Introduction
Lab-created diamond is a type of diamond that is chemically, physically, and optically similar in all respect to a mined or natural diamond. They tap their origin from gemological laboratories as opposed to naturally existing diamonds, which are forged in the overwhelming pressure and high heat emanating from the earth, which is about 100 miles underground. Most of these natural gems were formed several years ago when the planet was hotter than it is presently. However, Lab-created diamonds are also grown using high pressure and increased temperature. This pressure and temperature effect takes place in a machine instead of beneath the earth’s crust.
Ways of growing diamonds in the lab
There are actually two ways to grow a diamond in the lab; these ways requires beginning the creation process with the seed – a flat slither gotten from another gemstone.
Grow it with a hot seed
One of the two ways is to grow a piece of diamond from the subjection of the seed to a very high temperature and pressure. The seed is placed in-between some pure graphite carbon and made open to temperatures as high as about 1,500C and pressure to about 1.5 million pounds per square inch in every production chamber.
Sticky seed to a diamond
Another way to create diamonds in the lab is called Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). Chemical Vapor Deposition involves placing the seed (flat slither) in a closed chamber containing gas, which is abundant in carbon and at an increased temperature to about 800C. Following this procedure and conditions makes the gas become sticky to the seed, which results in the creation of diamond carbon atom by an atom.
Diamond contest
Tremendous changes and new discoveries are being noticed in recent times as far as lab-created diamonds are concerned, which is tolerating gemstone companies grow diamonds that are characterized with high quality more rapidly and at cheaper purchase rate. This has brought about contest amongst various companies that deal with lab-grown diamonds. At present, it costs about $300 to $500 per carat to grow a diamond through the Chemical Vapor Deposition process, which is way cheaper as to the cost of it in 2008 when it was $4,000 per carat. This is, however, based on a report commissioned by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC).
Recently, lab-grown diamonds are trending on the increase. Diamond customers are attracted to buy diamonds either by price, clarity grade, or environmental reason. There is a projected growth in this industry as more jewelers begin to vend lab-created diamonds, and more gemological labs are open.
What the people want
After all that has been said, lab-created diamonds are but with some faults. A divergent lack of clarity grade makes it challenging to conclude an accurate data required for comparing carbon footprints of natural and lab-created diamonds. However, the energy needed to create a diamond in the lab is noteworthy. A report on this topic, authorized by the Diamond Producers Association, suggests that the emission of greenhouse gases in the process of mining natural diamonds is three times less than the emissions produced when growing diamonds in a lab.
Lab-created diamonds have the edge over mined diamonds due to their purity and hardness qualities, lab-grown diamonds have been found to be ten times extra long-lasting than mined or natural diamonds. For this reason, diamond lovers tend to prefer going for lab-grown diamonds.
Identifying a lab-created diamond
One major thing that differentiates lab-created diamonds from a natural or mined diamond is its source. A lab-grown diamond is created inside a gemological lab using a technology known as cutting-edge. Cutting-edge technology repeats the natural diamond growing activity. The result obtained from this cutting-edge technology is man-made, which is chemically, physically, and optically similar to diamonds mined beneath the Earth’s surface. However, lab-created diamonds are usually of a lower cost at about 30% less than the naturally occurring diamonds of akin size and quality. This is because lab-created diamonds are duplicates diamonds that occur naturally -thereby making it impossible for a difference to be identified when closely looked at.
But we lab-created diamonds are compared to other popular diamond simulants, and it is an indisputable fact that it is as real as the naturally mined diamonds are stressed. Lab-created diamonds and natural diamonds are difficult to be differentiated with the naked human eye, and this is due to the identical sparkle you would observe that both the lab-created and natural diamond has. Even if you implore the use of a specialized apparatus to check for their differences, your result might turn out negative even if you are a professional gemologist! The only and most excellent way to identify a difference between lab-grown diamonds and naturally mined diamonds is to have a look at their grading reports.
Bottom line
it is noteworthy to know that mined and lab-created diamonds are at the mercy of science. There is no way to properly guarantee a flawless diamond because virtually all diamonds will certainly include dissimilar amounts of imperfections and inclusions (blemishes), which is the reason they are graded and certified.
As it was discussed earlier that lab-created diamonds are about 30% less expensive compared to naturally mined diamonds, it means you as a customer can get a diamond, with lesser imperfections and inclusions, for the exact amount you would get for a lower graded mined diamond. If you are in love, you should get a lab-grown diamond for your-self as it can represent modern love which you absolutely will feel better with.
