Diamond have been girls' best friends for as long as we can remember, but with the uprising of conscious living there is a disrupter in the traditional market. Lab-grown diamonds might be an answer to how can we have beautiful bling without the sometimes controversial origins of the most famous of all gemstones.
Ring set with 0.51 carat lab-grown diamond and green toumaline
Man made diamonds have been around since the 1950's, yet they have only recently started to gain their popularity. This might be because of the assumed differences between the lab-growns and the naturals. Some are very logical, and some are quite a stretch. But where lies the truth in these assumptions and how can we make the decision between the two?
The most influential factor in the original hype has been the marketing around diamonds by De Beers back in beginning of the previous century. The diamond was romanticized in order to make it an extremely sought after specimen. They created an expectation among consumers that it was the most superior gem to exist and in many ways this is a justified thought, since a high-grade, well-cut diamond shines like no other and because of its hardness (a perfect 10 on the Mohs-scale) is an excellent and durable gem to wear as an everyday jewel. However, the price soars and with it being a scarce product, this will probably not go down anytime soon.
So the perfect way to 'cheat' this system was to ethically create the gem in a laboratory. And in the last couple of decades this process has been perfected and became widely accessible.
IGI report with unique specifications
There are essentially two methods to create them: HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) and CVD (chemical vapor deposition). Each process results in diamonds with different specific qualities and takes a few feeks to complete. After the growth they can be graded and cut to the customers wishes. Many grown diamonds above 0.3 carats are laser engraved with a unique certificate number and an accompanied report.
So except for the process how do they differ? The answer is simple, they don't. Nowadays there is no way to distinguish a man made diamond from a natural diamond once they are finalized. The only way to tell the difference is to examine the structure of the atoms. Not only are they of the exact quality as naturals, but they are financially much more attractive. The decision is entirely up to you!
The scale of color, cut and clarity is exactly the same as with natural mined diamonds.
Therefore the quality difference is just as big as with the natural mined ones.
Bespoke ring with its certificate