003 - Diffusion confusion

Some near-colourless HPHT lab-grown diamonds have electrical conductivity and so will test as the diamond imitation "synthetic moissanite" instead of diamond using a number of diamond testers. At this period of time... this is not common knowledge so come learn all about it on this podcast episode.

There is lots to learn about diffusion treatments in corundum and one thing that does not help matters is the terminology that is used; surface diffusion, lattice diffusion, bulk diffusion? In this week episode Julia discusses these terms and why she uses none of them.

In this episode, we focus on the The Sapphire Gemfields of Queensland, Australia, and also discuss the extraordinary depths of ancient riverbeds deposits as well as the processes of mining these sapphires.

Have you ever wondered how so much pressure can be applied to the reaction cell in HPHT diamond synthesis? I did... In this first ever episode of The Gem Show, we explore the importance of pyrophyllite in the HPHT diamond synthesis process... and how this throws into question the marketing of some lab-grown diamond retailers.