Week 1: What are Lab Grown Diamonds?

Let us start out with an introduction to lab grown diamonds. What are they, how are they made and why would you choose a lab grown diamond over a naturally occurring one? Those are just some of the questions that we get asked. Let’s take a quick look at lab grown diamonds!

What are they and how are they made?

Lab grown diamonds, also called synthetic or lab-created diamonds, are diamonds that are created in a laboratory through advancements in technology. These synthetic diamonds mirror the composition of naturally occurring diamonds, with the only difference between the two is how they are made. As we all know, natural diamonds are created from carbon under immense heat and pressure over an absurdly long period of time. Synthetic diamonds use processes that mimic these processes over a much shorter period of time.

There are two ways to create synthetic diamonds:

1. High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT)
2. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

The first method is quite self explanatory according to its name, it involves using a diamond seed that is placed in pure carbon and mimicking the high pressure and high temperature found in the natural diamonds process to expedite growth in a lab. The second method is a much newer method that consists of growing diamonds with the use of moderate temperatures and lower pressures when compared to the HPHT method. This method uses carbon-containing gas to be pumped into the chamber containing the diamond seed, which eventually crystallizes as a synthetic diamond.

Lab grown diamonds are compositionally identical to naturally occurring diamonds. It is impossible to tell the difference with the naked eye. The only differences can be seen using specialized devices which are used to detect whether it is lab grown or naturally occurring.

Why choose lab grown diamonds over naturally occurring?

There are definitely a few reasons to do so. The first reason is that lab grown diamonds tend to be less expensive than their naturally occurring counterparts. This will allow you to get a larger diamond of a higher quality with the same budget, and when you realise that you are getting the exact same product with the only difference being its origin.

Another great reason to choose lab grown diamonds over naturally occurring ones are that they are the ethical choice. There are two factors that make lab grown diamonds more ethical. The first is that they are guaranteed to be conflict free. One of the regions of the world that mines the most diamonds is Africa. Diamonds have been a source of income for funding armies and wars in Africa, which is where the term ‘blood diamonds’ have come from. There are also many human rights issues such as poor working conditions and child labor. Mining also has a negative impact on the environment and have negatively impacted ecological systems around the world. Taking these two factors away from diamonds means that your lab grown decisions are the ethical and right choice to make.

If lab grown diamonds are 100% real diamonds, are ethically sourced, and is cheaper than naturally occurring diamonds then there really is no reason for you not to choose a lab grown diamond.

We hope you enjoyed our first installment in our 11-part series! We’ll see you next week!