Laboratory grown diamond is a man-made diamond created with the help of advanced technology. By imitating natural circumstances that make diamonds grow under the vacuum chambers. Lab-created diamonds are similar to natural diamonds at less than half price.
Laboratory grown diamonds are popularly known as lab-created diamonds, man-made diamonds, cultivated diamonds, grown diamonds in the USA.
Laboratory Grown Diamond & Mined Diamonds
Diamonds are the hardest natural material found on earth. They have a very high melting point (4027 degrees Celsius). Diamonds are formed when carbon is put under high pressure which is approximately 7,25,000 pounds per square inch. This kind of pressure is found in the earth’s core and not so surprisingly diamonds are found in the earth’s core.
Well if the diamonds are formed so deep into the core, do we dig so deep to extract this rare gem? Obviously no it would take decades for us to dig up to the earth’s core, the diamonds are brought above by volcanic eruptions. So the diamond which you are seeing today is probably formed millions of years ago.
With the advancement in technology and research, we can now produce a diamond in the lab. This diamond is known as ‘laboratory grown diamond’ or synthetic diamond or even cultured diamond in some countries. The thought process behind developing artificial diamonds is to create the conditions in a lab under which a diamond is formed.
Synthetic diamonds are the same as natural diamonds found in nature except for their origin.
Lab-Created Diamonds Types & Formation
There are two methods through which diamonds can be manufactured which are High-Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). The idea of HPHT is to produce the same conditions under which the diamond is formed naturally, inside a laboratory.
HPHT Diamonds
There are three basic manufacturing processes under HPHT: the belt press, the cubic press, the split-sphere press. A diamond seed is placed inside carbon and the carbon is put under high pressure and temperature to grow a diamond.
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
CVD is a more recent technique developed for the manufacturing of synthetic diamonds. In CVD a thin slice of diamond seed is placed into carbon and the carbon is placed inside plasma reactors to react with gases by applying pressure and heat. This results in the formation of diamond atom-by-atom. CVD technique requires less temperature and pressure as compared to HPHT
Lab-Grown Diamond Prices & Differences From Earth Mined
The only difference between lab-grown and natural diamond is its origin. Chemically and physically both the diamonds are similar. Lab-created diamonds are 100% diamonds. In reality, there is no competition between a natural diamond and a created diamond as both of them represent Love. The medium through which you want to express your love is a totally personal choice.
If you are concerned about the origin of natural diamonds you can choose lab-grown diamonds as there is no conflict about its origin. The whole process of formation of lab diamond is completed in the laboratory and there is a less ecological footprint left behind while creating a laboratory-grown diamond.
Also, lab-grown diamonds are 30-60% cheaper than natural diamonds, thus friendly for your pocket. The lab-created diamond industry is growing at 50% per year, due to increasing demand and popularity. Laboratory grown diamond is easily available online in the USA and can be purchased with their certificates.
