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The '''Shelby Gem Factory''' is a [[Michigan]] company that manufactures |
The '''Shelby Gem Factory''' is a [[Michigan]] company that manufactures artificial [[gemstone]]s through proprietary processes. The home of an enterprise that makes gems at farflung subsidiary factories, the factory makes more varieties of man-made gemstones than any other in the world.<ref name=WZZM>{{cite web |url=http://archive.wzzm13.com/news/article/243387/0/Made-in-Michigan-The-Shelby-Gem-Factory |title=Made in Michigan: The Shelby Gem Factory |last1=Zoladz |first1=Chris|last2= |first2= |date= Feb 14, 2013|website=Lakeshore News Top Headlines |publisher=[[WZZM]] television station |access-date=September 3, 2015|quote=The company makes a wider variety of gem stones than any other company in the world.}}</ref>{{r|PureMi}}{{r|NoExp}}<!-- PureMichigan source removed as it appears to just parrot back whatever promotional information businesses provide to it with no fact-checking; usable for non-contentious data like how many seats are in the theater, but not bold claims. Stephens source removed as it has nothing to do with this subject and the provided quote was not found in the book. Don't panic, there are still three sources. -->{{efn|The company website says "We REALLY are the only company in the world that actually makes uncut gems, facets them, mounts them in gold... There are many companies who say they make synthetic gems, and say they make jewelry, but we know of no one else that actually does it all. All the ones we know about buy already faceted gems and have their jewelry made in China, Korea, India or Thailand."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shelbygemfactory.com/ |title=Shelby Gem Factory Home page |publisher=Shelby Gem Factory |accessdate=November 6, 2015}}</ref>}} In one facility it grows and facets [[cultured stone|gems]], including [[simulated diamond]]s,<ref name=WZZM/><ref name=OHJ/> and mounts them in gold. |
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<!-- PureMichigan source removed as it appears to just parrot back whatever promotional information businesses provide to it with no fact-checking; usable for non-contentious data like how many seats are in the theater, but not bold claims. Stephens source removed as it has nothing to do with this subject and the provided quote was not found in the book. Don't panic, there are still three sources. -->{{efn-ua|The company website says "We REALLY are the only company in the world that actually makes uncut gems, facets them, mounts them in gold... There are many companies who say they make synthetic gems, and say they make jewelry, but we know of no one else that actually does it all. All the ones we know about buy already faceted gems and have their jewelry made in China, Korea, India or Thailand."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shelbygemfactory.com/ |title=Shelby Gem Factory Home page |publisher=Shelby Gem Factory |accessdate=November 6, 2015}}</ref>}} In one facility it grows and facets [[cultured stone|gems]], including [[simulated diamond]]s,<ref name=WZZM/><ref name=OHJ/> and mounts them in gold. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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{{See also|Larry Paul Kelley}} |
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ICT Incorporated, trade name "Shelby Gem Factory", is sited in [[Shelby Charter Township, Michigan|Shelby]], [[Oceana County, Michigan|Oceana County]], on the west coast of the [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan]].<ref name=WZZM/> It was founded in 1970 by Craig Hardy and [[Larry Paul Kelley]].<ref name=WZZM/><ref name=OHJ/> Larry Paul Kelley and his wife Jo Kelly later retained full ownership making the Shelby Gem Factory a [[family business]].<ref name="Keefer">{{cite news |title=Shelby Gem owners love using science to create beauty |first1=Melissa |last1=Keefer |newspaper=Ludington Daily News |date=February 7, 2015}}</ref> |
