What Are Lab Grown Diamonds?

If you’re looking for a beautiful diamond ring, lab-grown diamonds are an excellent option. Not only are they more affordable than natural diamonds, but they also help to protect the environment.

When buying a lab grown diamond, be sure to check it out with an unbiased professional who can evaluate the quality of your stone. They’ll use the 4Cs (cut, color, clarity and carat weight) to grade your diamond.

High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) Diamonds

High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) diamonds are grown using a series of techniques that replicate the extreme heat and pressure conditions found in the earth’s crust. This process allows diamonds to be formed in a fraction of the time it would take for them to form naturally.

The HPHT diamond growth process is used for many types of gemstones and jewelry, including natural colored diamonds, white sapphires, cubic zirconia, and moissanite. These lab-grown diamonds have the same chemical and physical properties as their natural counterparts, so they are durable and can stand up to daily wear.

During the lab-grown diamond growth process, high-pressure and high-temperature are used to melt carbon, which is the element that makes up all diamonds. Once the carbon has melted, a diamond forms around the seed and cools. This process can take up to six weeks.

These lab-grown diamonds are often used for colored gemstones because they can be treated to change their color. This treatment can transform yellowish and brown diamonds into fancy-colored ones. The process involves irradiating the diamond with a high-energy light source and then heating it to a very high temperature.

Some gemologists use this method to add color to premature diamonds that aren’t fully crystallized, but it can also be used to mature diamonds that are already colored. Unlike natural diamonds, which are born colorless, these HPHT diamonds are usually yellow or even brownish due to the exposure they receive to nitrogen during the formation process.

While these diamonds are typically treated to enhance their color, they still have the same chemical and physical properties as naturally grown ones, so they will look beautiful and last forever. They can also be faceted into many different shapes, making them ideal for any type of jewelry design.

The HPHT growth process is a good option for those looking for high-quality diamonds with a unique look and feel, but it can be costly to purchase. Fortunately, there are several other options to choose from that can be just as beautiful and affordable.

Another popular diamond-growing method is the CVD process, which uses a vacuum chamber to deposit carbon-containing gas onto a synthetic diamond seed. This method uses much lower temperatures and pressures than the HPHT process and requires less equipment upfront. Nonetheless, it’s important to note that some of the diamonds that are created in this way may be prone to fractures and inclusions.

Synthetic Diamonds

Synthetic diamonds are created in a lab and mimic the crystal lattice structure of natural diamonds. The process involves high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

They can be cut into gems and come in a range of colors: clear white, yellow, brown, pink, blue and green. They are much harder than natural diamonds and can be polished into a smooth finish.

These synthetic diamonds have been gaining popularity with young people, who are becoming less interested in mined diamonds because of the environmental and human costs. According to an AWDC report, this segment of the industry is expected to increase between 15% and 20% annually.

The most popular method for producing laboratory-grown diamonds is by using HPHT. This method can grow diamonds of any size and has a relatively short synthesis time.

However, it is still expensive to produce large diamonds with high quality. This is due to the time it takes for a diamond to press at high temperatures and pressures.

CVD growing methods give manufacturers nano-scale control of the diamond’s carbon lattice. This allows emerging companies to “leverage quantum properties that could unlock a new range of sensors and secure communications,” says Daniel Twitchen, chief technologist at De Beers’ Element Six division.

One of the challenges with growing synthetic diamonds is that they are difficult to identify from natural ones, since they are very similar. The key is to look for slight differences in trace impurities.

This can be easily done by using spectroscopy techniques that detect trace amounts of nitrogen, for example. Nitrogen is found in all diamonds but the way it incorporates into the diamond’s crystal lattice varies slightly when held at high temperatures and pressures.

Another key way to distinguish between a laboratory-grown diamond and a natural diamond is to compare the shape of the crystals. A natural diamond will often have a cubic or cubo-octahedral crystal shape while a laboratory-grown diamond may have an octagon or square crystal shape.

