FUTURE OF SYNTHETICS

We have come a very long way now from the diamond jewelry mentioned in the Bible. It has been shown that diamond is a fundamental strategic material playing a vital part in modern industrial processes. The value of diamonds consumed both as gems and as an industrial hard material is such that the economy of many States hinge on diamond production. Vast capital sums have been sunk into diamond production and large profits have resulted.

Despite intensive research, despite production synthetically of maybe a quarter of the total world output, we still do not know how diamonds grew in the earth and we still are unable to copy this. It may be that time is against us in the sense that it may be that the strong beautiful crystals from the earth grew slowly under very uniform conditions. If this is the case, clearly it is not going to be economic to grow ordinary-size crystals industrially. Yet it must not be overlooked that if and when the time comes that big strong crystals can indeed be grown artificially, then the situation may arise where very big crystals could become a possibility. If this were so, whole new technological vistas may open up.

Even if technology succeeds in producing large perfect gem-quality crystals, then we do not believe that this is likely to upset world values of natural diamond. For it is pretty certain that technical methods of testing will be able to distinguish synthetic from natural wholesale diamond. Certainly it is very easy to distinguish currently produced synthetic from natural diamond, even if crystals of similar size are matched. We have ourselves always done so and never yet confused the two. If, indeed, a distinction can be made (and this is almost certain), then the synthetic product will certainly never kill the market for natural diamond. For not only to people of taste and discrimination but equally to those sensitive only to financial values, the idea of a synthetic material is objectionable. The invention of synthetic ruby has not debased the value of natural ruby, basically because the two can be distinguished. In like manner, the invention of cultured pearls and their production in huge numbers (despite the fact that oysters do make them) has not debased the value of real natural pearls, again basically because the two can be distinguished. Thus even if beautiful diamond gemstones were to be synthesized, as long as scientific tests can distinguish these from the natural mined gems, we believe the latter will maintain their value. Such perfect synthetic diamonds could, of course, command good prices for manufacture of diamond cutting tools; and if such new large diamonds were made, then surely new uses would soon be found. There is, therefore, every inducement to seek to create strong gem-quality synthetics.

A much greater inducement is the strategic one. For, as things are, practically all the great industrial countries (other than the U.S.S.R. now) are non-producers and therefore are dependent on import from abroad. Stockpiling for military strategy is therefore incumbent. If good strong large synthetics become a possibility, then this grave strategic deficit would be remedied.