What Are Lab Grown Diamonds?
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If you’re looking to buy diamonds, you may have noticed the term lab grown diamonds being thrown around when you search online or talk to your jeweler. But what are lab grown diamonds? Are they diamonds at all? And why should you care? Let’s break down the basics of these gems and find out why they’re taking the diamond industry by storm. What Are lab grown diamonds? Lab grown diamonds are man-made, meaning that they are not found in nature but made instead in labs.
A diamond by any other name is still a stone
While diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, for many consumers lab grown diamonds are their first choice. But even before you can decide whether you should use lab grown diamonds, it’s important to understand what these gemstones are—because they aren’t your standard diamond by any means. Lab created diamonds (also called cultured or synthetic) are manufactured by adding carbon molecules under extreme heat and pressure in a special chamber. This process is completely different from how mined diamonds form naturally over time, but people still refer to them as diamonds.
What are lab grown diamonds, and how do they differ from mined diamonds?
Lab-grown diamonds, also known as lab-created diamonds or CVD diamonds, are synthetically produced by human design. Some say they’re identical to mined diamonds in both appearance and chemical composition. But while lab-grown diamond manufacturers claim that synthetic gems have superior attributes compared to mined stones, experts note that chemically grown stones differ in a few key ways. Here’s a breakdown of how CVD diamonds are made, what they look like, and how they compare to natural stones
Are Lab Grown Diamonds Real?
First and foremost, lab-grown diamonds are indeed real diamonds. While some sources might attempt to confuse or scare potential buyers by calling them fake or synthetic, these terms only refer to how a diamond is made, not whether it is truly a diamond. Lab-grown diamonds are created in a laboratory environment, much like many other gems (i.e., rubies, sapphires, etc.). CVD diamond manufacturers create their stones by controlling many of the same variables found in nature through advanced technology. The result is a stone that’s physically and chemically identical to earth-mined diamonds. That’s why they’re called lab grown diamonds — because they were grown in labs!​
How Is a Lab Grown Diamond Made?
Diamond crystals are created using two methods, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT). CVD diamond is also known as lab-grown diamonds, synthetic diamonds or cultured diamonds. The process involves spreading a special powder called carbon seeds across a tray made of stainless steel and then exposing it to a vacuum chamber filled with hydrogen gas. After temperatures reach approximately 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,149 degrees Celsius), carbon vaporizes onto a small metal plate and forms into one or more single-crystal diamond crystals. These are then extracted from their matrix and polished like naturally mined stones. Because they have never been subject to high pressures found underground, laboratory-created diamonds have fewer imperfections than naturally occurring ones.
Lab Grown Versus Cultured—Which Do You Prefer, And Why?
Many people are now turning to lab-grown diamonds as an eco-friendly alternative to natural diamonds. Lab-grown or synthetic diamonds, also known as cultured or CVD (chemical vapour deposition) diamonds, real and natural stones that are grown in a lab rather than mined from deep within Earth’s crust. The most common process for growing a lab diamond is called chemical vapour deposition (CVD), which involves heating a mixture of gases at ultra-high temperatures until they become plasma. Then, according to Kimberley Process regulations, CVD diamond producers introduce carbon into the super-hot plasma of carbon gases—the result is that tiny diamond crystals grow on a small silicon seed. Once that happens, pure gem-quality diamonds can be extracted by simply dipping them in hydrofluoric acid.
Is It Better To Buy An Artificial Or Synthetic Gemstone Like A Lab Grown Diamond Than To Go Without One Altogether?
If you have decided to forego a diamond and have decided to go with another gemstone, like amethyst or even synthetic sapphire, you may be wondering if a lab-grown stone is still better than not having any stone at all. The answer here really depends on what you are looking for in a gemstone. Because a lab-grown stone produced in a factory and not grown naturally over thousands of years on earth as with traditionally mined diamonds, they lack some of the lustre, fire and scintillation that natural diamonds possess. If you are after beauty and fire though, then lab-grown diamonds are your best bet because their appearance is much more similar to natural gems than those created from other methods like synthetic gems or man-made mined stones.Choose Lab Created Diamond Manufacturer
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