Diamond Armor

A diamond is created when an object with carbon is put under really intense pressure. This usually takes millions of years. Thus one of the reasons they are so expensive. However a team of scientists headed by Tracy Hall,( working under GE: general electric) found a way to create diamonds in a matter of hours, with one hell of a press. These synthetic diamonds are the real deal. Under inspection they match up to their costly counter parts perfectly (including strength). Even certified diamond inspectors cannot tell them apart. The only difference is price. Synthetic diamonds are priced higher than a fake diamond such as cubic zirconia, but half the price of a geo-diamond. Any object that contains carbon can be put into the press to create a diamond (finally we can get rid of those landfills).
Now that I've given you a quicky on synthetic diamonds let me get to the point. The point is what if this technology was used to create diamond armor. No I don't mean stick a bunch of diamonds on a shirt rhinestone cowboy style. Basically it would be diamond-Kevlar suits. Think about how strong a diamond is. Its the hardest substance known to exist. Modern projectile resistant armor (Kevlar) does a decent job of protecting people, but it has many flaws, and is not 100% in saving lives. The stronger they make the Kevlar, the stronger the bullets get. Also the current armor is bulky, making it hard to perform tasks, and it slows the wearer down, making them vulnerable.
Kevlar suits are fibers that are crisscrossed at many different angles, on several layers. Which makes it really strong. If you did that with diamonds you could make a lighter suit, as it would take way less layers, and it would be many many many times stronger.
To create the suit you would need to put a fitting on the press that you could use to make diamond thread. The thread could then be woven just as the Kevlar armor is. Diamonds obviously aren't very flexible, so other materials would have to be woven into the suit. Or another application for this material would be for armored vehicles. Military, or citizen.

Well just something to think about (powers that be). If I had the money I would make some. Would save lots of lives.

The World's Most Expensive Hat

Here we see actress Alicia Witt modeling the $2,700,000 "Champrau d'Amour" (Hat of Love), by renown hat designer Louis Mariette, at Christie's in London. The hat is covered entirely in dazzling diamonds and inspired by entwined ivy and bluebells. The hat is part of a private collection, and is not for sale. Boo hoo. People sure like to pay a lot for ugly things. Rip off the feathers and it's a crappily made top hat for a gay leprechaun.

World's Most Expensive Purse

Mouawad's "1001 Nights Diamond Purse" displayed at the Doha Jewelery and Watches Exhibition on Feb. 20, has set a record as the world's most expensive handbag.

The House Of Mouawad have created the "1001 Nights" diamond purse. Handcrafted from 18KT gold, with 4,517 diamonds at a total carat weight of 381.92 this purse took 10 artisans 1,100 hours to construct. Dubai based designer Mouawad is also known for his diamond bra he created for Victoria's Secret.

As a dude I don't like to be near purses. I won't even carry one of those "man purses" or any type of bag. Of course I hold my wife's purse when she needs me to out of politeness. I still don't like it though. My rule is if it doesn't fit into my pockets then I don't need to bring it with me. However at the cost of $3.8 million I would carry this thing with me everywhere. I'm not letting it out of my site.

It's So Sparkly

The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-grade diamond ever discovered in known existence. The 3,106.75 carat diamond was discovered in 1905 by the superintendent of the "Premiere Mine" in South Africa by Mr. Frederick Wells during a routine inspection. The story goes:

Mr. Frederick Wells states that his attention was drawn to something reflecting rays of the setting sun. Curious, he paused for a closer look. He was eighteen feet below the surface of the earth, and the shiny object was on the steep wall of the mine just a few feet above him. Mr. Wells quickly scaled the wall and extracted what looked to be a large diamond crystal. At first, he thought he was being fooled by a large piece of glass, but tests proved it to be the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered. It weighed about 1⅓ pounds with a carat weight of 3,106 tcw. It was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, who opened the mine and had been visiting on that eventful day.

The diamond was presented to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday (November 9th,1907). The king then had it cut up into pieces by Asscher's Diamond Co. in Amsterdam. It produced 9 large pieces, and over 96 smaller pieces. All of which were mounted, and made into jewelry and ornamentation for the royal family. The largest of the 9: the "Cullinan I" was placed on the Sovereign Royal Scepter. The 2nd largest: the "Cullinan II" was placed on the Imperial State Crown. The 3rd largest: the "Cullinan III" was placed on Queen Mary's crown, and can be worn with the "Cullinan IV" as a pendant-brooch. The rest of the diamonds have been worn as different pieces by members of the British royal family throughout the years.

People are still in search of a larger diamond, but to date there have been only false alarms and scams. Maybe there is one out there somewhere. After all who just gives away their largest diamond?