Lab Grown Diamonds: Everything You Need to Know

February 19, 2023

The output of natural diamonds is low and the price is high, and some families may not be able to afford them. Therefore, some diamond substitutes have emerged as the times require, such as moissanite and lab diamonds. So what does it mean to grow diamonds? Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds? Everyone should pay attention that lab diamonds and moissanite cannot be generalized, let’s look at the details together.

What does lab diamond mean?

Lab-grown diamonds, as the name suggests, are diamonds grown in a laboratory. The formation of natural diamonds requires tens of thousands of years of tempering in the earth's crust, while lab diamonds are "planted" by scientists by simulating the growth environment in which natural diamonds are produced in nature. Both natural diamonds and lab diamonds are crystals made of pure carbon, and their structures, physical properties, chemical properties, and optical properties are exactly the same.

Are lab diamonds real diamonds?

Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds. Many friends have a misunderstanding, thinking that man-made ones are fake, but this is not the case with lab diamonds, because only a few places deep in the earth have the physical and chemical conditions for diamond formation, but now the laboratory can simulate a similar environment , It only takes a few weeks to generate high-quality lab-grown diamonds, greatly improving diamond production.

The difference between lab grown and natural diamonds

High-quality lab-grown diamonds are so indistinguishable from natural diamonds that they are indistinguishable with the naked eye, a magnifying glass, or even a microscope. Moreover, like natural diamonds, lab diamonds have identification certificates issued by authoritative organizations such as GIA and IGI.

Why lab-grown diamonds are just as good as natural diamonds

Interest in lab-grown diamonds has soared, with nearly 70 percent of millennials saying they would consider buying lab-grown diamonds for engagement rings. Lab-grown diamonds are growing in popularity as customers consider the environmental and labor costs of mining these natural diamonds. Also, because lab-grown diamonds are cheaper.

Here's the science behind lab diamonds and why they're more sustainable and just as good as real diamonds.

There are many uses for diamonds with the same characteristics, and jewelry is one of the most profitable. If you are going to get married, you can opt for a natural diamond ring which will cost you a fortune. However, if you're on a tight budget, lab-grown diamonds are a great option.

Shop from our Stunning Collection of Lab Diamond Rings

But what advantages do man-made diamonds have over mined diamonds?

First, a diamond grown in a controlled environment or laboratory is still a diamond. It has the same chemical, physical and optical properties as mined diamonds, including crystal structure, refractive index, dispersion, hardness (MOHS) and density. On the other hand, natural diamonds are produced due to the high pressure and enormous heat of the Earth's layers. Diamonds were formed billions of years ago. Rising to the Earth's surface due to volcanic eruptions. Synthetic diamonds can also be produced using high pressure and high temperatures. However, the main difference is that cultured diamonds are made by machines and not by Mother Earth.

Lab-grown diamond manufacturing process

Synthetic diamond technology has also evolved over the past few decades, allowing companies and manufacturers to create higher quality diamonds at a lower cost and faster. High pressure high temperature (HPHT) is one of the earliest and most dominant diamond growth techniques, placing tiny diamond seeds in carbon and subjecting them to extreme pressures of 1.5 million pounds per square inch (psi) and temperatures of 1,550°C. Once the carbon melts, the stone begins to form, cooling to form diamonds.

Diamonds can also be made by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), by placing the seeds in a chamber filled with a carbon-rich gas and hydrogen or oxygen. Energy is then used to break chemical bonds, heating it to around 800°C until diamonds form. After the diamond has grown, several heat or radiation treatments can be applied to improve or change the color of the diamond.

Faster Turnaround

Man-made diamonds require less time than mined natural diamonds. On average, it takes less than a month for a synthetic diamond and more than two weeks for a one-carat white diamond. Yellow or blue diamonds take 5 to 10 days. It is important that when growing diamonds, the process is not too fast or the crystals will crack. However, the months that lab diamonds take to grow are nothing compared to the billions of years that await the formation event of mined diamonds.

There are many reasons to choose lab-grown diamonds. They are cheaper, faster to manufacture, have less environmental impact and are even better quality than mined diamonds.

What is the color of lab-grown diamonds?

All kinds of diamond ornaments in the jewelry counter are dazzling. Compared with the white color that was favored by the public before, now there are various colored diamonds emerging in an endless stream. People are also increasingly looking for colored diamonds when buying diamonds. So how do diamonds come in so many colors, from white to pink, blue, green, brown and red?

