Lab-Grown Diamonds


Lab-Grown Man-Made Diamonds (CVD / HPHT)

DIAMONDS GROWN IN A LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT

Lab-Created diamonds are diamonds that are grown in laboratories and develop by imitating the way natural diamonds form underground. They are also known as Lab-Created diamonds, Lab Diamonds, Above Ground Diamonds or Man-Made diamonds.

These diamonds were first produced by General Electric in the mid-1950s. However, these diamonds were rough, grainy, of poor aesthetic quality, and were initially intended only for a variety of industrial applications. Since then, HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) and CVD Thanks to amazing advances in (Chemical Vapor Deposition) technology, we are now able to grow some of the finest quality gemstones that make perfect gifts for special occasions.

However, the process is not easy and the technology is very expensive.

So, what is the process of growing a Lab Diamond?

Like most organic products we see in our daily lives, both methods (CVD and HPHT) start with a diamond seed. By putting these seeds through detailed conditions in a highly controlled environment, closely mimicking the environment below the earth's crust, the end result is a diamond that is similar to any other mineral found underground. exactly the same A stone that displays chemical properties and qualities is revealed.

HPHT DIAMOND

Doesn't look much like a laboratory, does it?

HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) is the first method and is carried out in a small capsule that can withstand extremely high temperatures with high pressure applied from all sides, such as the pressure generated underground. Starting from a seed crystal, an organic pure carbon substance is dripped through a molten metal stream and allowed to bond to the crystal. This then gradually grows into a rough and clumsy octahedral shaped stone.

CVD DIAMOND

CVD (Chemical Vapor Diposition) is another method where the diamond starts on a seed plate and slowly grows from a carbon rich gas. An energy source such as a microwave beam shines through a high temperature plasma like gas cloud. This breaks apart the molecules causing the carbon atoms to precipitate and fall onto the seed plate. Crystallization then begins and is complete within a few weeks. Rough stones grow to show a flat tabular shape with dark graphite edges.

Just like diamonds that are mined from the earth, no two lab-grown diamonds are alike. They are just as likely to contain naturally occurring inclusions and flaws as diamonds that have formed underground. Therefore, the grading of lab-grown diamonds follows exactly the same 4C criteria as the grading of mined diamonds – RBKK (Color, Clarity, Cut, Carat).

COLOR & CLARITY

The range of lab-grown stones is as wide and varied as mined stones; from D to M colors, from Champagne to Brown, Yellow, Blue… And in terms of clarity, a lab-grown stone can contain all the inclusions that gemologists, jewelers and diamond dealers are used to in diamonds extracted from the earth.

CARAT (weight of diamond)

Similar to natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds also fluctuate in size (carat weight). Again, this is primarily due to the similarity of conditions in which lab-grown diamonds are created and the fact that creating large diamonds in a lab is just as difficult as finding them naturally in a mine.

CUT

The iconic diamond shape (round) is the cut we all know so well and is guaranteed to be judged on perfection, polish and symmetry, regardless of whether it comes from a lab or a mine. Every lab-grown stone should still be cut to that perfect diamond shape.

Lab-grown diamonds have exactly the same sparkle, shine, fire and brilliance as mined diamonds. The only significant difference between mined diamonds and man-made diamonds is the diamond's origin.

Even the most experienced gemologists cannot tell the difference between lab-grown diamonds and mined diamonds.

 

Knowing where a diamond’s true value lies is important for both mined and lab-grown diamonds. Most people believe that mined diamonds are very rare. This is not true. In fact, diamonds that were considered semi-precious stones equivalent to topaz or turquoise in the late 1880s are abundant in the ground today.

At the time, there was a significant oversupply, which led to a few very rich and powerful individuals monopolizing the entire diamond industry, a price-fixing effort that has been called “the most successful cartel arrangement in modern business history” (The Atlantic, February 1982).

What is important, and what many people fail to realise, is that mining a diamond deposit is no cheap feat, especially considering how much earth needs to be dug up to get them, the cost of producing one carat of mined diamond (from one carat to 'gem') is actually roughly the same as the cost of producing a lab-grown diamond (from seed to 'gem').

Therefore, the post-growth manufacturing process is the most important part of a diamond’s value. This process starts from the discovery or cultivation of a rough stone and includes selecting, grading, cutting, polishing, grading and certification/laser engraving the stone. This is what we call the entire life of a diamond from ‘Gene to Sale’. This process is carried out in exactly the same way for both lab grown and mined diamonds, with equal care, integrity and craftsmanship, and great attention to detail. All grading and certification performed on lab grown diamonds, grading and certification of mined stones are to the exact same standards, with each stone being uniquely crafted and each being individually valued.