That technology could produce a diamond with the same properties as those of mined diamonds, was unexpected. Technology has grown by leaps and bounds, but several such advancements were considered not possible at one stage.

In the last decade, artificial diamonds have become more popular than the 2000’s. Some of the factors supporting the growth are as follows.

• Lab-made diamonds are more affordable than their natural counterparts;
• These have the same inherent properties; and,
• These are eco-friendly diamonds.

To back everything mentioned above, even the FTC has taken out the term ‘natural’ of its diamond definition. Whether it is grown in a laboratory or extracted from the earth, the FTC considers it to be a diamond. This move empowered lab-made diamonds as the real stones.

Jewelers, retailers and brands are supplying and dealing in these diamonds. These parties have acknowledged the eco-consciousness and ethicality of customers with regard to diamonds, and they are taking action that is strongly influenced by it.

What Are Lab-Grown Diamonds?

Any form of diamond made in a laboratory by artificial processes is considered a ‘man-made’ stone. These stones are made under a controlled environment, through HPHT and CVD diamond manufacturing methods. The chemical, optical and physical properties of these and natural diamonds are the same. These stones are different from moissanite, cubic zirconia and other diamond stimulants.

How Is Diamonds Made?

Diamonds are produced mainly through two methods, ‘CVD’ and ‘HPHT’. Now, let us elaborate on these methods.

Chemical Vapor Deposition

CBD is a method used to make high-quality diamonds. In it, a small diamond seed substrate is placed in a chamber where pure carbon-rich plasma is present. When the process begins, carbon atoms begin to be deposited on that seed, and this causes the creation of a diamond. The entire process takes between 10 and 12 weeks on average.

High-Pressure-High-Temperature

HPHT is another method utilized to make diamonds. One HPHT equipment unit can produce an atmospheric pressure of 60,000 psi and increase the temperature to 2500° Celsius. This way, it forms conditions akin to the ones found underneath the crust of the earth that cause the creation of the stone.

Different Forms Of Diamonds

It is possible to categorize artificial diamonds into four types, on the basis of their impurities.

• Type Ia: The majority of every diamond is categorized as ‘Type Ia’
• Type Ib: These are all man-made yellow diamonds, plus 0.1% of every mined diamond
• Type IIa: These are the rarest and purest type of diamonds, including most lab-made diamonds.
• Type IIb: These are all artificial blue diamonds or just 0.1% of the mined blue ones.

Things To Consider When Purchasing Artificial Diamonds

It can be tricky to purchase diamonds, including these lab-made counterparts. Several individuals are trying to trick you into buying their products and take the money away from you. Diamond stimulants resemble diamonds, but these are not diamonds. Confirm that you are not being duped by stimulants when shopping for diamonds.

After their formation, a diamond grading institution will inscribe lab-grown diamonds. The inscriptions will appear on the girdle of these stones. These are graded based on the four characteristics, namely carat, color, cut and clarity. If you do not find inscriptions, then you might just be purchasing a stimulant.

Search for the best store to purchase lab-created diamonds, graded by genuine institutions. One of these institutions is GIA. The artificial stone you bought should come with a valid certificate. If a retailer or seller does not give you a certificate with it, then you should demand one.

Why These Are Better Compared To Natural Diamonds

• Artificial diamonds are not used to fund wars and conflicts, unlike some natural diamonds. These are known as ‘conflict-free’ diamonds for the same reason. Conflict diamonds, on the other hand, refer to the stones that are traded illegally to finance such violent activities.
• Diamonds made in laboratories do not bring about environmental degradation and pollution, as the natural diamond mining process does.
• These diamonds are considerably more affordable than the naturally-occurring stones. If you are looking for cheap loose diamonds, then you should definitely think about going down the lab-made route. If you are lucky, then you can get a deal that gives you these stones at a rate of up to 30% less than the natural ones.
• Most of these artificial stones are categorized as Type IIa, which is extremely rare to find among the mined ones.
• Lab-made loose diamonds can be customized.
• These are graded as per the four characteristics used by some of the popular diamond grading institutions in the world.

Artificial diamond makers have previously found it difficult to establish that these are real diamonds. However, these diamonds are progressing and they have grown in popularly owing to the aforesaid reasons.