This British man can pluck diamonds out of thin air

Diamonds are esteemed to be the rarest and the most precious stones on the planet and according to poet and writer Victor Hugo, they are found only in the dark bowels of the earth. But now a British millionaire businessman claims he can create diamonds out of thin air, quite literally.

Green energy tycoon, Dale Vince, dubbed Britain's wealthiest hippy, has struck upon a gem of a ‘green' idea that will produce the precious stone that he dubs as ‘‘Sky Diamonds’.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Vince said diamonds were originally formed billions of years ago due to intense heat and pressure that cause carbon atoms to crystallise in the earth’s crust and mining for these precious stones causes environmental damage.

His new concept involves sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with a machine, which is then liquefied, purified, and mixed with hydrogen obtained from rainwater.

The carbon dioxide and hydrogen are converted into methane gas. This is then pumped on to ‘diamond seeds’ – 5-7mm square thin pieces of a diamond – at temperatures of around 8,000°C, in Vince’s laboratory in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Vince says his laboratory is currently capable of producing around 200 carats of diamonds a month.

The eco entrepreneur’s precious stones have been recognised by the International Gemological Institute and are expected to fetch the same price as natural diamonds.

Vince, 59, is an award-winning environmentalist and has been a green entrepreneur for more than 25 years. He is the founder of Ecotricity and also the chairman of English football club, Forest Green Rovers FC. Currently, he is Climate Champion of the UN’s Sports for Climate Action initiative – which aims to bring sporting clubs and fans together to fight climate change.

• UK