Diamonds are Forever… when you’re a SCYTHE!

Here’s a brief glimpse into a moment of world-building – and how much attention to detail I put in… sometimes to an absurd extreme, but hey, it works.

So… I’m working on the Scythe prequel, and I need to figure out how they ended up with hundreds of thousands of scythe diamonds.

Who made them, when were they made, and why doesn’t anyone know how to make them anymore?

I did a ton of research into man-made diamonds.

• How they’re made, how technology has advanced, and what kinds of machines make them.

• How much do those machines cost?

• How much capital would a person need to start a business making synthetic diamonds, and what are the various types and qualities?

And I discovered that, yes, it’s possible to put something in the core of a synthetic diamond! So there IS science behind the Scythe diamonds!

It’s just a slight push – a tiny extrapolation to turn what’s real into what’s speculative.

Check out what it takes to create a synthetic diamond here: A giant machine, to make a teeny, tiny diamond. And it takes weeks of heat and pressure! https://www.gemsociety.org/article/lab-grown-diamond-production-methods/

So, based on the cost of the machines, and the value of the diamonds they create – if you invested 100% of your profit into purchasing new machines, how long until you had 100 diamonds? 200? 300?

To see the scythe diamond production chart I came up with AND more world-building thoughts, power up your subscription! (You knew that was coming, right?) Seriously, though – all paid subscription money goes to swag and other goodies for subscribers, and to pay my social media team, who takes care of the logistics so that I can interact directly with all of you! The latest gift for first-tier subscribers is an autographed ALL BETTER NOW bookplate. (Inner circle gets a complimentary signed copy of all new books the week they’re published).