The Diamond Foundry researchers spent years developing a new manufacturing technique based on a plasma source with a new “shape” that is 10 times as powerful as what has previously been used by the manufacturers of synthetic diamonds, Roscheisen said.
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Since starring in the film Blood Diamond, DiCaprio has been active in related activism agains the industry, which has been greatly criticized for child labor and its impact on the environment. A small portion of a natural diamond is used as a base in order to grow new layers on top of the crystal for new diamonds to form.
Its new approach makes it possible to “culture” diamonds at a cost that is on par with the best naturally occurring gems, according to the company’s founders.
The company claims it discovered a plasma that allows atoms to attach themselves to the thin slice of Earth-extracted diamonds.
As a matter of fact, the company has already closed three rounds of financing from DiCaprio, Twitter/Medium founder Evan Williams, Zynga founder Mark Pincus, One Kings Lane cofounder Alison Pincus, SUN Microsystems founder Andreas Bechtolsheim, Facebook cofounder Andrew McCollum, former Facebook COO Owen van Natta, Marc Benioff’s private-investment manager Mark Goldstein, Sequoia Capital’s David Spector, former eBay President Jeff Skoll, Scott Banister, Vast Ventures, and many others, Daily Mail noted.
DiCaprio, who starred in “Blood Diamond”, has become an activist against the diamond industry, which has received a lot of bad press for its negative environmental impact and child labor.
Diamond Foundry’s method seems to be a combination of HPHT and CVD, said McManus.
‘Diamonds are born from a fiery heat, so we set out to create a plasma of unprecedented energy density, ‘ the company vaguely explained in a recent interview. The diamonds are grown in reactor that reaches temperatures of 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to Roscheisen, the new process will make it possible to manufacture large quantities of so-called IIa diamond, a pure white material that represents 1 percent to 2 percent of all natural diamonds.
So far, the largest diamond created in the lab weighs nine carats.
The startup said the price point is comparable to traditional diamonds, but that it can be more or less based on market conditions.
On Wednesday, a group of engineers and scientists, led by a founder of Nanosolar, Martin Roscheisen, announced that it has developed an advanced approach to making diamonds, using technology derived in part from making silicon chips and solar cells.
In terms of quality, diamonds are rated by something called the GIA, which examines color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.
So, how can Diamond Foundry make hundreds of diamonds in just two weeks?
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“Diamond Foundry was founded with the goal of reinventing the $100B diamond industry from “mine to finger” by setting a new standard for social and environmental good”, the company said on its website.
