What are Lab-grown diamonds?

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About Lab-grown diamonds:

Lab-grown diamonds are diamonds that are produced using specific technology which mimics the geological processes that grow natural diamonds.
The diamond simulants such as Moissanite, Cubic Zirconia (CZ), White Sapphire, YAG, and others are used to make them look like natural diamonds.

How are LGDs produced?

There are multiple ways in which LGDs can be produced.
High pressure, high temperature” (HPHT) method
It is the most common and cheapest method.
In this method, extremely heavy presses that can produce up to 730,000 psi of pressure under extremely high temperatures of at least 1500 celsius are applied.
Usually, graphite is used as the “diamond seed” and when subjected to these extreme conditions, the relatively inexpensive form of carbon turns into one of the most expensive carbon forms.
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and explosive formation create what is known as detonation nanodiamonds.

Application of Lab-grown diamonds:

Used for industrial purposes, in machines and tools and their hardness and extra strength make them ideal for use as cutters.
Pure synthetic diamonds are used in electronics as a heat spreader for high-power laser diodes, laser arrays and high-power transistors.

Q1) What is Graphite?

It is a naturally occurring form of crystalline carbon which is found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. It is extremely soft and breaks down with very light pressure.

Source: Budget 2023: What are lab-grown diamonds, mentioned by FM Nirmala Sitharaman?