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Diamond Deception, The
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Program Overview
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Today science is closing in on an impossible dream: the ability to manufacture
gem-quality diamonds in a few days, instead of the billions of years required
by nature. These synthetic diamonds are such good copies of the real thing that
they not only have the identical atomic structure but can even replicate their
flaws. Even the most sophisticated machines can scarcely distinguish the
difference. More important, these diamonds can be made and sold at a handsome
profit.
In "Diamond Deception," NOVA dramatizes the breakneck battle in the 1950s
as a team at General Electric beat its rivals to synthesize the first
industrial diamonds. Then the show explores today's race to produce the first
artificial gem-quality stones. Surprisingly, crucial breakthroughs have been
made with primitive-looking equipment in makeshift labs in Russia and China.
These unlikely pioneers are now closing in on their goal of producing bigger
stones with fewer flaws and perfect coloration. Their efforts threaten the
centuries-old monopoly of De Beers and may transform the marketing of the
world's most desirable gem.
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