Diamond is composed of carbon and is the hardest substance in nature. It is an allotrope of amorphous carbon, graphite, carbon fiber, fullerene, carbon nanotube, graphene and other materials. According to different formation conditions, diamond can be divided into natural diamond and artificial diamond. The appearance, physical properties and chemical properties of the two are exactly the same, the difference is that the diamonds produced in the laboratory are usually small in size (currently the large particle manufacturing technology has been broken through), and the cost is low, the price is one-tenth of the natural diamond. The high cost of natural diamond mining, small reserves, and its non-renewable nature cannot be widely used in industrial production.
Diamond is often classified according to its nitrogen content and spectral characteristics, and is divided into two types: type I and type II, which are further subdivided into types Ia, Ib and IIa, IIb. Since the color of diamond is controlled by impurity elements and lattice defects inside the crystal, the type of diamond is often closely related to its color. For example, natural type Ia diamond is usually colorless, brown, pink or violet; natural type Ib diamond is usually Brown, yellow or orange; natural type IIb diamonds are usually sky blue.
2. The development history of my country's diamond industry
China's diamond industry started relatively late, and the industry has developed rapidly. At present, China's diamond manufacturing equipment has a competitive advantage in terms of technological content, diamond output and price in the world. The development of China's diamond industry has mainly experienced the exploration and development stage, the stable development stage, the rapid development stage and the high-speed development stage.
- Exploration and development stage (1963-1968)
In 1966, China's synthetic diamond output exceeded 10,000 carats, which was an important step in the development of the synthetic diamond industry.
- Stable development stage (1969-1991)
In 1971, China's synthetic diamond output exceeded 1 million carats for the first time, and the synthetic diamond industry entered a stage of stable development;
In 1984, China's synthetic diamond production exceeded 10 million carats, and the industry's development gradually accelerated.
- Rapid development stage (1992-2010)
In 2000, China's synthetic diamond output reached 1.2 billion carats, which were exported to 30 countries, and its competitiveness in the international market gradually increased;
From 2000 to 2010, China's synthetic diamond industry was in a period of rapid growth, and the scale of production expanded rapidly, and the number of export countries and regions reached more than 60.
- High-speed development stage (2011-present)
In 2011, the output of synthetic diamond exceeded 10 billion carats, the proportion of output in the international market continued to increase, and the industry continued to develop at a high speed;
At the end of 2017, China's synthetic diamond production accounted for more than 90% of the world's total output, and China occupies an important position in the international synthetic diamond market;
In 2018, China's synthetic diamond production was stable at between 14 billion carats and 16 billion carats. The scale of downstream applications continued to expand, and the industry was still in a stage of rapid development.