A U.K.-based venture called Skydiamond plans to produce “the world’s first and only diamonds made entirely from the sky.”
Entrepreneur Dale Vince has “created the ultimate way to take carbon out of the sky and turn it into something enduring and beautiful – a fully certified diamond – recognised by the International Gemological Institute – just like those mined from the ground,” according to a press release. Vince is best known as the founder of green energy provider Ecotricity.
Vince and his team in Stroud, Gloucestershire, have spent over five years perfecting a process to turn atmospheric carbon into diamonds at their sky mining facility, according to the release. The carbon used to make the diamonds is taken from the atmosphere, wind and sun provide all the energy, and the water used is captured rain.
The diamonds will be available to preorder for exclusive collaborations from early next year. Details will be available here.
“Skydiamond is not just the world’s very first zero impact diamond — it’s also carbon negative, making the air cleaner,” according to the release.
The company added: “Skydiamonds are physically and chemically identical to Earth-mined diamonds, and, because of the purity of the ingredients and the unique production process, are of the highest quality. Production will be strictly limited making these stones the rarest diamonds on the planet.”
Vince said:
“Making diamonds from nothing more than the sky, from the air we breathe, is a magical, evocative idea — it’s modern alchemy. It’s industry fit for the 21st Century – going beyond low or even zero emissions – our new process puts back air that is cleaner than we take out – we have negative emissions. This is a new benchmark.
“We need to live more sustainably in all aspects of life. Too often that looks difficult.
Skydiamonds demonstrate a vital truth – living a greener life is not about giving stuff up, it’s about doing things differently. We don’t need to mine the earth to have diamonds, we can mine the sky – using technology to turn something we have too much of into something we like to have.
“This is what the Green Industrial Revolution looks like. A new way of doing things.”
Vince launched Ecotricity in 1995 and now powers more than 200,000 homes and businesses with 100 percent renewable energy from the wind and sun, according to the release. He is also chairman of Forest Green Rovers — “recognised by the United Nations and FIFA as the world’s greenest football club, which was the first to go vegan in 2015.”