GIA uses spectroscopy and other advanced testing to determine how a diamond was grown–through HPHT or CVD–and states this information in its Laboratory-Grown Diamond Report. This report also includes whether a diamond has been treated in any way. Using this report, consumers can know if the diamond has been treated to improve its color or clarity.

Natural Diamonds

There are two methods used to create diamonds in laboratories, high pressure/high temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). HPHT is similar to the natural process that occurs in the Earth’s mantle where carbon-containing fluids dissolve minerals and replace them with diamonds.

Using the HPHT method, diamond seeds are placed in a chamber filled with gases that heat up to a certain temperature and then the diamond seed begins to grow. Once the crystal forms, it can then be polished to produce a diamond.

The CVD method takes advantage of the fact that the molecules in a carbon-rich gas such as methane can break down and be deposited on the surface of the diamond seed to form layers of carbon which then grow and form a diamond crystal. Both processes result in a lab-grown diamond that is chemically and physically identical to a natural diamond.

Laboratory-grown diamonds are available in different shapes, sizes and colors. Some are round, others are pear-shaped and emerald-shaped and some have cut edges.

Lab grown diamonds are also less expensive than mined diamonds and can be up to 20-40% less expensive depending on the size, color and clarity of the diamond. This means that lab grown diamonds are a great value for both jewellers and customers.

They are also ethical and can be made in a socially responsible way. One company, WD Lab Grown Diamonds, was just granted a Certification Standard for Sustainable Diamonds by global audit and standards firm SCS Global Services. This is the first certification of its kind, and is an important milestone for the industry to move forward.

When it comes to grading, lab-grown diamonds are graded just like natural diamonds with the same 4 Cs (Cut, Clarity, Carat and Color). GIA is a world-renowned gemstone grading organization that grades all diamonds submitted to its GIA labs worldwide.

As with natural diamonds, a lab-grown diamond will not increase in price over time as mined diamonds do. This is because most people purchase diamond jewelry as an emotional investment and they will not be looking to make a financial investment with their ring.

Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are becoming a popular option for consumers looking to buy diamond jewelry but are concerned about the ethical and environmental issues surrounding mined diamonds. They also have the added benefit of being more affordable than natural diamonds, making them a great alternative to more traditional stones.

The American Wedding and Diamond Council (AWDC) says that this trend is expected to continue and increase as younger generations of diamond-buyers are more aware of the issue and more jewelry stores begin offering them. According to AWDC, sales of man-made diamonds are growing between 15% and 20% annually in the United States, with the number of jewelers that sell them increasing by 50% every year.

But lab-grown diamonds still have their critics, especially within the industry. Some jewelers fear that synthetics will take business away from them, and some in the trade are keeping their sales low-key to avoid pushback from the industry.

One of the main concerns about lab-grown diamonds is that they are not as durable as their natural counterparts. Some people believe that lab-grown diamonds may be more prone to chipping and scratching, which can cause the stone to lose its luster.

This can be a problem for jewelers who want to offer their customers high-quality jewelry, as they will need to replace the diamonds more frequently than natural ones. Additionally, lab-grown diamonds can be more susceptible to fading in color than natural diamonds, which can make them look yellower or less white than their real counterparts.

If you’re worried about this, you can opt for a lab-grown diamond that is certified by the International Gemological Institute (IGI). This is a guarantee that your diamond was created using a rigorous testing process that is in compliance with the IGI standard.

Another advantage of a certified lab-grown diamond is that it will be appraised and insured just like any other diamond. This can help you get a better idea of its true value and ensure you aren’t overpaying for insurance that you don’t need.

AGS Laboratories, a nonprofit diamond grading laboratory that specializes in consumer protection, resumed grading lab-grown diamonds last August after a year-long pilot program. AGS offers a range of reports for laboratory-grown diamonds, including full fidelity color and clarity grades of D-Z and FL-I3 with a special “LG” indicator, as well as the company’s signature AGS Ideal Cut Grade, a 0 to 10 numerical assessment of a diamond’s light performance, brightness, fire and contrast.

What Are Lab Grown Diamonds?