The Naked Scientists

Naked Scientists Podcast

Subscribe via itunes,yahoo or google < Previous Show | Next Show >
27th Apr 2008

The Sparkling Science of Gemstones


Helen Scales

Chris Smith

Stunning sapphires, dazzling diamonds and red rubies abound in this week's sparkling edition of the Naked Scientists in which we find out how gemstones are formed, what makes them so beautiful and why they're so rare.  We also reveal the tricks used by experts to flush out fake stones, and discover how synthetic diamonds can make better lasers, more powerful electronics, sweeter tweeters and cutting-edge scalpels.  Plus, why a mongoose could be your best friend in a minefield, how a good breakfast leads to more male births and, in Kitchen Science, how to grow some beautiful crystals at home!

Listen NowDownload as MP3 Podcast Enhanced Podcast, with pictures and chaptersMP3 Podcast.
Transcript Go back Vote for Us

Digg Thisfacebookdel.icio.usNetscapeRedditFarkStumbleuponNewsvineYahoo! My WebFurlMagnoliaSquidoo

Science News

Best tool to find explosives? Mine's a mongoose!

Engineers in Sri Lanka have come up with a cheap but effective way to locate landmines - a mongoose tethered to a robot! Landmines are a serious problem.  The United Nations estimates that there...

Is it one of your favourite things?

If raindrops on roses are some of your favourite things, then here is some news for you. A study has come out this week that reveals why it is that drops of water cling to rose petals in that most bea...

It's on the tip of my tongue - and that's where it'll stay if you're not careful

The claim that we learn from our mistakes would appear to be wrong, according to a new study from Canada.McMaster University researchers Karin Humphreys and Amy Warriner, writing in the Quarterly Jour...

Cornflakes for boys

We know that many reptiles like crocodiles can choose the sex of their offspring by controlling the temperature their eggs are incubated at. And now it has been revealed that human mothers might also ...

Kitchen Science

Crystals on a piece of wool


Make some strange crystals on a piece of string with things you would find at home.

Question of the Week

Running Out of Oil

When will the worlds oil reserves run dry?


Interviews

Sparkling Science

Ian Mercer, Gemological Association of Great Britain

Detecting a Dodgy Diamond

Philip Martineau, Diamond Trading Company

Diamonds in Industry

Chris Wort, Element 6

Questions

Can you programme robots to smell out landmines?


Chimps are supposed to have 99% of the same DNA as humans. Us humans have to cut and maintain our toenails and fingernails. Do chimpanzees have to do this?


How do geodes sparkle and why do they?


Edinburgh is built on a huge block of granite and you said that gems can often be found in granite. Why aren’t we looking to Edinburgh as the gem Mecca of the north?


What is tanzanite? Apparently it comes from only Tanzania which is why it’s so rare. Is this true?


I saw iolite in a jeweller’s window recently. It was a mauve coloured stone but I’ve never heard of it before. What is it?


The Sparkling Science of Gemstones - More about this podcast

A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds and gemstones are the subject of this week's glittering Naked Scientists show.  Whether you find them in ear rings, engagement rings, drill bits, computers or even on the soles of your shoes, we'll be studying the sparkling science of diamonds, rubies, opals, sapphire, amethyst...

Forged in the centre of the Earth


A slightly misshapen octahedral diamond crystal in matrix.Gemstones have many remarkable properties, but that's hardly surprising considering the conditions it takes to form them!  There are generally only 2 places diamonds can be made - in the mantle below continental plates or at the site of a meteorite collision.  But what exactly does it take to make a diamond, and what's really happening?  Ian Mercer, from the Gemological Association, will join us in the studio to explain how these peculiar conditions conspire to make some amazing minerals...

Dodgy Diamonds


As the conditions to form diamonds are so rare, and the diamonds so desirable, it's hardly any wonder that people resort to fakery.  Cubic zirconia and cut glass both have the sparkle, but not the quality.  So how do you spot a fake?  Meera visited De Beers in London, to test out their forgery-spotting process, and find out a bit more about how  to make beautiful jewellery.

Diamonds(Diamond) Cutting Edge Technology


Diamonds aren't just for decoration - their unique physical properties mean they have a whole host of different applications.  If you can manufacture diamonds, you can take advantage of their properties for truly cutting edge technology.  Element 6 make diamonds for use in electonic components, as windows for high-powered lasers and even to make super-sharp scalpels!  Chris Wort will join us to explain how it's done...




- Naked Scientists Science Radio Show Home - Who are The Naked Scientists
- Information about Naked Scientists - Interviews with Famous Scientists - Latest Science Radio Show
- Experiments to do at Home - Naked Science Articles - Archived Podcasts - Science Discussion Forum
- Science Book Reviews - Answers to Questions - Fact or Fiction Quiz
- Naked Scientists Contact Details - Search Naked Scientists Online - Receive Naked Scientists Podcasts

Click here for the Naked Scientists PODCAST

The contents of this site are © The Naked Scientists® 2000-2008. The Naked Scientists® and Naked Science® are registered trademarks.