The Shelby Gem Factory was the production facility of ICT Incorporated, a company in Shelby, Michigan, United States, that manufactured artificial

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

s through proprietary processes. ICT began operations in 1970 and closed in December 2019.

History

Larry Paul Kelley established ICT (International Crystal Technology) in 1970 with Craig Hardy and Tom VanBergen. Kelley had worked for

Dow Chemical The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world. Dow manufactures plastics ...

in Ludington and at a factory in

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

that produced laser crystals. The facility was sited in Shelby because the town had a new industrial park. By 2015, Kelley was ICT's sole owner. For a time,

cubic zirconia Cubic zirconia (CZ) is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2). The synthesized material is hard and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconi ...

was a lucrative product line; Shelby opened factories outside the United States to keep up with demand. A 50-seat theater ran a presentation for visitors and jewelry was sold on site. The factory closed in 2019 after Kelley was diagnosed in 2017 with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. Other issues that contributed to the closing were worldwide competition and online markets. Larry Kelley died on October 24, 2020.

Manufacturing

Some of the furnaces burned at . Factory tours were discontinued due to liability concerns attendant to the "very high temperatures and extremely bright light" and the unavailability of affordable insurance to cover the risk. The gems were synthesized in a

furnace A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion. Furnace may also refer to: Appliances Buildings * Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings * Boiler, used t ...

. The Shelby Gem Factory's diamonds were simulants. The factory also manufactured simulated citrine and

topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...

, along with other birthstone substitutes.

References

External links

* {{Official, http://www.shelbygemfactory.com/
Shelby Gem Factory visit

ICT YouTube video on explanation of semiconductor invention for making solar cells
Defunct technology companies of the United States American inventions Economy of Michigan Gemological laboratories Oceana County, Michigan Physical chemistry Science and technology in Michigan Solar cells Synthetic minerals 1970 establishments in Michigan 2019 disestablishments in Michigan Manufacturing companies based in Michigan

History

Manufacturing

See also

References

Further reading

External links