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ICT Incorporated, trade name "Shelby Gem Factory", is sited in [[Shelby Charter Township, Michigan|Shelby]], [[Oceana County, Michigan|Oceana County]], on the west coast of [[Michigan]]'s [[Lower Peninsula]].<ref name=WZZM/> It was founded in 1970 by Craig Hardy and [[Larry Paul Kelley]].<ref name=WZZM/><ref name=OHJ/> The Kelleys later came to have full ownership of the now [[Family business|family-owned and operated]] business.<ref name="Keefer">{{cite news |title=Shelby Gem owners love using science to create beauty |first1=Melissa |last1=Keefer |newspaper=Ludington Daily News |date=February 7, 2015}}</ref>{{efn-ua|Kelley’s spouse, Jo Kelley became a partner in 1979. Jo is the general office manager, while older son John is in charge of the crystal-growing process.<ref name=WZZM/> Kelley says that his son John has better skills in seeing what can be done in a particular crystal than himself. John became the head crystal grower as of 2010.<ref name=WZZM/><ref name=OHJ/>{{r|OHJ}}<ref name=MiLines>{{Cite journal |last=Tableman |first=Jan |year=2011 |title=Jewel of West Michigan: Shelby Gem Factory |work=Michigan Country Lines |publisher=Michigan Electric Cooperative Association |location=Okemos, Michigan |pages=1, 3, 10–11 |url=|accessdate=}}</ref>}} |
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The Shelby Gem Factory initially produced only [[synthetic ruby]] |
The Shelby Gem Factory initially produced only [[synthetic ruby]] with [[ruby laser]]s being the principal application. However, the greater profit potential of transmuting ruby rods into gemstones led to a change in the enterprise's focus. A colorless variant crystal was developed by experimentation with different materials and proportions. This was the first simulated diamond variety.<ref name=NoExp>{{cite web |url=http://www.northernexpress.com/michigan/article-5988-a-flaming-success-at-the-shelby-gem-factory.html |title=A Flaming Success at the Shelby Gem Factory |author=Kates, Kristi |work=Northern Express |date=December 31, 2012 |accessdate=September 8, 2015}}</ref> It became the first business anywhere to mass-produce [[cubic zirconia]] (CZ). In the 1970s the Shelby Gem Factory rode a wave of popularity CZ then enjoyed. At its peak, tons of cubic zirconia were produced for the world market. Subsidiary factories were opened in China, India, and Panama to keep up with demand.<ref name=OHJ>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Shelby Gem Factory celebrates 40 years |url=http://www.shorelinemedia.net/oceanas_herald_journal/archives/article_f903a80a-5560-50ee-855d-e994163228a2.html |newspaper= Oceana's Herald-Journal|location= |date=December 1, 2010 |access-date= September 3, 2015 }}</ref> |
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== Factory |
== Factory == |
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[[File:Man-made rubies.jpg|thumb|left|Shelby Gem Factory jewelry |
[[File:Man-made rubies.jpg|thumb|left|Shelby Gem Factory jewelry of man-made synthetic rubies|alt=see caption]] |
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Formerly, factory tours were offered.<ref name="DeZutter">{{cite news |title=Idlewild, Michigan: These Parts |first1=Hank |last1=DeZutter |first2=Pamela Little |last2=DeZutter |date=June 3, 1993 |newspaper=Chicago Reader |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/idlewild-mi/Content?oid=882095 |accessdate=November 8, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Bonstell">{{cite news |date=August 2, 2008 |title=Factory tours take you behind the scenes and satisfy your {{sic|nolink=y|curiousity}} |first1=Christy L. |last1=Bonstell |newspaper=[[The Detroit News]] |url=http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20080802/ENT05/808020375#ixzz3quIx0qZW |accessdate=November 8, 2015}}</ref> |
Formerly, factory tours were offered.<ref name="DeZutter">{{cite news |title=Idlewild, Michigan: These Parts |first1=Hank |last1=DeZutter |first2=Pamela Little |last2=DeZutter |date=June 3, 1993 |newspaper=Chicago Reader |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/idlewild-mi/Content?oid=882095 |accessdate=November 8, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Bonstell">{{cite news |date=August 2, 2008 |title=Factory tours take you behind the scenes and satisfy your {{sic|nolink=y|curiousity}} |first1=Christy L. |last1=Bonstell |newspaper=[[The Detroit News]] |url=http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20080802/ENT05/808020375#ixzz3quIx0qZW |accessdate=November 8, 2015}}</ref> However, they were discontinued due to liability concerns{{snds}}due to the "very high temperatures and extremely bright light"{{snds}}and the unavailability of affordable insurance to cover the risk.<ref name=NoExp/> Some of the furnaces burn at {{convert|5040|F|C}}.<ref name="DeZutter"/> |
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The factory features a museum, showroom, and theater |
