How Do You Make Gem Quality Synthetic Diamonds?
Gem quality synthetic diamonds, known as cubic zirconia, are easier to make than the diamonds formed in the center of the earth from carbon over millions of years. Still, unless you are a chemist with a laboratory and a formula, you probably won’t be making your own synthetic diamonds. Diamonds are made with high pressure and extremely high temperatures, conditions which are hard and unsafe to duplicate. Although crude diamond crystals have been made at home with microwaves, or charcoal and outdoor grills, they are not gem quality. The good news is that synthetic diamonds,or “CZ’s,” are available in beautiful jewelry, at a fraction of the cost of natural diamonds. Place a mixture of powdered zirconium oxide with calcium or yttrium added as a stabilizer into the skull crucible (basically, a special microwave with a “skull” to keep the outside cool, despite the heat inside.) Add appropriate minerals as desired to produce colored cubic zirconia. For green, add chromium. For pink, add erbr
