Lab grown diamonds, also referred to as synthetic diamonds, man-made diamonds, engineered diamonds, or cultured diamonds, are created in a laboratory. Diamonds are made up of carbon atoms arranged in a crystal formation, so scientists can make them by isolating carbon and layering it on itself.
The physical, chemical, and optical properties of lab grown diamonds are identical to those of mined diamonds. In fact, without special equipment that scans for crystal patterns and impurities, even industry experts can't tell the difference. If a diamond contains nitrogen, it most likely came from the earth.
Pros
Lab grown diamonds are 30-40% less expensive than natural diamonds of comparable size, colour, and clarity.
Lab grown diamonds do not require mining, which degrades the environment and has historically been known to place workers in hazardous or unsanitary conditions. While the Kimberly Process, a recent measure taken to combat the production and sale of conflict diamonds, has assisted in determining a diamond's origin, it does not account for human rights factors.
Because lab grown diamonds have the same exact atomic makeup as natural diamonds, their popularity has skyrocketed in the last five years, with even natural diamond behemoths like DeBeers getting in on the lab grown game.
Cons:
Because lab-grown diamonds have no supply constraints, their value will continue to fall, affecting resale value and making future upgrades more expensive.
Diamond labs are run by well-funded corporations in developed countries, whereas your purchase of a natural diamond benefits people who rely on mining for a living, generating approximately $4 billion in revenue for employees and $6.8 billion in economic ripple effects in their communities.
While lab grown diamonds avoid environmental issues associated with mining, they introduce new ones. The heat and pressure required to create a lab grown diamond necessitate massive amounts of energy.
GE created the first lab-grown diamonds in 1954, but it took years to perfect the process of producing gem-quality lab-grown diamonds. The process of creating a lab grown diamond is similar to that of creating natural diamonds. The difference is that one occurs in the earth's crust and the other in a laboratory. The lab diamond manufacturing process mimics the conditions under which natural diamonds are created (extreme temperatures and pressures that turn carbon into a diamond).
Diamonds created in a laboratory are real diamonds. These synthetic diamonds are "grown" in a laboratory using technology that mimics what happens in the earth when a natural diamond forms. Thus, the only difference between a lab-created diamond and a natural diamond is its origin.
To comprehend how lab-created diamonds are created, you must first comprehend how naturally-mined diamonds are created. Natural diamonds are formed over billions of years beneath the earth's surface when pure carbon is subjected to extremely high temperatures and pressure. Diamonds are brought to the earth's surface by centuries of ground movement, embedded in large chunks of rock. Miners extract these gems from the rocks and collect natural diamonds to sell to the general public.
The process for lab-grown diamonds, like that of naturally mined diamonds, begins by subjecting carbon to extreme heat and pressure. A single carbon "seed" (a small sliver of natural or lab-created diamond) is put through a process that mimics the earth's natural process for creating diamonds. The carbon seed slowly forms into a crystalline structure using one of two processes: High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). Labs can "grow" diamonds that are chemically, physically, and optically identical to naturally mined diamonds using these advanced technologies.
You may be wondering what distinguishes lab-created diamonds from diamond simulants such as cubic zirconia, white sapphire, and moissanite. Diamond simulants are made up of a proprietary blend of elements that mimic the appearance, weight, and wear of a diamond while remaining chemically distinct. Lab-grown diamonds, on the other hand, have all of the same properties as natural diamonds and are "real" in every sense of the word.
In comparison to other artificial diamond creation techniques, lab grown diamonds are simpler and less expensive, and can produce larger stones in less time. The resulting stones may be colourless or popular fancy colours such as pink, yellow, or blue, depending on the initial gas used in the process. Overall, the cost of a lab grown diamond may be 15-30% less than that of a natural stone of comparable size and quality, and the artificial stone is created without the use of destructive mining or earth disruption.
However, lab-grown diamonds are not as environmentally friendly as they appear. While no mining is required to create a CVD diamond, the technique does necessitate extended periods of high temperature and pressure to break down the gas and grow the stone. This manufacturing process necessitates a large amount of electricity, which is primarily generated by coal and natural gas plants, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution typical of that energy production. In fact, CVD diamond manufacturing may emit up to three times the amount of greenhouse gases as traditional mining techniques.
Furthermore, when compared to naturally mined stones, lab grown diamonds raise additional socioeconomic concerns. While artificial diamond manufacturing facilities do create local jobs and boost the economy, the jobs are highly skilled and much of the process is automated, so the direct economic impact on the surrounding community may be minimal.
However, in areas where natural diamonds are mined, many more jobs are created, often for less developed communities that can benefit significantly more from the presence of the mining work. While there is an environmental impact from mining diamonds, many mining companies are dedicated to restoring the environment in the areas where they have worked, thereby helping to minimise any negative impact.
Comments