The origin of the first lab-grown diamonds were by a team of scientists at General Electric (GE) led by H. Tracy Hall. Hall and his team used a process called high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) to grow diamonds. HPHT involves heating and pressurising carbon in a sealed chamber until it forms a diamond crystal.
Other early pioneers of lab-grown diamonds include:
- Theodore H. Moissan: A French chemist who discovered the mineral moissanite itn 1893. Moissan also experimented with growing diamonds in the laboratory, but he was not successful.
- Sir William Crookes: An English physicist who experimented with growing diamonds in the laboratory in the early 1900s. Crookes was able to grow small diamonds, but they were not of gem quality.
- Otto Ruff: A German chemist who experimented with growing diamonds in the laboratory in the early 1900s. Ruff was able to grow larger diamonds than Crookes, but they were still not of gem quality.
