New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-03
MAKING DIAMONDS.
Renewed Public Interest in the Manufacture
of the Gems.

The release of NJ. Lemone has renewed the pub
lie interest in the manufacture of diamonds, says
The London Globe Sir Isaac Newton conjec-
tured, from its wonderful retroactive power, that
the diamond combustibe, and ascribed 10 1t a
vegetable origin, although the definition of its
as ate as the middle Of the eighteenth Century
uas The purest and finest earth. the most
the year 1850 Sir Robert Boyle Showed that under
disappeared ana a little later in 1894 Cosmo III,
Grand Duke Of Tuscany, had diamond subjected
of concave mirror, The diamond hrst split. then
that time a great NUMBER or diamonds have been
burnt under VARYING conditions, and the fact that
this stone is composed wholly and solely OF pure
carbon is as well authenticated as any fact in sci
enCe.
The composition of diamonds being thus well
known. il might at first appear a comparstiyey
line form damn biacl, fo, instanceI into the
tain crystal Of any substance Il is first necessary
is Known when viii dissolve carbon M as such al
the ordinary temperatures and deposit it evapo
dissolve carbon at a white heatEnameI molten
but. unfortunately. not in the form OF diamond.
Common cast iron contains carbon. which has
form graphite oLack lead
b. Hannsy. OF Glasgow. who commenced his al
tempts TO make diamonds in 1879, and some years
later n Moss4n Partisan chemist attacked the
and geh simpler method Of obtaining the reeui
tails that differed respect from the diamond.
son dropped a cylinder Of soft iron containing
small quantity Of pure sugar charcoal; the
chile Withdrawn and plunged into
solidihes and solid first formed the
outside Of the exerts enormous pressure
the interior portion during ne crysts lzstion
acids dissolve the iron. and the residue sub
iected treatment resembling that employed in
al the kimberley mines. The result consisted Of
psreRt colorless diamond The DIAMONDS thus
produced exhibit all the physical peculiarit.s Of
neous disruption. " Moisson aftervarj discov
cred the size and transparency Of the result
ing diamond depended upon the rapdity of the
cooling process. and since when water is used
badly conducting layer of steam is formed round
The crucble he was able very much 10 improve
his result. by cooling the crucibe with molten
lead ,, =,
Moissorl demonstrated that it is possible to
manufacture diamonds by artificial means the size
Of the crystals he produced was TOO tiny. ana me
process in proportion 10 the results OBTAINED 100
expensive TO be Of any practical importance; the
problem stiI remained 10 manufacture diamonds
of sufficient size TO be OF commercial value Win
nv which he hoped 70 arrive at this result Ihere
are theoretical reasons for believing that II the
capitalization OF carbon could De conducted az
comparatively low temperature high pressure might
not be essential the production OF diamonds
rather than graphite. Reasoning on these hnes'
Ar F,,trton employed alloy or the metal cal
ci'ir, ana lead as a solvent for carbon. Mr. Burton
sttrc.eded I'm making diamonds but again the result
,css microscopic Sill. It's process seemed much
moe capable OF Development. since II can De .oi-
Grcfrd without the difficult condition OF very hsh
nr-ssIre Again and again the claim has been set
-, L this or that inventor that he has succeeded
ia making diamonds OF inhrk~taDir size bnt SO
- ,'oD. 81 tbese claims has borne Investigation.
within the last few years however hiiih'lal ri,
~ ~ cons!dera bic size have been reproduced bnd
xDtrraIlv crown the efforts or %" exprtiHIet~rs
~ ar- attacking the problem Of diamond making.