Modern technology is used to generate lab-grown diamonds in a regulated laboratory environment. This stimulates the growth of real diamonds. It is comparable to how diamonds are created deep under the Earth, where intense heat and pressure result in the creation of these gems.
Article Breakdown
What Is a Lab-Grown Diamond Made Of?
Like natural diamonds, lab-created diamonds are composed of a carbon backbone. Carbon atoms form in a structure that is exactly like that of natural diamonds when man-made diamonds are created.
Natural and synthetic diamonds are both composed of carbon. Lab diamonds are occasionally referred to as “carbon-made diamonds.” The only way to distinguish a lab diamond from a natural diamond is with specialized equipment. This is because of their similar internal structures and physical optics.
How Are Lab-Grown Diamonds and Real Diamonds Differentiated?
To the untrained eye, lab-grown diamonds can seem perfectly like genuine diamonds. Only gemologists with modern tools can discern the extremely few variations between them.
Similar to diamonds extracted from the ground, lab-created diamonds go through rigorous grading to pass all the four C’s of a diamond.
They have the same chemical make-up as diamonds mined from the ground. However, certain HPHT lab-grown diamonds may have imperfections that are invisible to the unaided eye. This is due to the harsh conditions required in the HPHT procedure.
Lab-grown diamonds are a gorgeous alternative to mined diamonds that are far less expensive. Especially when the world’s largest jewelry retailer, Pandora, said it will stop selling mined diamonds. They now solely offer lab-grown ones.
Lab-grown diamonds have advantages and disadvantages just like other gemstones. So consider all of your options before deciding which stone is best for you.
Where Are Lab Diamonds Made?
Lab created diamonds are created in laboratories, as one might anticipate. These facilities use cutting-edge technology and are run by extremely talented scientists. These may be found all over the world in nations including the United States, China, India, and Israel.
Queensmith purchases lab diamonds from several trustworthy manufacturers across the world. Some of which use solar energy to fuel or partially offset the manufacturing of their diamonds.
How Cutting-Edge Technologies Are Used to Create a Lab-Grown Diamond
High-Pressure High-Heat (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) are used by researchers to produce lab-grown diamonds. Like mined diamonds, lab created diamonds also undergo certification and grading. This way, the quality of the diamond is maintained whether it came from the Earth or is synthetically produced.
Either procedure usually takes less than a month to grow diamonds. However, rushing the procedure increases the risk of the crystal breaking.
The two main cutting-edge technologies used to make a lab-grown diamond are discussed below.
- High-Pressure High-Heat (HPHT)
High-Pressure High-Heat (HPHT) simulates high pressure and high-temperature conditions. These conditions are found deep inside the earth’s crust where diamonds are formed. The process of making a lab diamond with HPHT is discussed below.
- A tiny diamond seed is put into a containment containing carbon in a specially created development chamber.
- Electric pulses are used to rapidly heat the cube.
- The carbon crystallizes as a result of heat and pressure.
- A synthetic diamond starts to form around the little diamond seed crystal. This occurs as a result of the intense pressure and heat that induce the carbon atoms to precipitate on it.
- A diamond cutter meticulously cools and polishes the freshly produced diamond.
- The diamond from HPHT will go through certification. Graders like GIA evaluate the diamond’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight and confirm that it was created in a lab through HPHT.
- Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
A hydrocarbon gas mixture is subjected to moderate pressures and temperatures inside a vacuum chamber during CVD. Most CVD-grown diamonds need further processing after the growth process. This helps improve or alter their hues, such as heating or irradiation. Here are the steps in making a diamond using CVD.
- A tiny diamond seed is inserted into a tightly closed chamber.
- The chamber is filled with carbon-rich gas and heated to extremely high temperatures.
- The compartment is tightly sealed to keep any traces of other gas out.
- Pure carbon starts to adhere to the seed, breaking the gas’s molecular link and creating a new diamond.
- Before being reinserted to continue growing, diamonds are taken out every several days to have the top surface polished. This helps to eliminate any non-diamond carbon.
- After the crystals are taken out, they are trimmed and polished to create the finished item.
- Certification will be performed on the CVD diamond. Diamond graders will evaluate the final product as well.
HPHT vs. CVD Diamonds
The most common technique for making lab diamonds is CVD. The procedure is faster, less expensive, and requires less energy for production. A relatively perfect slice of diamond may be chosen for development via CVD.
HPHT is more likely to fail if a diamond with internal faults is used. The diamond can burst or take up more inclusions as it expands. HPHT is more likely to produce diamonds with inclusions and lower color grades due to some metal impurities. CVD has a better success rate at generating high-quality stones with high clarity and color grades.
Lab-created diamonds, whether it’s HPHT or CVD, are rated before they go out on the market. This will determine what diamonds will make it to the jewelry store and what will be used in industrial processes. For standards, the expert-recommended grades are Excellent cut, VS to SI1 clarity, and D to F color.
You won’t be able to tell the difference between a CVD and an HPHT diamond that is VS2 rated. For this reason, if you stay to the expert-recommended grades, it doesn’t matter whether you get a CVD or HPHT diamond.
Conclusion
Lab-grown diamonds are gaining popularity as a substitute for mined diamonds. This is because they have the same stunning sparkle at a fraction of the price, especially with the greatest jeweler in the world.
Naturally mined stones have dirt and other impurities embedded in them. Lab-grown diamonds are purer than those obtained via mining. They are produced under well-regulated circumstances. They also exhibit fewer flaws and less crystallographic strain.
As discussed in this article, cutting-edge technologies, such as HPHT and CVD, can be used to create a lab-grown diamond. Given the energy and equipment needed, the HPHT method is quite expensive and results in mostly yellowish or brownish-yellow diamonds.
The CVD process is significantly less expensive since it operates at low pressure and moderate temperatures. However, these technologies are both efficient for making a lab-grown diamond.