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July 02, 2021
A Beginner's Guide to Lab Grown Diamonds
The rising concerns about the underlying problems of diamond mining are affecting individuals and businesses in their purchase choices. Mined diamonds are associated with violence, conflicts, human rights abuses, labour exploitations, and environmental devastation.
All things considered, natural diamonds are far from remaining a girl’s best friend.
Natural Diamond Alternatives
This realisation has boosted the interest in laboratory -created diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds (also known as man-made diamonds) are growing in popularity.
Are you wondering whether they are the right solution for your needs? Here’s a brief overview of lab diamonds and how they’re made.
What Are Lab-Grown Diamonds?
This is an important question as most buyers are concerned that lab-created diamonds may not be real diamonds. In reality, man-made diamonds are identical to mined diamonds at a chemical, physical, and visual level. In other words, you would be unable to tell the difference, regardless of the application you wish to use the diamond for (that includes jewellery and industrial machinery).
These diamonds are made in a laboratory register as natural diamonds when they are submitted to a test. They are made using the same material —, pure carbon —, as traditional diamonds and have the same structure. The only difference that buyers will notice is the origin of the diamond. Synthetic diamonds can be just as appealing, beautiful, and mesmerising as natural diamonds
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Can You Tell the Difference between Man-Made Diamonds and Natural Diamonds?
At first glance, you may not spot any difference. However, there are significant disparities in features and appearance between both diamonds. Strains in the crystal structure occur more commonly in natural diamonds, which in turn causes imperfections in the purity of the precious stone. As man-made diamonds are created in a laboratory environment, flaws can be avoided – so the diamond is clearer and brighter in appearance.
The manufacturing process can vary from one lab to another, linking to different features. Some labs are better suited to create lab-grown diamonds for industrial applications as they can enhance the hardness, thermal conductivity, and electronic components.
It is also possible to create coloured diamonds in a lab, making the rare but coveted fancy black and pink diamonds readily available.
From a buyer’s perspective, it is also worth mentioning that lab diamonds have little impact ethically and on the environment. Another considerable advantage that buyers cherish is the cost. As a rule of thumb, lab-grown diamonds are 40%-50% cheaper than natural ones and can perform the same functions.
How Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Made?
Laboratories can use two different methods to create diamonds:
- High-pressure high-temperature process (HPHT)
- Chemical vapour deposition process (CVD).
Each process uses a diamond seed obtained from a crystal or a plate to initiate synthetic growth. The HPHT method places the diamond powder inside a small capsule. A molten metal alloy is ten submitted to high pressure and temperatures. Once the alloy has dissolved, the crystallisation period lasts several weeks.
On the other hand, the CVD process uses low pressure and high temperature to grow the diamond inside a vacuum chamber filled with a carbon-based gas. The process moves the carbon atoms toward the seed, where they crystallise for several weeks to months using a source of energy to interact with the gas molecule.
Looking for a lab-grown diamond engagement ring in the UK? Book a virtual or in-person appointment today with the experts at. Rêve Diamonds.