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As you begin your research into diamonds, you may come across the terms lab-grown, man-made or cultured diamonds. These terms are used interchangeably across the jewellery industry and are merely used to describe the scientific process of growing diamonds. If you’re considering purchasing a diamond, we want you to be able to make the best decision based on facts, so that you can confidently pick the diamond that feels right for you.
So what is a cultured diamond? A cultured diamond is precisely that, a diamond. However, they are not born over billions of years under extreme temperatures and pressure within the Earth’s mantle, these diamonds are grown under highly controlled laboratory conditions that replicate the Earth's natural growth process of crystallising carbon. And it has taken almost sixty years to develop this specific technology to produce gemstone quality diamonds. Because the laboratory process mimics natural growth, there are still variations in colour and clarity of and just like mined diamonds, no two diamonds are exactly alike.
These are chemically, optically and physically identical to earth-mined diamonds. They exhibit the same visual properties of fire, scintillation, and sparkle.
Lab-grown diamonds are categorised as either High-Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), depending on their method of production. At Louise Jean our lab-grown diamonds are produced using the CVD method of production, considered to be one of the very best in the industry.
There are two techniques commonly used by laboratories:
- CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition)
- HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature)
Read more about the differences here.
1. Each diamond is grown from a tiny carbon seed of a pre-existing diamond.
2. The diamond seed is placed inside a plasma reactor that replicates the earth natural method of diamond formation. As they are created in a controlled environment, they are formed within the space of a few weeks.
3. Once the rough stone has taken form, it is then cut, polished and graded by world-renowned labs that certify earth-mined diamonds.
Composition
Lab-grown diamonds have essentially the same chemical composition, crystal structure, optical and physical properties of diamonds found in nature. Using a loupe, cultured diamonds are nearly impossible to differentiate from natural diamonds. Lab diamonds may exhibit different trace elements than natural It is typically about 99.95 per cent carbon. The other 0.05 per cent can include one or more trace elements. These trace elements differ between lab-grown purest form of diamond, making them brighter and harder than 98% of earth-mined diamonds.
Mined Diamonds are essentially composed of pure carbon. But many diamonds contain traces of impurities such as nitrogen or boron, acquired during the course of formation. Diamonds that contain little or no impurities are Type IIa diamonds. Less than 2% of mined diamonds are Type IIa and hence are the purest & rarest form of diamonds.
All our colourless Lab grown diamonds are Type IIA.
Certification
All diamonds are submitted to grading laboratories and are accessed on their quality.
Like mined-diamonds, cultured diamonds are graded on their 4C's (carat, cut, clarity, and colour) will show all measurements, proportions, and relevant information of the stone. This will come in the form of a grading certification and is something we include in all of our pieces with cultured diamonds.
The lab-grown diamond's girdle is laser inscribed with the report number as well as the words “lab-grown”. These steps are taken in the interest of clear delineation for consumers. It is a requirement that any gem material produced in a laboratory be described in a way that leaves no doubt that it was not produced naturally.
Sustainable & Eco-Friendly
Sustainable (adj) - a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. To produce lab-grown diamonds requires only carbon and electricity. Because carbon is abundant resource and power can be sourced from renewable sources, lab-grown diamonds offer a genuinely sustainable cycle. Few people realise the true nature of a diamonds' journey from the mine to the consumer. The journey always involves tons of earth and countless hours of labour to bring a gem from the mine to the customer.
Value - Diamonds close enough to earth’s surface to be mined today were formed in nature between 1 & 3 billion years ago. This alone is one reason why they’re so valuable; they’re artefacts. There are approximately 130 million carats of diamond gemstones that are mined, cut, and polished every year, with billions of carats more in existing mines. At present, the annual production of gem quality lab-grown diamonds is only a few thousand carats. Much like mined diamonds, lab-grown diamonds are priced based on their quality and therefore can vary in price. The costs to cut, polish, and grade diamonds is the same, regardless of the origin: grown or mined. It is because of the source of lab-grown diamonds that the cost to purchase is comparatively less than a mined diamond.
Simulants - It is important to note that lab-grown diamonds are not the same thing as diamond simulants such as cubic zirconia and moissanite. These simulants are not pure carbon crystals and do not have the same chemical or physical properties as a diamond.
If you still have some questions about our Cultured diamonds, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
