriage last? Now considering these facts why isn't the used diamond market absolutely flooded? Where the hell did they go? OK My Mum had some from my Grannies that she gave to my sisters but come on, where are the rest?

      Graveyards. They're a sentimental item and something most people would want their grandmothers/parents buried with.

  • Why not rethink this "man-buys-woman" routine (Score:4, Insightful)

    by lpq ( 583377 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @03:42PM (#12739278) Homepage Journal
    Why don't you talk it over with your fiance and find a set of matching rings that you both can afford -- then spend excess cash on a honey-moon or house downpayment.

    Do you want an equal partnership or are you looking to 'buy' a wife? Might I suggest that 'buy'ing such a wife sets a poor precedent for the future of the relationship.

    If one of you doesn't make as much as the other, fine: figure out a proportional payment based on your take-home and find a pair based on that sum.

    Wasting so much money on a rock in this day and age when marriages are often not "forever" seems a bit dated -- and being a woman, I certainly wouldn't want the feeling of indebtedness that might come from such an unequal exchange. It would feel like a wrong power & relationship dynamic.

    You also might find she likes other gemstones better than the "vanilla" standard white diamond.

    I don't think artificial diamonds of superb color/clarity are quite yet ready for "prime time". Have read they have made small ones, but they are quite a bit away from larger ones and mass production.

    Might also think of whether or not you want the bride's father to pay for the wedding (another tradition, taking the place of the dowry), or maybe pool resources w/your parents toward a honeymoon (or house downpayment).

    At least with the money for a house downpayment -- you will both own a house together. Studies have shown a positive correlation between, both joint ownership of property and joint finances and longer marriages.

    All this presumes you are a "mere", mortal man. If you are Bill Gates or
    some multi-billionaire, well... nevermind. :-)
    • You also might find she likes other gemstones better than the "vanilla" standard white diamond.

      I'd be one of those females who likes other gemstones over the diamond.

      I'm also not a yellow gold kind of girl either.

      So my point, to the original poster? Have you talked this over with your girlfriend to see what she'd prefer?

    • I believe that's the practical half of your brain speaking.

      My wife is very frugal and practical, which made the gift of the ring that much more special and romantic.

      Perhaps you are the kind of person that either doesn't enjoy wearing fine jewelry, or it makes no emotional difference to you whether what you are wearing is real or fake, valuable, or cheap.

      My (very) limited experience is that there is an emotional boost for women wearing jewelry that compliments them and highlights their attractiven
    • Look, if you get a "feeling of indebtedness" from him buying you a diamond ring, your relationship is in big trouble - a lot bigger trouble than just what kind of rings to get.

      If you're going into a marriage with feelings of "who owes who", then don't go into it! Don't get married! If you don't have enough trust in him to trust that he won't hold over your head how much he paid, then you don't have enough trust to marry the guy.

      And if you are going to feel that way, even if he never mentions it again,

    • Do you want an equal partnership or are you looking to 'buy' a wife?

      I think the real issue is fighting 300 million years of evolution. Evolutionarily speaking, females want a powerful mate. Since in civilized society, butting heads like rams doesn't go over too well, modern women have adapted by preferring to select mates who are powerful economically. That ring on her finger is the equivalent of an enormous set of ram's horns on your head. Personally, I'd rather buy the ring.

    • But that is how it works. You buy her.

      Not too long ago you had to pay her parents as well. Be glad we are now civilized.
    • To this day it is still the biggest misconception in the industry that artificial diamonds are inferior in quality.

      NEWS FLASH:

      Those flaws are made on purpose, to keep DeBeers from absolutely destroying the market by flooding his entire stock onto it.

      "Natural" artificial diamonds are perfect. That's right, PERFECT. No flaws, exceptional clarity. They are that way inherently so. Would someone who is actually involved in the bort industry please elaborate? Artificial diamonds are HEAVILY used in the machini
  • Did anyone else eat the Swedish Chef's Croonchy Stars cereal? On the back of the box it had a suggestion to bury the box as deep as possible for about a million years, after which time the heat and pressure of the earth will have turned the carbon in the box into a diamond. I even found a picture (low-res, unfortunately) of the back of the box here [kermitage.com] -- I can just make out the heading "Amaze your mom! Turn this box into a REAL DIAMOND!"

    Anyhow, just a suggestion. You probably wanted it a little sooner, eh

    • Next ask slashdot. Has any one know of any that invented a time machine and went back in time to create a real diamond wedding ring? I especially don't want to make sure it's not a time machine created by Chevron as I don't want blood on my hands.

  • Moissanite (Score:4, Informative)

    by mopslik ( 688435 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @03:59PM (#12739403)

    Moissanite [moissanite.com].

    My wife likes the sparkle, especially under standard indoor lighting. It really is more colourful and brighter than a diamond, but only costs a fraction of the price. Maybe one third the price, around here.

    Of course, if your gal is one of those "but it's not a DIAAAAAMOND!" girls, you're SOL.

