According
to the Americans it still costs too much to produce for the thing to be
a commercial proposition, but in time . . . Here's Dr. Custers: you'd
better ask him."
Dr.
J. F. H. Custers is what South Africans carefully call a Hollander, to
distinguish him from those among themselves who are descended from
Dutch settlers. In other words, he himself comes from Holland. He is
joint director of the laboratory, in charge of physical research. My
companion said, "We were just going to ask you what you think about the
General Electric diamond. It's in your line of country, Dr. Custers,
so what do you think?"
Dr.
Custers said, speaking slowly and impressively, "I? I think—they have
made a diamond." He smiled. His eyebrows lifted over his rimless
spectacles. He looked attentive.
"But can they produce their diamonds in bulk?" I asked.
"That's one of many things that remain to be seen," he said, and looked attentive again.
After
a pause, my guide suddenly reverted to philosophy, and said, "Well,
after all, if it comes to that, what are we getting so excited about?
What's the world stirred up about? A diamond is just carbon, when you
come down to definitions."
"No,"
said Dr. Custers. "No. There are many things about it we don't
understand: it is not just carbon." He spoke with great intensity.
"Diamond is a very interesting mineral, quite apart from the
qualities for which we value it. Here we are always trying to discover
why it behaves as it does. We think we're on the way to finding some of
the answers, and this General Electric experimentation no doubt takes
us a long way on the road. Yes, it is a really exciting development."
We continued on the tour, and I was shown some of the