Now let’s talk about how the colors of natural diamonds and the currently popular cultured diamonds come from.

Natural light is composed of monochromatic light of different wavelengths. Due to the difference in the refractive index of various monochromatic lights of natural light in diamonds, the natural light incident on diamonds will be separated. The carefully designed diamond cut shape can reflect the separated light multiple times, further separate it and then emit it from the crown, so that we can see various monochromatic lights of the diamond from the diamond crown.

When visible light passes through a diamond, the gemstone absorbs specific wavelengths of light while reflecting the rest back to the observer's eyes, a process known as selective absorption. The color of all substances and diamonds depends on the selective absorption of light by the object.

If an object absorbs little or no spectral color, it appears colorless or white. If colors from the entire spectrum are absorbed, the object appears black. Between black and white there are infinite color possibilities.

First, the causes of natural diamond color:

White Diamond

White diamonds are the most common and are the most important color spectrum in diamond grading, starting from the colorless D color and continuing to Z color, which is light yellow or light brown. The variable in this is nitrogen. A D color diamond can be essentially free of nitrogen. For colorless diamonds, people regard the slight yellow color shown in colorless diamonds as the main factor that reduces the grade of diamonds.

Yellow Diamond

Blue Diamond

Among the colorless diamonds, there is also a crystal clear and flawless diamond that is as transparent as water. You can feel a pure light blue color with the naked eye. This kind of diamond is called "water and fire diamond", and it is also the best among colorless diamonds. The blue diamond is caused by the boron element. Because the outermost electrons of the boron atom are three, one less than the outermost electron of the carbon atom, it cannot meet the bonding requirements of four atoms, so in its covalent bond A vacancy is created that can be filled by electrons from other neighboring atoms, resulting in the absorption of the red long-wavelength part of visible light and the residual color being blue. Boron is a rare element in the earth's crust, so natural blue diamonds are rare. And most blue diamonds have a gray tinge.

Red, Pink Diamonds

How did red or pink diamonds come about? No chromogenic primaries are theoretically responsible for these colors, and some evidence suggests that lattice variations produced by plastic deformation are responsible for these colors in diamonds. When diamonds are formed under the influence of geological conditions such as high pressure, it will affect the internal structure, produce line or plane lattice dislocations or plastic deformation, form new energy levels, absorb part of the energy in natural light, and form red diamonds. The AEGYLE MINE in Australia produces a small amount of red diamonds, which are very rare. Some diamonds have a pink appearance if they absorb certain wavelengths of green light.

Green Diamond

The reason for the formation of green diamonds is that the lattice structure is changed by the natural radiation of the earth. The radiation effect of natural radiation particles in nature makes the surface of some diamond crystals green, and its color thickness is about tens of microns. Natural green diamonds generally only have a very thin green skin. After polishing, the thin surface layer disappears. Therefore, in polished diamonds, natural radiation coloration is very rare, and most green or blue diamonds are artificial radiation coloration.

Orange, Maroon, Black Diamond

At present, due to the presence of a large number of inclusions, the color of the diamond is black, orange red, and maroon. When the diamond contains numerous dark opaque mineral inclusions, it is black. When the diamond is inspected with strong transmitted light, it can be observed These inclusions, and the diamond is dark gray, and the other is the later secondary inclusions, which exist in the cracks of the diamond. When the diamond cracks are developed and filled with inclusions of these colors, the diamond is maroon or orange-red. , This diamond is also called "oxidized" diamond.

Are lab diamonds expensive?

lab diamonds are not expensive, and their price is only about one-sixth to one-fourth of that of natural diamonds. For example, one carat of natural diamonds costs $12,000 to $14,000, and one carat of lab grown diamonds costs about $3,000 to $4,000, which is very cost-effective. high. However, due to the uneven technology and craftsmanship of different brands of cultured diamonds, the prices are also different, so you must choose carefully.

Best place to buy lab grown diamond rings

At LL Private Jewellers, we understand the growing demand for lab-grown diamonds, which is why we offer a range of custom-designed best lab-grown diamond rings. Our high-quality diamonds are grown in a laboratory using state-of-the-art technology to ensure a diamond that is virtually identical to a natural diamond in terms of its physical, chemical, and optical properties. Our skilled craftsmen work closely with you to create a ring that is unique to your style and preferences. Shop with confidence, knowing that our lab-grown diamond rings are not only affordable but also sustainable and ethical. Choose LL Private Jewellers for your next lab-grown diamond purchase.