Lab Grown Diamonds | For Better (Or Worse?)

Lab Created Gems/Diamonds

History of the Process of Man Made Precious Stones

Lab created or ‘grown’ diamonds can also be referred to as “Man Made Diamonds” and are precious stones that are engineered in a controlled laboratory environment. This is done using a process that mimics the natural conditions that we have always known to develop Diamonds. I don’t know about you but that is amazing to me.

Let’s learn some more below.

Diamonds normally form in the mantle of the Earth which is just below the Earth’s crust. The lab created diamonds contain carbon atoms that are organized in the similar diamond crystal structure that is a feature characteristic of the natural gem. They are essentially made from the same material as naturally made diamonds so they show all the same chemical and optical properties.

What is the process of creating lab grown gems like?

It is interesting to explore this as I recently learned of the existence of lab grown diamonds and gems. The process sees the use of advanced technology that will duplicate the natural way in which diamonds are made.

Did you know that colored Diamonds can be made too? Again, this is all new to me. These fancy diamonds can be formed when some trace elements are found during the growth phase of the diamond. This is how it works in nature as well, cool right?

White Diamonds

For genuine white diamonds, the exact make-up of the trace elements may be different from the natural process. Different colors or a colorless version can be processed and be made available. You can also find cultured diamonds in different colors and these are very rare in nature. You can find bright colors such as vivid fancy yellow and more.

Do you know that it would be difficult to track the origin of every single diamond that is mined on the Earth? There are over 6 billion carats of diamonds that come from the Earth numbering over many centuries. Far long before you and I were born!

Diamond mines require some of the largest holes that you will find in the Earth as it will require a large amount of fossil fuels to use the large machinery to dig and work in the hole.

On the other hand, lab diamonds are vegan and mined diamonds are not. They do not require any damage to the ecosystem or the surrounding water sheds.

Let us look on some of the benefits of lab grown diamonds.

Benefits of Lab Grown Diamonds

So now that we explored the process somewhat, let’s look at the benefits of man-made diamonds.

The first thing is that they are Eco-friendly and most of all they are more sustainable than natural ones. Who wants to buy a diamond that will only last for a short amount of time (in terms of expendable mines)?

Not me! For environmentalists, it is good to know that the diamonds are grown with little or no impact on the environment.

Lab diamonds also retain the same beauty and quality as mined diamonds. They have the same overall chemical, optical and physical properties as mined diamonds and you probably couldn’t tell the difference anyway.

Another benefit that we can discuss are the value of the lab diamonds. They give excellent value and are more affordable than the naturally occurring diamonds of the comparable quality and size.

You can be sure that you will not lose anything if you choose to go with lab diamonds versus naturally occurring diamonds (even the wives cannot tell!).

One more benefit to man-made gems, is that you will always know the source of the diamond. If you aim to be environmentally friendly, you will be guaranteed the diamond did not harm anything for it to be created so you will be assured it came from a controlled source.

Let’s look more in depth into the creation process of the diamonds.

Making the Diamonds

The process starts by using Methane gas and the plasma is formed along with Hydrogen gas. A disc that contains about 15-30 diamond seeds will be placed in the diamond growth chamber. Within this chamber, a super-heated area is made using microwaves with all the gases contained.

The heat is then increased to a boiling 900°C -1200°C can you imagine that? It seems that the hotter the area, the more exceptional the gemstone will come out to be. During this process, the methane and hydrogen gases will stick to the seed.

Did you read our Jewellery review?

The diamond will grow from the carbon atom in around 3-4 weeks.

The activated carbon – hydrogen species will then attach itself to the seed atom. The process will be repeatedly for up to 28 days to continually create the diamond crystal structure in 3D.

Technicians will then monitor the seed growth and move them at the right moment where the characteristics of the gem are maximized. When the gems are removed, it is then sent to a gemologist to cut them.

The cubic shaped diamonds are moved from the machine, cut and then polished.

Views on Lab Created Diamonds

Researching to write this post was quite informative to me, I am not sure about you but I learned so much about the process.

I am now aware of the options that have when it comes to choosing diamonds. I know about conflict / blood diamonds and it was troubling to know that you would be wearing a diamond that persons fought or possibly died for.

Reviews

Let’s read the review of a millennial to see what their feelings are for Lab Created Diamonds:

“I always loved the look of diamonds but I was not comfortable with the harm on the environment caused by the mining process and the possibility of wearing blood diamonds. When I found that there were lab created diamonds that offered the same look and feel I was so happy!

Now I can be environmentally friendly and feel confident wearing my diamonds. I researched the whole process so I could be clear and I think everybody should do this to understand how it all works. The next best thing about these diamonds are the cost savings compared to real diamonds.

I am happy with my choice and will be telling all my friends about Lab created diamonds. I also look forward to my next purchase!”

– Jenny, Canada, 2018

Finding a Jeweler that Sells Lab Grown Gems

You can get in touch with Katz Jewelry in New York City to discuss your wishes for a custom man made diamond.

Do your planet a favour and avoid blood diamonds, and needless destruction of our environment and it’s precious Eco-systems.