    • Re:Moissanite (Score:3, Informative)

      by BridgeBum ( 11413 )
      I second this. I was about to post the same thing myself. I recently got engaged, and a moissanite ring from Landau [landaujewelry.com] is what I got my fiancee. She loves it. It's beautiful, with more 'fire' than most diamonds and cost a fraction of a diamond ring. In fact, that was actually a selling point with my gf. She feels less nervous about wearing a ring that cost ~ $1000 on her finger all the time than one worth a considerable hunk of change.

      If your girl is interested in oooos and aaaaaahs, a moissanite ring i

    • Re:Moissanite (Score:2, Informative)

      by stereo_Barryo ( 530287 )
      I'll third that. My wife found the company and pushed for the gem. She is very happy with it and, therefore, so am I. Better than a diamond, cheaper and morally cleaner.
  • Why in the world would you want to pay thousands for a rock? Especially since you can get a real diamond (though manufactured).

    I read the article on Wired and then saw an ad for the following company, www.diamond-essence.com , who sells manufactured diamonds. As a random example they have a ring with a 5kt diamond, and other smaller diamonds for a total of 7.5kts. Total price?

    $249

    DeBeers price? via Kay jewelers

    1ct solitaire!

    Wait for it!

    $6499!!!!

    Hell of a difference. See other posts for the morality o
  • Whats so artificial about it? It may not be a 'natural' diamond, but artificial? Like combining sodium and chlorine or burning hydrogen in the lab produces artificial salt or water.

    You can manufacture diamonds and swear its real. The gold part, now that would be tough. Although many girls like silver colors and will settle for silver or other shinly substitute. If it is bling bling enough, they'll accept it as proof of your love. Just dont tell her the price.

    I think DeBeers crushes all possibilities of ma
    • Sure, the end product is essentially the same, but nothing says "I love you forever" than a gem that took thousands or millions - or at least longer than your marraige will last - of years to produce.

      I predict within 20 years the only way to tell a manufactured diamond from a made-by-God one will be by a certificate of origin, possibly backed by a laser engraving.

      Ironically, the desire to avoid "conflict diamonds" will do more to drive certificates of origin and laser engraving than the fear of man-made d
  • google it

    My fiance's engagement ring is 2/3 moissanite (3 stones, the center is diamond). It's better looking than diamond side by side, costs less, and has a more interesting background than diamond (outer space vs. hot air). While she's not a /. uber-nerd (she detests my love of this site), the uniqueness of the gem falls right in line with her personality.

    And 2 months salary (it's actually turning into 3 months now) is BS. If a girl only loves you because of how much she thinks you can spend on her,

  • Breach of Contract (Score:3, Insightful)

    by wonkavader ( 605434 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @06:07PM (#12740619)
    I'm not a feminist. I like traditional roles. I like being the guy and there being a difference between the sexes, but engagement rings just piss me off.

    The diamond engagement ring is a modern concept -- 1880's, thank you very much De Beers. But it sits on the chattel, economical arrangement ideas.

    Engagement rings are expensive because they come from a tradition of viewing women as property, and men as providers, not partners. You're putting a down payment on her so as to keep her from marrying someone else, and to prove that you're successful. She wears it to prove to her friends that her husband is successful.

    Wedding rings are great. They're generally cheap and function as symbols to two people binding to one another. Engagement rings are about materialism, conspicuous consumption, and investment in a woman as property via a down payment that you lose if you breach the contract.

    If you MUST prove to her you're affluent, something's horribly wrong in your relationship. If you just want to prove it, stop for a second and think "why?" -- is it confidence issue for yourself, or are you just allowing the weight of history and our avaricious, hungry, capitalist society to put desires in your head?

    If you really both want something to put on her finger to say "I am owned, even though I'm not yet married" to outsiders (and there's real comfort in that for both parties, I know), consider one of those Irish friendship rings, then she can box it away when she gets the real, mutual icon of the final attachment, instead of looking at it as so expensive she needs to wear it.
    • I like the idea of an engagement car or engagement suitcase or engagement Powerbook. But the problem with those things is that it doesn't last forever. Diamonds I guess do. But I guess the nice thing about an engagement ring is the resell value if the man chooses to call off the wedding. Wait, there is no resale value. hmm.
  • Buy Moissanite if your girl doesn't mind. It had been selling for 1/10 of the cost of a comparible Diamond. My wife actually suggested it for her rings. Most Diamond detectors report Moissanite stones as diamond. My wife rings are very nice looking and didn't cost me two months salary.

    http://www.moissanite.com/education_video.cfm [moissanite.com]

    Later,
    -Slashdot Junky
  • ...make sure you spend time on learning about the traditional 4C's of diamond quality: cut, clarity, color, and carat. (5C's if you add "Cost". Heh.)

    The main point of a gem is to be bright (brilliance) and sparkly (fire)... And to achieve that, you want to maximize the light "gathering" tendencies of the gem.

