The Diamond Makers

by Robert M. Hazen

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.

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Geology, Nonfiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Robert M. Hazen, Senior Research Scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Geophysical Laboratory and the Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Science at George Mason University, received the B.S. and S.M. in geology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1971), and the Ph.D. at Harvard University in earth science (1975). The Past President of the Mineralogical Society of America, Hazen’s recent research focuses on the possible roles of minerals in the origin of life. He is also Principal Investigator of the Deep Carbon Observatory.

Reviews

[cellomerl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll have to read this again someday. I read it years ago and I still think about it.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of this book. The reserch and interest the author has in this type of science is clear and makes it a rewarding read. The science of high pressures and the and the race to create the first man made diamonds was surprisingly exciting to read about. The last few chapters on the future of diamonds in our everyday life is something that intrigues me and I know I'm going to get lost in a Google search later on reading more about this.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cool book covering the history of diamond making and high temperature and pressure research. It is well written and not to technical. The interplay between the scientists is very interesting and some of the things they did to make diamonds are just nutty.