Can artificial gold lead to a price collapse, as happened with diamonds? Сергей Гармаш - 23.10.2026, 17:55 - Exclusive Новости Кыргызстана События сегодня Новости Бишкека The San Francisco startup Marathon Fusion has announced a significant breakthrough in the field of transmutation, successfully converting mercury into stable gold ten times faster than CERN. This discovery raises an important question about the potential impact of lab-produced gold on the precious metals market, causing concern in the jewelry industry. On Wednesday, Marathon Fusion confirmed that it achieved transmutation last month, marking a significant achievement in the field of nuclear fusion energy. Founded in 2023, the organization is developing technologies for future nuclear fusion power plants that could generate electricity similarly to the processes occurring in the Sun. So far, the claimed results have not been verified by independent experts; however, they revive the dreams of alchemists and could lead to changes in the jewelry industry, similar to how lab-grown gemstones have impacted the diamond market. Marathon Fusion collaborates with the U.S. Department of Energy and has been awarded the ARPA-E prize for its high-risk energy research. Among the company's investors are Breakthrough Energy, a Bill Gates initiative, and the mining company Anglo American, known for its natural diamonds. According to the company, they were able to convert mercury into stable gold, significantly surpassing CERN's previous achievements, which produced gold in negligible quantities. CERN previously reported that its Large Hadron Collider produced only a small amount of gold, which existed for a very short time. The method used by Marathon involves the use of neutrons to transmute mercury, allowing for the production of gold. The company also claims to have surpassed the Soviet record by using its plasma centrifuge, which separates isotopes for nuclear fuel. A reactor promising record power density is currently under construction in San Francisco. While the discovery requires independent verification, it raises interest in how lab-made gold could impact the market, especially in light of the experience with lab-grown diamonds. Impact of lab-grown stones on the market. Lab-grown diamonds have the same chemical structure as natural ones, but their mass production has led to a significant drop in market prices. Experts note that wholesale prices for such stones have fallen by 90-95% since 2015, which has also affected the prices of natural diamonds. De Beers, one of the leading diamond producers, launched a brand of lab-grown stones but ultimately closed it, focusing instead on natural diamonds. This illustrates how quickly the market can change in response to new technologies. Gold: situation and prospects. The gold market is much larger, with production of about 3,672 tons just in 2025. Central banks are also actively buying gold as a means of preserving value, adding stability to this market. Marathon Fusion suggests that nuclear fusion power plants could produce significant volumes of gold; however, no such plants are currently operating on a commercial scale. Additionally, transmuted gold may contain radioactive isotopes that would require time for safe market implementation. While plans for the commercialization of such gold are not yet defined, its uniqueness and potential market impact remain subjects of discussion within the community. Новости Оша Экономические новости Общество новости

Marathon Fusion claims 10x CERN gold record without disclosing actual yield. Marathon Fusion says its laboratory experiment beat CERN's gold-production benchmark by a factor of 10, but the company has yet to disclose how much gold it actually made. The San Francisco startup announced on Wednesday that it had converted mercury into stable gold using fusion neutrons during an experiment the previous month. It also reported producing radioactive copper isotopes from zinc. Both are company-reported results, with no independently validated experimental yield available in the material reviewed. CERN provided a more explicit comparison in May 2025. Its ALICE collaboration measured a maximum production rate of approximately 89,000 gold nuclei per second during lead-ion collisions. Across four Large Hadron Collider experiments between 2015 and 2018, an estimated 86 billion gold nuclei were produced, equivalent to just 29 picograms. Sponsored · Selkirk Copper Mines Those nuclei fragmented almost immediately. Marathon claims to have produced stable gold-197 instead, through a different process that converts mercury-198 into mercury-197 before radioactive decay creates gold. The commercial stakes are larger than the laboratory record. On its website, Marathon models annual revenue of $223 million from electricity alone at a gigawatt-scale fusion plant, rising to $482 million when gold production is included. The implied $259 million increase depends on assumptions about output, prices, and the feasibility of operating a commercial reactor. Its July 2025 research projected roughly two metric tonnes of gold annually per gigawatt of thermal fusion power. The missing data from October's demonstration include a measured gold mass, isotope purity, recovery efficiency, and cost per gram. Without those figures, the reported experiment cannot establish whether artificial gold is a viable source of revenue, much less whether it could affect conventional gold supply. Marathon's nearer-term business is aimed at medical isotopes. It says its neutron experiments have already produced radioactive copper from zinc, while research published in December 2025 modeled ways to manufacture molybdenum-99 using small fusion systems operating below energy breakeven. The company's February 2026 paper estimated value per fusion neutron at around $10^-20 for gold or electricity and approximately $10^-10 for actinium-225, an isotope being developed for targeted cancer treatments. Those are modeled valuations, not realized sales or margins. Marathon joined the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council in July, connecting it with an established medical-isotope industry. For now, the company's most relevant proof point is not whether gold can be created. It is whether its reported transmutation results can be converted into measurable, recoverable output at a cost customers can justify. Information for this briefing was found via the sources and the companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.