    Clarity, color and carat are fairly well explained, but it seems cut is not always correctly understood. "Cut" does not mean "shape". Instead, it is the quality of how the diamond was cut -- the
  • I bought my wife a Canadian diamond by finding a dealer through Sirius Diamonds [siriusdiamonds.com] and there's another brand called Ekati... it worked out pretty well since she was born in Ontario(and for those of you brought up on US High School history, that's part of Canada)

    You can read up on them, but they're mined up in the Northwest Territories and are only cut/sold as ideal cuts, high clarity, light color -- all that good stuff. I didn't break the bank either, (although I admit I didn't buy into that DeBeer's 2 month
    • Just a quick comment about this. Being a Canadian myself (Windsor, Ontario actually), don't let viva's response fool you into thinking that Canadian diamonds are the best alternative (and most cost effective route) to your little "dilemma".

      Even though they may mark the package to save you any duties fees or extra taxes, they can still be quite costly...depending on the karat size you're looking for, of course. You may be able to find a smaller diamond at a decent price, but due to the fact that Canadian
      • Well, I wasn't trying to "fool" him into getting a Canadian diamond, I was simply illustrating the route that I took.

        I do agree with the Windsor-poster that the dealers are leveraging off of the artificial price inflation that DeBeer's has created. I had researched the prices pretty hardcore and the one I ended up with was right on par (CCCC and price) with the bluenile.com selection. So, not necessarily a ripoff, unless you consider all natural diamonds to be so...

        I guess, if one is looking for value f
  • My wife very much likes betterthandiamonds.com, where you can get artificial diamonds called "Asha". She did a lot of research on the subject and really only experts can tell the difference and they even come with a guarantee (non-tranferable though, I didn't like that) that they will not get scratched. So you get a very beautiful looking stone for a fraction of the price.

    Hope that helps and the obligatory comment that I have no connection to the above mentioned company but did like their product.

  • Learn diamonds, and learn to negotiate (Score:3, Informative)

    by mbstone ( 457308 ) on Monday June 06, 2005 @10:14PM (#12742763)
    Nobody here has talked about the importance of knowing how to negotiate, whether it be over a diamond engagement ring, or anything else of importance. Your typical kid diamond buyer takes his SO to the local mall jewelry store. He has no knowledge of the grades (color, and clarity) of diamonds and the differences in value that they represent; he has never heard of the grading services GIA and EGL; and, most importantly, by bringing the SO he lets the sales rep play to her heartstrings and his sense of guilt. Many mall jewelers don't even tell you the grade of the diamonds they sell, nor do they have independently-graded diamonds for sale (or they offer diamonds graded by some no-name agency you never heard of).

    First of all, this would be a good time to invest in a seminar on how to negotiate (e.g. Karrass Negotiation Seminars [karrass.com]). This will help you in your marriage, just as much as in material things like buying a diamond ring or a car or getting the highest possible starting pay rate.

    Second, you need to learn about how to buy diamonds, go to google.com and type in, "Diamond Buying FAQ".

  • I've seen a lot of posts talking about how growing your own diamond is not really reasonable, so I would like to suggest an alternative.
    What about, instead of creating the diamon, create the ring itself. I've seen companies on the net (can't remember any names off hand but you should be able to google) that will create jewelry based off 3D models. Then you could create the ring, and get her input on it. If you don't want to pay for the diamond because of cost, or because of ethical reasons, then look at

  • greenKarat (Score:2, Interesting)

    by fred ugly ( 125371 )
    if you don't mind it being pink, blue, or yellow, you can get something at greenKarat [greenkarat.com]
  • I used a diamond from my great grandmother's ring. No more money to the cartel, it was a special stone, and my wife likes it just fine. (Yes, she knows where I got it... she thinks heirloom stones are cool and wants it to go on to a great granddaughter someday.)

    I had the diamond set in a custom engagement ring, and we had our jeweler make two additional bands that were affixed to each side of the engagement ring for the wedding.

    Why dream up a complicated, expensive solution like manufacturing your own d
  • here is your solution:
    http://www.brunners.com/life_gem.htm [brunners.com]

    if you don't want to wait for a death to occur naturally:
    you need about 2 pounds of unprocessed (i.e. carbon left in) cremation ashes:

    two dozen rats, orthwo to three dogs,po
    8 cats, or
    100 miles worth of roadkill

    NO kartell involved
    No blood
    Fresh from the oven, no middlemen at all! Count anywhere between 5k$ to 11k$ for the stone (1/2 carat to 1 carat).

    There are other sites. I think most of them have it done in Switzerland.

    mike

  • They are yellow like crazy. Easily spotted, though they pass the tests. The color is a very dyhydrated urine-yellow color, not like the light hues of natural diamonds.

    You can make one in a microwave oven by dropping the pressure and feeding in methane (natural gas) an reaching a temurature fo 1800deg C. After placing a dialond seed, several weeks later you should have additional deposits.

    Your options for a clear diamond come only from nature at this time.

    I do recommend hanging out in NYC's diamond distri
  • That atmospheric pressure is the exact WRONG kind of environment to be growing diamonds.

    The basic CVD setup for diamond is alcohol and hydrogen vapors flowing over a filament and then onto a sample deposition plate.

    Take a tank of alcohol and bubble hydrogen through it. You can get H2 from a gas supply company, or any acid-metal reaction. You'll want a valve to control the ratio. The Carbon-Hydrogen ratio should be quite low (about 10%?) to give a good controlled growth rate. The slower, more controlle

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