Lab-Grown Diamonds

About Lab-Grown Diamonds

• Laboratory-grown diamonds have essentially the same chemical, optical, and physical properties and crystal structure as natural diamonds.
  • Like natural diamonds, they are made of tightly-bonded carbon atoms.
  • They respond to light in the same way and are just as hard as natural diamonds.
• The main differences between laboratory-grown and natural diamonds lie in their origin.
• 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.
  • This method mimics the conditions under which natural diamonds are formed inside the earth.
  • To produce the lab diamond, a large machine is fed a certain amount of carbon materials that it then crushes under pressures of more than 870,000 lbs. per square inch at extreme temperatures ranging from 1300 – 1600 degrees Celsius.
  • Lower-quality diamonds, whether natural or laboratory-grown, can also be put through the HPHT process to improve color. This process can also be used to change the color of diamonds to pink, blue or yellow. 
• Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD):
  • This technique enables scientists to grow laboratory-grown diamonds using moderate temperatures (700°C to 1300°C) and lower pressures.
  • Carbon-containing gas is pumped into a vacuum chamber and deposits onto a diamond seed, crystallizing as laboratory-grown diamond.
  • The eventual size of the diamond depends on the time allowed for growth.
• 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.
• India produces more than three million lab-grown diamonds a year and accounts for 15 per cent of global production.

Q1: What is Carbon?

It is a very abundant element. It exists in pure or nearly pure forms – such as diamonds and graphite – but can also combine with other elements to form molecules.

Source: Will the sparkle of India’s lab-grown diamonds last forever?