Lab grown diamonds create a sustainable alternative to mined diamonds!

Lab Grown Diamonds Could Be the New Way to Get Engaged

Lab grown diamonds are as the name suggests are produced in a lab using cutting edge technology which replicates that of natural diamonds. The end result is a man-made or a Lab grown diamond which has the same properties chemically and physically that of a natural diamond which grows below the earth’s crust.

Lab grown diamonds are not fake. They are not cubic zirconias. They are also sometimes referred to as Synthetic diamonds. The use of the word synthetic might be the single reason why some people call them fake as they are grown in the labs. But they are not at all fake. They go through a lot of processes which are time consuming before they are converted into finished products.

Are eco-friendly diamonds grown in a lab?

The lab grown diamonds are eco-friendly. It is said that for every carat of diamond that is mined nearly about 100 sq. ft. of land is disturbed. Moreover 6000 lbs of mineral waste is created. Many injuries to the mine workers occur in the process of the complex geological extraction of diamonds.

There is no injury in case of Lab grown diamonds or cvd diamonds. Many people especially in Africa have suffered due to the natural mining procedure. It would not be good that even after spending such a huge amount a person wears a diamond which has led to such hardships on someone.

Lab-grown diamonds are not a new phenomenon, but their popularity and prevalence is on the rise. Their popularity is rising for a few reasons. First, lab-grown diamonds are often more affordable than mined diamonds, because the cost of labor and sourcing is lower.

What is the Process of Growing Lab Created Diamonds?

There are broadly two processes through which Lab created diamonds are grown. One is the HPHT or High Pressure-High Temperature and the other is the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). A HPHT diamond is initially a small diamond seed that is placed into carbon. Using one of the processes that is belt press, the cubic press and the split sphere the seed is exposed to temperatures of about 1500 degrees Celsius and then pressurized. The pure carbon starts to melt and starts to form a diamond around the starter seed. It is then cooled slowly and slowly with a lot of care to form a pure carbon diamond.

A CVD diamond on the other hand begins as a thin slice of diamond seed which is often and HPHT produced diamond. The seed is placed in a chamber and heated further at a temperature of 800 degrees Celsius. The chamber is filled with a carbon rich gas like Methane. The gases are further ionized and converted in plasma using technology which is quite similar to that of microwaves or lasers. The ionization breaks the molecular bonds in gases. Further the pure carbon adheres to the diamond seed and further crystallizes slowly.

Are Lab grown diamonds really the same as natural diamonds?

Show a Natural Diamond to a jeweller along with a Lab grown diamond. Even he will not be able to tell you with a naked eye. He will have to make use of a Loop for it. Even then sometimes a jeweller might not be able to differentiate. To differentiate between a Lab grown diamond and a Natural diamond sometimes Lab tests have to be resorted to which might further need specialized instruments.