Diamonds grown in the lab have matured enough in size and quality to compete against traditionally mined gems. At stake is the $14 billion rough diamond market.
In its elemental composition, diamonds are just carbon, the fourth most common substance in the universe. A lump of coal is probably its humblest form: brittle, flammable, and entirely unsuitable as a promise and proposal of undying devotion.
But part of the allure of diamonds is how they are forged and transformed by monumental terrestrial forces over eons. Bury pure carbon 100 to 300 miles underground, subjected to extreme heat and pressure over millennia, then wait for volcanic and seismic activity to bring it closer to the surface; now, mine, cut, and polish it to brilliance, and we have—bling!
Continue reading “[Morgan Stanley] Game of Stones: Disrupting the Diamond Trade”