The mere mention of diamonds has always evoked high-end, niche, and other sentimental values such as commitment and love. These stones conventionally form deep within the Earth for billions of years under enormous heat and pressure. Do you also know that diamonds can be developed within a laboratory? Lab-created diamonds are gaining wide popularity, and a few reasons that serve as backing for this include their environmental impact and affordability. This blog will take you through what lab-grown diamonds mean, the processes incorporated in making them, and why they could just be the best jewelry you should partake in at the moment.
What Does Lab-Grown Diamond Mean?
Lab-grown diamonds are created in a laboratory, not under the Earth's surface. Physically, chemically, and optically, they are exactly like real diamonds. This basically means that the lab-grown ones almost look and are as hard as the natural ones. So, what makes the difference is their origin. Well, natural ones will take up billions of years of development, but lab-grown ones will just be developed within weeks.
How's a Lab Grown Diamond Made?
Two general processes are used to make lab-grown diamonds: High Pressure, High Temperature and Chemical Vapor Deposition. We look at the following processes a little closer below.
High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) :
In HPHT, a small diamond seed is subjected to very high pressure and high temperature that exist inside the Earth. The high pressure squeezes the carbon atoms to bond with each other around the seed to form a new diamond crystal. The process is conducted over several weeks, and later will come into the creation of a similar diamond to a natural one.
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) :
Process of CVD begins with what is called a seed, which is a minute slice of diamond inserted into a chamber full of carbon-rich gas atmosphere, including methane. This gas is brought to such high temperatures that single carbon atoms separate out and start falling on the diamond seed. After some time, these carbon atoms keep accumulating layer by layer till a new diamond has formed. They provide a product with almost similar visible and chemical properties as the mined diamond by giving out a little amount to the process for some weeks.
Why Choose Lab-Grown Diamonds?
Some of the advantages that are tagged along with lab-grown diamonds include:
Affordability:
The first main advantage of the lab-grown diamonds lies in the cost.
What this simply means is that since these diamonds are made in a laboratory, they are usually priced at a level lower than their natural counterparts.
It therefore implies that in your budget, you would be in a position to secure a bigger or fine-quality diamond. On this note, the diamonds made in the laboratory are therefore perfect for both engagement or wedding rings and other pieces of fine jewelry.
They are considered more ethical since, compared to MINED lab-grown diamonds, they do not possess all the environmental and social challenges associated with diamond mining. Mining natural diamonds can lead to numerous impacts on the ecology, which involves the destruction of habitats as well as water pollution resulting from the mining process. Labor issues in the mines, especially with regard to conflict zones, have equally been of major concern to significant numbers of diamonds. Whereas, in this lab-grown diamond none of these issues are linked to your purchase.
Environmental Impact:
Ecologically, lab-created diamonds have a lot less impacts than the mined diamond. Even though lab-created diamond takes the use of energy, that possibly did not affect ecology as the mining. Moreover, some of the entities are, meanwhile working in making the production stage sustainable in terms of production through the use of renewable energy sources.
Quality and variety:
Lab-grown diamonds, much like mined diamonds, come in the full range of qualities and characteristics, with a wide range of cuts, colors, and even carat weights. This means that, since their origin is in a controlled laboratory environment, the production of diamonds with even more specific or special qualities becomes very easy, like it's possible to get fewer inclusions or a much clearer brighter color. It is through this way that you will acquire information about a diamond in all preferences and the style in that of a lab-grown type.
Technology and Innovation:
Today, technology is advancing and improving continuously when it comes to man-made diamonds, which only further expands the choices available and makes them of better quality. It can be really mind-boggling to think about all the ways that will be developed and used to create and customize lab-grown diamonds in the future, because this area only sees forward progress.
Whether or not a lab-created diamond is worth it is a personal choice. It might have to do with better visibility, being more affordable, and many ethical reasons along with the supreme quality seen in lab-grown diamonds. Others may like the ownership of something with the actual weight of billions of years in its formation. Now, let's have a look at a few important things to consider if you'd like to have a lab-grown diamond.
In other words, the lab-created diamond is to the modern traditional diamond what aesthetics, hardness, and a lower price entail. They are ethical, friendlier to the environment, and absolutely maintain the quality and outward look of both. Lab-grown diamonds are likely to become more popular and increasingly desired by a large section of lovers of jewelry because of the rapid strides that technological progress is taking.