“Can you make a synthetic diamond from tequila?” In this pun-worthy moment, we take our best shot—literally.
In an effort to stand out in a crowd of attention-getters at the Met Gala, the makers of 1800 Tequila collaborated with Toronto jewelry designer Jonathan Raksha (best known for his custom grillz) to create a synthetic diamond and sapphire brooch. The centerpiece, a 5-carat, emerald-cut synthetic diamond, is reportedly made from 1800 Cristalina Tequila.
As a gem news–worthy magazine, we just had to fall deep into the bottle. So we asked some top-shelf synthetic diamond experts: Is this really possible?
Turns out, the answer is: Yes! (We’ll toast to that.)
Tequila
Tequila is made from the blue agave plant, specifically the heart of the plant called the piña. The process involves baking the piña, extracting the juice, fermenting it, and then distilling the fermented liquid. Fermentation is what converts sugars into alcohol—ethanol, to be precise.
Synthetic Diamond from Tequila
Fermented sugars yield ethanol (C₂H₅OH) and water. To make synthetic diamond—typically via chemical vapor deposition (CVD)—you need methane (CH₄), which contains the same carbon base. So the trick is converting ethanol into methane.
We reached out to 1800 Tequila and Maison Raksha to learn more about the origin of this diamond, but haven’t heard back yet. So while we can’t independently verify that this stone was indeed grown from tequila, for the sake of fun (and science), let’s assume the promotional claim holds water—er, alcohol.
Synthetic Diamond Yield from Ethanol
We connected with Malay Hirani, Chief Technology Officer at SONI CVD Diamonds, who confirmed: it is possible to create synthetic diamonds using ethanol—but only after it’s thermally cracked into methane.
“Ethanol will undergo thermal cracking in the CVD chamber, making methane, ethylene, COx, etc.,” says Hirani. “Ultimately, CH₄ is what we need to make single-crystal diamond.”
Hirani also explained that ethanol is less efficient than direct methane gas. “Using Tequila to grow the diamond is not the norm, as you can imagine. 99% growth of CVD is done by methane, as CH4 can be purified with > 99.999% purity. This is what is required to grow colourless diamond.”
Here’s how the math shakes out:
- Molar mass of ethanol (C₂H₅OH): 46.07 g/mol
- Carbon content per mole: 2 × 12.01 g = 24.02 g
- Conversion efficiency: Estimated between 0.1% and 0.5%
At 0.5% efficiency:
- 1 g of diamond → 200 g carbon
- 200 g carbon × (46.07 g ethanol / 24.02 g carbon) ≈ 384 g ethanol
At 0.1% efficiency:
- 1 g of diamond → 1,000 g carbon
- 1,000 g carbon × (46.07 / 24.02) ≈ 1,919 g ethanol
“Depending on the efficiency,” says Hirani, “you’d need approximately 384 to 1,919 grams of ethanol to grow 1 gram (or 5 carats) of diamond.”
Pass Me a Bottle!
A typical bottle of tequila contains 750 ml (0.75 liters). But that’s only 40% alcohol by volume (ABV), so you’re working with 300 ml of ethanol per bottle.
Rough vs. Cut Weight
Since cutting a diamond often results in a 50% loss from rough to finished stone, you’ll need about 2 grams of rough to end up with a polished 5-carat emerald cut.
So, how much tequila are we talking?
- At 0.1% efficiency: ≈ 12.16 liters of tequila = ≈ 16 bottles
- At 0.5% efficiency: ≈ 2.44 liters = just 3 bottles
Not exactly a diamond in every drink, but hey—it got out attention!
Special thanks to Branko Deljanin, BrankoGems,
and Malay Hirani from SONI CVD Diamonds
for help in the research for this story.
