In A First, Scientists Create Diamond Using Elements From Red Peonies

Scientists in China have claimed that have created a lab-grown diamond using carbon elements derived from red peony flowers. The diamond was unveiled on Wednesday in Luoyang, Henan province, by Luoyang Time Promise Co, a company that specializes in artificial diamonds.

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Diamonds from red peony flowers

According to a report in the China Daily, this is the world¡¯s first diamond made from peony-derived carbon elements.

The 3-carat diamond was sourced from red peonies from the National Flower Garden in Luoyang and has been donated to the Luoyang National Peony Garden.

In March, the peony garden had cooperated with the company and used a nearly 50-year-old peony to carry out the diamond cultivation through a complex process.

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How the diamond was created

¡°The diamond is valued at 300,000 yuan (Rs 34.6 lakhs). It is cultivated from peonies using our biogenic carbon extraction technology, subjected to high temperature and pressure, and then cultivated,¡± Wang Jing, the CEO of Luoyang Time Promise Co, said.

According to Luoyang Time Promise Co, although the technology used to turn peony-derived carbon elements into diamonds is a fairly complex one, the Chinese company revealed that carbon elements from various sources (hair, bones, and even flowers) are extracted in a specially designed device that breaks the chemical bonds between the extracted carbon atoms.

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Then, those elements are recombined into a diamond structure and the actual diamond is formed.

What are lab-grown diamonds

According to the International Gem Society, lab-grown diamonds have the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as natural diamonds but with greater affordability and ethical sourcing. Lab-grown diamonds were first produced by General Electric (GE) in the 1950s.

While they are 'real diamonds that are made by scientists who recreate the same circumstances used by nature, lab-grown diamonds are comparatively cheaper and take only a few months to form instead of millions of years taken by natural diamonds.

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