Diamonds can be produced in a lab and those are real diamonds, opposite to the popular belief that only the natural ones are genuine. But, why would someone grow diamonds in a lab?
The initial response to this question is to save money and shorten the waiting time until the stone is ready for faceting and put in a jewelry piece. As you know, diamonds are practically carbon atoms, with an interesting crystal placement. Every atom is connected to four others, and they form the strongest stone in the world. That also means it’s the same as graphite, but atoms are placed differently. Isn’t nature magnificent?
Natural diamonds need between one and three billion years to grow. The piece you may have on your ring or jewelry piece is ancient, and that’s why natural diamonds are so expensive. There are so many factors that affect the natural diamond-forming process, like geological activities in the Earth’s core, and of course, the time factor.
So, it’s understandable why people decided to grow diamonds in laboratories, taking in mind these three differences:
1. Sustainability: Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds
Even though labs aren’t allowed to use the terms “sustainable” and “eco-friendly”, they indeed are sustainable. The diamond growth happens under a chemical reaction that needs a temperature of 8000 Celsius degrees. Still, there is no need for mining, which is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Natural diamonds are supported by natural processes, even though mining requires heavy-duty human work. But, that’s why their salaries are really competitive, compared to any other industry.
The lab growth process saves time and money, especially when the market demand is huge, and many people want to own diamond jewelry.
2. The Price Difference
The price depends on so many factors, including the growth time. An average growth time is one month, even though it may take six to ten weeks until the diamond is completely grown in the lab.
As we said, natural diamonds need millions or even billions of years until they are ready to be mined and used in the jewelry industry.
Lab-grown diamonds, even though need just a fraction of the natural growth time, save about 50% more money per carat, compared to mined diamonds. They are usually cheaper than natural diamonds, and the production process gets more economic as technology is advancing.
Natural diamonds, on the other hand, have a constant asset value, which means you can keep it in your family for generations, and when someone decides to sell it, the price can be much bigger than the purchasing one.
3. Their Physical Appearance
Many are surprised to learn that lab-grown diamonds look exactly the same to the naked eye. So, when you wear a diamond ring, only a true expert can tell the difference. Often they need special equipment to take a look over the piece and determine its origin.
The lab-producing time depends on the used method. We will elaborate on the two most common methods later. In nature, the diamonds for under gas pressure and extremely high natural heat.
Even though the final product is a carbon crystal, the lab growth uses a small piece of the natural diamond as a seed and causes an intense chemical reaction resulting in a fully grown diamond.
As you suppose, that’s why we say that these diamonds are lab-grown, not lab-produced. The lab conditions mimic the natural processes, but they still need a tiny seed of diamond to produce a fully-grown piece.
Most Common Diamond Lab Growth Methods
There are two common lab methods to grow diamonds. The first one is CVD, which is an acronym for Chemical Vapour Deposition, and the other one would be HPHT, or High Pressure & High Temperature.
It usually takes a month to create a CVD diamond. The process starts with inserting a tiny diamond seed in a vacuum and putting it under high pressure and temperature. When methane is added, the carbon atoms are broken down, and they start forming crystals around the seed.
The HPHT process takes up to two weeks to form a 1-carat diamond. This is one of the oldest methods to produce lab-grown diamonds, and it’s quite different than CVD. Instead of the diamond piece, the process starts with graphite with a metal catalyst, exposed to high pressure and high temperature. As the process goes on, diamond crystals form. The growth time may vary depending on the used metals and materials, but it’s usually between a few days and up to two months.
The Differences Between Lab-Grown and Natural Diamonds
Not two diamonds will ever look the same, no matter if you compare lab-grown or organic pieces. Even though they are quite similar to inexperienced people who don’t have the right gear, experts can easily spot a difference under a microscope. They estimate the looks, sparkles, and cuts, to detect if the diamond is organic or a lab product.
Also, the standard grades apply to both types. Still, the HPHT method may leave microscopic metal particles in the diamond, while the organic ones may have the tiniest particles of rocks, other crystals, etc.
The perfect clearest natural diamonds are the rarest, and that’s why their price goes up every day.
And finally, natural diamonds can come in different colors, like clear, white, yellowish, and even pink and blue, as the rarest. The color depends on the concentration of the chemical elements in the Earth pocket where the diamond was formed.
During the lab process, diamonds can be colored. Some lab-grown diamonds are even dark yellow and de-colorized later.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, diamonds are and will always be our best friends. Their asset value will grow every day. If you own a natural piece of diamond, you are a lucky person.
And if you buy lab-grown crystal, you appreciate the value of this stone. The only difference is that lab-grown diamonds are probably produced this year, and the natural ones exist in the Earth’s core far before humankind was close to their existence in this world.