The factory features a museum, a showroom, and a theater and is a popular destination for schools, venture tours, and lapidary clubs. The 50-seat Art and Science theater shows visitors the differences between the processes that produce natural and man-made gems.<ref name=PureMi> |
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{{cite web |url=http://www.michigan.org/property/shelby-man-made-gemstone-factory/ |title=Shelby Man-Made Gemstone Factory |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2015 |website= [[Pure Michigan]]|publisher=Michigan Economic Development Corporation |access-date=September 3, 2015|quote=The factory (which has been in operation since 1970 at the same location) actually makes more varieties of Man-Made Gemstones than any other company in the World. }}</ref> Exhibits on-site include a lapidary machine visitors can try out for themselves to learn about gem cutting and a low-temperature model of a working crucible-furnace, along with many photos of the now-off-limits factory floor.<ref name=NoExp/> |
{{cite web |url=http://www.michigan.org/property/shelby-man-made-gemstone-factory/ |title=Shelby Man-Made Gemstone Factory |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2015 |website= [[Pure Michigan]]|publisher=Michigan Economic Development Corporation |access-date=September 3, 2015|quote=The factory (which has been in operation since 1970 at the same location) actually makes more varieties of Man-Made Gemstones than any other company in the World. }}</ref> Exhibits on-site include a lapidary machine visitors can try out for themselves to learn about gem cutting and a low-temperature model of a working crucible-furnace, along with many photos of the now-off-limits factory floor.<ref name=NoExp/> |
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The public can purchase |
The public can purchase gemstone jewelry directly from the factory at a prices generally lower than those for mined stones. Jo Kelley, wife of Larry Paul Kelley, attributes the factory's increase in sales between 2008 and 2010 to the weak national economy, postulating that a consumer who would have spent $3,000 on a gift for his wife a few years previously would be motivated to visit the Shelby Gem Factory showroom where he might be able to spend as little as $300 on a comparable gift.<ref name=MiLines>{{Cite journal |last=Tableman |first=Jan |year=2011 |title=Jewel of West Michigan: Shelby Gem Factory |work=Michigan Country Lines |publisher=Michigan Electric Cooperative Association |location=Okemos, Michigan |pages=1, 3, 10–11 |url=|accessdate=}}</ref> |
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== Gem manufacturing == |
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[[File:Skull Crucible.JPG|thumb|A [[cubic zirconia]] gem-making furnace]] |
[[File:Skull Crucible.JPG|thumb|A [[cubic zirconia]] gem-making furnace|alt=see caption]] |
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The gems are synthesized in a [[furnace]]. It uses an [[U.S. dollars|US $]]85,000 heat resistant [[iridium]]<ref name=NoExp/> [[crucible]] heated by surrounding electric coils. |
The gems are synthesized in a [[furnace]]. It uses an [[U.S. dollars|US $]]85,000 heat resistant [[iridium]]<ref name=NoExp/> [[crucible]] heated by surrounding electric coils. Temperatures range from {{convert|3500|to|5000|F|C}}. A crystal-producing mix is put into this furnace and melted. Then a slowly-spinning rod, the "seed", is lowered into the crucible, circulating the molten minerals, creating a homogeneous mixture and maintaining an even temperature throughout. Raised slowly over the course of weeks, the rotating rod cools the liquid and allows a large crystal to form. Kelley says it takes several weeks to grow a gem crystal.<ref name=MiLines/> |
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The factory does not use the method of "pulling" crystals using temperature differences like the process that forms an [[icicle]]. Rather, it uses small fragments of mined gems, which are then used as seeds to |
The factory does not use the method of "pulling" crystals, using temperature differences like the process that forms an [[icicle]]. Rather, it uses small fragments of mined gems, which are then used as seeds to re-crystalize liquid into larger gemstones. This is the so-called [[Czochralski process]], which is akin to [[Synthetic diamond#Chemical vapor deposition|chemical vapor deposition]]. According to Kelly: "As far as I know, we are the only company on Earth that uses the second method."<ref name=NoExp/> |
