[Rockhounds] Scientists create diamonds at room temperature in minutes

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Diamonds
<https://cnn.com/style/article/diamonds-from-sky-scli-intl-gbr/index.html>might
be forever, but that doesn't mean they have to take eons to form.
The gemstones are usually created after carbon is crushed and heated far
beneath the Earth's surface over billions of years -- which is what makes
them so coveted.
Now, scientists in Australia say they have sped up the process into just a
matter of minutes -- and at room temperature.
An international team of researchers led by the Australian National
University (ANU) and RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia said Wednesday
they have created two types of diamond at room temperature by using high
pressure equivalent to 640 African elephants balancing on the tip of a
ballet shoe.
The researchers said they were able to create two types of structurally
distinct diamonds -- one similar to those typically worn in jewelery, and
another type called Lonsdaleite, which is found naturally at the site of
meteorite impacts and is harder than most diamonds.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/world/diamonds-room-temperature-scli-intl-scn/index.html