UNDERSTANDING LAB GROWN / NON MINED DIAMONDS

 For centuries, diamonds have been one of the earth’s greatest and most sought-after treasures. Often associated with the virtue of strength, power, and love, these precious gems have been adorned by both women and men. But unfortunately, diamond mining has had its own challenges and continues to face scrutiny for human rights abuses and their detrimental impacts on the environment. Apart from the human suffering and ecological damage it has caused over the years, the reckless process involved with diamond mining can have irreversible effects on the ecosystem.


Considering the environmental and humanitarian toll of extracting these gems, millennials and conscious consumers are now moving towards sustainable or non mined diamonds.

 

What are lab grown diamonds?

Analogous to the concept of test-tube babies and naturally born babies where the process is different but the output is exactly the same, lab grown diamonds are real diamonds grown in advanced labs, instead of being mined from below the earth’s surface. This leaves the earth free of mining manipulations, making these diamonds a sustainable choice for consumers. To add to that, because they are not mined, they save up on the mining costs and as a result lab grown diamonds are at least 30-50% cheaper than their mined counterparts.


Lab grown diamonds can be produced through two different methods –
1) the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process
2) the High Pressure and High Temperature (HPHT) process.

 

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

It is a technology that exactly replicates the diamond creation process that occurs below the surface of the earth. It all begins with a natural diamond seed, keeping the DNA intact. The seed is placed in the CVD plasma chamber and an intense environment of temperature and pressure is created just like that found in the earth. Gases are infused and along with the right combination of pressure and temperature conditions, carbon formations develop into rough diamonds. As a result, the chemical, thermal, optical, and physical properties of these diamonds are identical to that of natural diamonds – same size and same 4 Cs’ – Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat.


But one main significance is that CVD diamonds are 100% composed of carbon and are nitrogen-free. 98% of the world’s natural diamonds contain nitrogen. Only 2% of the world’s natural diamonds are the purest type – 100% carbon composed. World-renowned diamond grading & certifying labs (such as GIA, IGI and SGL) classify these diamonds as Type IIA.  The shine, brightness & lustre of Type IIA diamonds is significantly better than any other diamond.


100% of CVD diamonds are composed entirely of carbon and classified as Type IIA. As a result, the shine & brilliance of CVD diamonds is unmatched and rare to find in their mined counterparts.
This technology is currently predominantly found developed in India, USA, Japan, Singapore.

 

High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT)

This process, on the other hand, doesn’t fully replicate the diamond creation process that occurs below the earth. It begins with a natural diamond seed but then uses graphite and a molten metal influx as part of its diamond creation process. As a result of the metal influx, HPHT diamonds have metal impurities and are not 100% carbon composed. As a result, unlike CVD diamonds, they are not the purest diamonds and do not receive a classification of Type IIA by the diamond grading labs.
This technology is currently predominantly found developed in China.

 

CVD vs HPHT diamonds: Which is better?

While both methods produce real diamonds composed of carbon, it is clear that non mined diamonds grown using the CVD process are 100% carbon as opposed to HPHT diamonds which include metal impurities. As a result CVD diamonds are the purest Type IIa diamonds and have a significantly better shine, brightness & luster compared to HPHT diamonds. These kinds of lustrous diamonds are also a rarity in mined diamonds.


Everything You Need to Know About CVD Diamonds : A Simple, Factual Guide

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SUSTAINABLE BENEFITS OF LAB GROWN DIAMONDS

Image
  SUSTAINABLE BENEFITS OF LAB GROWN DIAMONDS It is human negligence that has contributed to the environmental crisis that we face today. Whenever human activities or actions encroach on the natural environment, we cause more than just environmental damage. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic may seem like a natural act, but in fact, it is an illustration of our negligence and a stark reminder of our dysfunctional relationship with the environment.   We are destroying ourselves by destroying nature.   According to the executive director of the UN’s Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, nature is sending us a message with the pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis that we’re experiencing today. She explained that we have been putting too much pressure on the natural world which can have damaging consequences. Andersen also added that our inability to protect our planet would mean that we are not taking care of ourselves. She also explained that while the immediate priority
Read more

MYTHS & FACTS ABOUT LAB GROWN DIAMONDS

  Lab grown diamonds have gained massive popularity in recent years, emerging as the center stone of choice in engagement rings and other contemporary jewellery pieces for their environmental and social advantages over mined diamonds. However, there are still many misconceptions or myths about lab grown diamonds around these gems due to which certain consumers are leery of purchasing them. This article will separate fiction from the facts and bust all the myths surrounding lab grown diamonds once and for all. Myth: Lab grown diamonds are fake, artificial or synthetic. Fact: Lab grown diamonds are neither synthetic nor artificial. They are as real as mined diamonds and are grown by replicating the earth’s conditions in a laboratory instead of being mined from under the surface of the earth. This has been validated by industry experts as below: “They (lab grown diamonds) are real diamonds. They have the same optical, chemical, thermal and physical features.” – Matthew Hall, Vice Presid
Read more