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Shelby Gem Factory craftspeople then cut several dozen rough gems from each crystal using a [[diamond saw]]. A rough gemstone piece is placed onto a [[faceting machine]] where over fifty facets are cut and polished to create a finished gemstone.<ref name=MiLines/> ICT has a master jeweler on staff to mount the finished gemstones in gold settings; Kelley purchases rough gold [[Casting (metalworking)|castings]] from out of state, and finishes these at the factory to make settings as needed.<ref name=MiLines/> The crystals made by the Shelby Gem Factory are used in jewelry and scientific industries worldwide. |
Shelby Gem Factory craftspeople then cut several dozen rough gems from each crystal using a [[diamond saw]]. A rough gemstone piece is placed onto a [[faceting machine]], where over fifty facets are cut and polished to create a finished gemstone.<ref name=MiLines/> ICT has a master jeweler on staff to mount the finished gemstones in gold settings; Kelley purchases rough gold [[Casting (metalworking)|castings]] from out of state, and finishes these at the factory to make settings as needed.<ref name=MiLines/> The crystals made by the Shelby Gem Factory are used in jewelry and scientific industries worldwide. |
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Shelby Gem Factory's simulated diamonds have a D |
The Shelby Gem Factory's simulated diamonds have a D{{nbsp}}color rating, the highest rating for diamonds (as determined by the [[Gemological Institute of America]]). Kelley claims their man-made simulated white diamonds are flawless, like expensive real diamonds.{{efn|Kelley also makes the claim that it is impossible to distinguish a Shelby simulated diamond from a natural one using only the naked eye. See [[Crystallographic defects in diamond]].<ref name=WZZM/> He claims that "many jewelers cannot tell" whether a stone is real or a Shelby Gem Factory simulated diamond.<ref name=MiLines/>}} In addition to simulated diamonds, the Shelby Gem Factory also manufactures simulated [[citrine]] and [[topaz]], along with other birthstone substitutes.<ref name=NoExp/> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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{{portal|Companies|Michigan}} |
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*[[Crucible]] |
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*[[Skull crucible]] |
*[[Skull crucible]] |
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*[[Cubic zirconia]] |
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==References== |
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===Notes=== |
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== Notes == |
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{{ |
{{Notelist}} |
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== References == |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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{{Commons category|Shelby Gem Factory}} |
{{Commons category|Shelby Gem Factory}} |
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*{{Official|http://www.shelbygemfactory.com/}} |
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*[http://www.shelbygemfactory.com/Factory-Pictures_ep_31.html Shelby Gem Factory pictures] |
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*[http://www.masoncountypress.com/2015/06/19/west-michigan-works-a-visit-with-shelby-gem-factory/ Shelby Gem Factory visit] |
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* [http://www.masoncountypress.com/2015/06/19/west-michigan-works-a-visit-with-shelby-gem-factory/ Shelby Gem Factory visit] |
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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIaRaDyxdkk ICT YouTube video on explanation of semiconductor invention for making solar cells] |
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIaRaDyxdkk ICT YouTube video on explanation of semiconductor invention for making solar cells] |
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[[Category:Solar cells]] |
[[Category:Solar cells]] |
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[[Category:Synthetic minerals]] |
[[Category:Synthetic minerals]] |
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[[Category:1970 establishments in Michigan]] |