Luminescent diamond

A method for making luminescent diamond comprising subjecting a volume of precursor diamond grains in the presence of a pressure transfer media to a high-pressure/high-temperature condition at an elevated temperature greater than about 900° C. and a pressure greater than about 3.0 GPa to cause the diamond grains to undergo plastic deformation to produce nitrogen vacancy defects in the diamond grains,

• wherein the pressure transfer media is placed adjacent the volume of diamond grains before the high-pressure/high-temperature condition,
• wherein the pressure transfer media is selected from the group consisting of chlorides, carbonates, nitrates, sulfates, phosphates, chlorates, perchlorates, acetates, chromates, oxalates, sulfides, ammonium compounds, hydroxides, oxides, cyanides, cyanates, dichromates, halides, and combinations thereof,
• wherein a resulting diamond material displays a level of luminescence intensity in one or combinations of violet-blue, blue, red, and green wavelength spectrums that is greater than that of the precursor diamond grains, and
• wherein the resulting diamond material is free of intercrystalline bonded diamond.

A luminescent diamond material comprising diamond particles that are mechanically interlocked together and combined with a pressure transfer media,

• wherein the luminescent diamond material is made by a high-pressure/high-temperature process, wherein a temperature of the high-pressure/high-temperature process is about 2200° C. and a pressure of the high-pressure/high-temperature process is from about 7.3 GPa to about 7.7 GPa,
• wherein the diamond particles include diamond grains that have undergone plastic deformation,
• wherein the luminescent diamond material displays a level of luminescence intensity in one or more combinations of blue, violet-blue, red, or green wavelength spectrums that is greater than that of a precursor diamond material used to form the luminescent diamond material,
• wherein the diamond particles are free of intercrystalline bonded diamond,
• wherein the luminescent diamond material comprises greater than about 20 percent by volume diamond and greater than about 5 percent by volume pressure transfer media based on the total volume of the luminescent diamond material,
• wherein the pressure transfer media comprises a non-catalyst material that does not promote intercrystalline diamond bonding during the high-pressure/high-temperature process, and wherein the non-catalyst material is a chloride,
• wherein the luminescent diamond material comprises approximately 8 percent by weight magnesium carbonate, and
• wherein the diamond grains have an average grain size of about 2 μm.