Natural gemstones are sometimes mined in deep, dangerous places for people; it takes a lot of time and effort to find, extract and cut them, which makes the already rather big prices for them even higher. At the same time, synthetic gemstones are exactly the same in their physical and chemical characteristics as the originals, but much less effort is expended on their production.
Instructions
Step 1
There are quite a few ways to grow precious stones, but the simplest and most accessible of them is the Auguste Verneuil method. More than a hundred years ago, he came up with a way to grow rubies weighing 20-30 carats (4-6 grams) in two to three hours.
Step 2
The method of growing Verneuil stones is as follows: hydrogen is supplied to the burner with a downward nozzle through the outer pipe, and oxygen through the inner pipe. You will also need alumina powder to make rubies. Your device should start with a funnel, where you will pour oxide, which in a few hours will become a jewel. Directly under the funnel is a burner with pipes connected to it, through which oxygen and hydrogen are supplied. There should be a container below where your ruby will grow. The device, of course, must be stable, and the part where the burner is located must be isolated.
Step 3
Using the Verneuil method, you can grow not only rubies, but also topaz of various colors. In recent years, the cultivation of synthetic stones "in the kitchen" is gaining popularity, so if at first it seems to you that it is too difficult to construct such an apparatus, remember that the scientist managed to assemble it a hundred years ago.
Step 4
Another popular way to grow synthetic gem crystals is the Czochralski method, but you need a laboratory to do it. Its essence is as follows: the melt of the substance from which you want to obtain precious stones is placed in a crucible made of a refractory metal - rhodium, iridium, molybdenum, tungsten. The crucible is then heated in a high-frequency inductor. A seed made of the material of the future crystal is dipped into the alloy, and a stone of the required diameter is grown on it synthetically. With this method, you can get synthetic crystals of corundum or garnet.
