Henri Lemoine
Encyclopedia
Henri Lemoine was a French
fraudster who claimed to be able to produce synthetic diamond
s.
In 1905 Lemoine contacted Sir Julius Wernher
, British banker and one of the governors of De Beers
Diamond Mines. He said he had discovered a process to produce gem-sized diamond
s from coal
and agreed to sell his invention if Wernher would be willing to invest to further his research. He invited Wernher to his laboratory in Paris to witness the process. Wernher took Francis Oats, a De Beers executive, and two other associates with him.
Lemoine invited his guests in and left the room; moments later he reappeared naked, to prove that he was not concealing any diamonds in his clothing. He mixed a number of substances including iron filings and coal into a small crucible
, showed the mixture to his guests, and placed it into a furnace in the center of the room.
After fifteen minutes, Lemoine removed the hot crucible and let it cool. Then he picked a pair of tweezers and took out about twenty small, well-formed diamonds. Oats examined the diamonds and demanded that Lemoine repeat the procedure. He did so successfully.
Wernher offered to pay Lemoine to develop his invention if he would keep it a secret. Lemoine agreed and promised him an option to buy his secret formula, which he deposited in a London bank deposit box.
For the next three years, Sir Julius sent Lenoine a total of £64,000. Lemoine promised to build a factory to duplicate diamonds; actually he just took a picture of an electric plant in southern France and sent it to Sir Julius.
In 1908 a Persian jeweller revealed that he had sold Lemoine small diamonds that matched the description of the diamonds Lemoine had shown during the first demonstration. Lemoine was indicted for fraud.
In court, Lemoine continued to claim that his process was genuine but was unable to duplicate it for the judges. The secret formula was unsealed by a court order; it was a mixture of powdered carbon and sugar. Before the court could agree on his guilt, Lemoine left the country for parts unknown.
, in which he spoofs the writing styles of several fellow French authors. The overall theme is Lemoine, his fraud and its outcome. Proust, himself, lost considerable money on the scheme.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
fraudster who claimed to be able to produce synthetic diamond
Synthetic diamond
Synthetic diamond is diamond produced in a technological process; as opposed to natural diamond, which is created in geological processes. Synthetic diamond is also widely known as HPHT diamond or CVD diamond, denoting the production method, High-Pressure High-Temperature synthesis and Chemical...
s.
In 1905 Lemoine contacted Sir Julius Wernher
Julius Wernher
Sir Julius Charles Wernher, 1st Baronet was a German-born Randlord and art collector who became part of the English establishment.-Life history:...
, British banker and one of the governors of De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
Diamond Mines. He said he had discovered a process to produce gem-sized diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s from coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and agreed to sell his invention if Wernher would be willing to invest to further his research. He invited Wernher to his laboratory in Paris to witness the process. Wernher took Francis Oats, a De Beers executive, and two other associates with him.
Lemoine invited his guests in and left the room; moments later he reappeared naked, to prove that he was not concealing any diamonds in his clothing. He mixed a number of substances including iron filings and coal into a small crucible
Crucible
A crucible is a container used for metal, glass, and pigment production as well as a number of modern laboratory processes, which can withstand temperatures high enough to melt or otherwise alter its contents...
, showed the mixture to his guests, and placed it into a furnace in the center of the room.
After fifteen minutes, Lemoine removed the hot crucible and let it cool. Then he picked a pair of tweezers and took out about twenty small, well-formed diamonds. Oats examined the diamonds and demanded that Lemoine repeat the procedure. He did so successfully.
Wernher offered to pay Lemoine to develop his invention if he would keep it a secret. Lemoine agreed and promised him an option to buy his secret formula, which he deposited in a London bank deposit box.
For the next three years, Sir Julius sent Lenoine a total of £64,000. Lemoine promised to build a factory to duplicate diamonds; actually he just took a picture of an electric plant in southern France and sent it to Sir Julius.
In 1908 a Persian jeweller revealed that he had sold Lemoine small diamonds that matched the description of the diamonds Lemoine had shown during the first demonstration. Lemoine was indicted for fraud.
In court, Lemoine continued to claim that his process was genuine but was unable to duplicate it for the judges. The secret formula was unsealed by a court order; it was a mixture of powdered carbon and sugar. Before the court could agree on his guilt, Lemoine left the country for parts unknown.
In Literature
"The Lemoine Affair" is a collection of literary pastiches by Marcel ProustMarcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
, in which he spoofs the writing styles of several fellow French authors. The overall theme is Lemoine, his fraud and its outcome. Proust, himself, lost considerable money on the scheme.