Dr. Tracy H. Hall, a scientist who worked for General Electric Research Labs and a member of the team that invented the first synthetic diamond, died at the age of 88. Hall's invention, called the "belt", a device for creating high pressure, enabled the creation of synthetic diamonds.
Hall was born in 1919 in Ogden, Utah. He was raised on a farm in a rural town in northern Utah. An outstanding student, Hall was accepted to the University of Utah, where he eventually earned his PhD in Chemistry.
From an early age Hall dreamed of becoming a scientist at General Electric. In 1948 he achieved this by becoming a researcher in the GE chemistry lab, where he worked on the development of a plastic-like material. Here he was first exposed to experiments in high pressure. He then joined the team that worked on creating a synthetic diamond. The project combined two areas of Hall's interest – experiments in high pressure and the effect of high intensity electrical fields on carbon crystals.
In 1954 Hall and the team were able to produce the first synthetic diamond. Using the device that Hall had developed the team was able to create conditions that were similar to those needed to create diamonds in nature. Hall's invention enabled GE to economically produce diamond powder, which was used in drilling, sawing and polishing. Synthetic industrial diamonds are used in almost every segment of industry today.
Dr. Tracy H. Hall held 19 registered patents, and received countless prizes and awards for his breakthrough in the creation of the first synthetic diamond. In 1970 he received the American Institute of Chemists (AIC) Chemical Pioneer Award.
