The Diamond Makers

by Robert M. Hazen

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521654746
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/22/1999
Edition description:	Revised Edition
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.59(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Prologue; 1. Mysteries; 2. Attempts; 3. The legacy of Percy Bridgman; 4. Baltzar von Platen and the incredible diamond machine; 5. The crystals of Loring Coes; 6. Project Superpressure; 7. Breakthrough; 8. Secrets; 9. Risky business; 10. The rivals; 11. The new diamond makers: diamond by explosion; 12. The new diamond makers: diamonds from a vapor; 13. The diamond breakers; Epilogue.

Editorial Reviews

"Utterly absorbing...Hazen makes the story profoundly exciting, conveying the scientific passion of the researchers....It's a gem." The Washington Post

"Glittering prize....Read it and spread the word." New Scientist

"Hazen tells the very interesting and gripping story of the manufacture of artificial diamonds in this find book." Choice

"...illustrate[s] some of the best attributes of science writing..." Bloomsbury Review

"...a first-class, fascinatingly well written history of the exciting developments that led to the creation of diamonds even from peanut butter." Science Books & Films

"Robert Hazen's The Diamond Makers is a compelling, nontechnical narrative covering centuries of history related to diamond, centered mostly around brilliant, often eccentric and controversial pioneers of research at high pressures...The Diamond Makers is the first mahor publication to cover the whole period from the human point of view, while maintaining scientific integrity...Hazen gives a thorough and exciting account of the history of diamonds and the efforts to synthesize them...As one of the surviving diamond-makers, I an able to vouch for the thorough and open-minded interviews Hazen conducted." Physics Today

"this book will appeal to the interested layperson...It was immensely satisfying to be able to put their entire story on context and have it come alive through Hazen's book." American Mineralogist

"There is virtually no way that The Diamond Makers could miss being an excellent work of great interest to geologists, mineralogists, gemologists, and science historians as well as the layman who enjoys a good read...a fascinating book...The story of diamond synthesis research is so excitingly told that any lay-person, even relatively young ones, would have a hard time putting it down once started and by the time he or she gets to the last page they will have painlessly picked up a lot of science and, most important, have come to realize that science can be pretty exciting stuff." Earth Sciences History

From the Publisher