The Diamond Makers

by Robert M. Hazen

• ISBN13: 9780521654746
• ISBN10: 0521654742
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-08-28
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Since time immemorial, we have treasured diamonds for their exquisite beauty and unrivaled hardness. Yet, most of the earth's diamonds lie deep underground and totally unaccessible to us--if only we knew how to fabricate them! In The Diamond Makers Robert Hazen vividly recounts the very human desire to exceed nature and create a synthetic diamond. Spanning centuries of ground-breaking science, instances of bitter rivalry, cases of outright fraud and self-delusion, Hazen blends drama and science to reveal the extraordinary technological advances and devastating failures of the diamond industry. Along the way, readers will be introduced to the brilliant, often eccentric and controversial, pioneers of high-pressure research who have harnessed crushing pressures and scorching temperatures to transform almost any carbon-rich material, from road tar to peanut butter, into the most prized of all gems. Robert M. Hazen is the author of fifteen books, including the bestseller, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy, which he wrote with James Trefil. Dr. Hazen has won numerous awards for his research and scientific writing.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii	(6)
Prologue	xiii
1 Mysteries	1	(15)
2 Attempts	16	(23)
3 The legacy of Percy Bridgman	39	(22)
4 Baltzar von Platen and the Incredible Diamond Machine	61	(17)
5 The crystals of Loring Coes	78	(17)
6 Project Superpressure	95	(17)
7 Breakthrough	112	(19)
8 Secrets	131	(23)
9 Risky business	154	(16)
10 The rivals	170	(20)
11 The new diamond makers: diamonds by explosion	190	(9)
12 The new diamond makers: diamonds from a vapor	199	(14)
13 The diamond breakers	213	(22)
Epilogue	235	(2)
Index	237