A diamond is nothing but a piece of carbon that has been exposed to high pressure. Technological advancements in the past few years have led to an increase in the production of lab grown diamonds. These are manmade diamonds, which are aesthetically and chemically similar to those found naturally under the Earth.
These days, many people argue that the sustainable method of synthetic diamond production is the better way of offering the world with these precious gemstones. History says that synthetic diamonds have been there since the 19th Century, and its scope has grown to lab made emeralds, rubies, and sapphires today. However, the challenge of making a decent sized diamond has eluded scientists for long.
Although latest technologies have made it possible to manufacture a diamond in a matter of months, the Diamond Producers Association disputed that the term “grown diamonds” was misleading. This argument was overturned by the Federal Trade Commission in the recent past though, and the agency established that lab created diamonds are also “real” gemstones.
The main attraction of lab grown diamond is that it costs about thirty to forty percent less than the natural counterparts. Experts claim that as lab grown diamonds become more and more popular, the cost will go even lower, eventually dropping the value of natural mined diamonds too.
How are Diamonds Made
There are two ways followed to “grow” diamonds. In the first method, high pressure and high temperature is applied to carbon atoms in a microwave chamber to transform it into a beautiful diamond, while the second method is similar to 3D printing, in which the carbon pieces are layered inside a vacuum chamber to get the product. Both these techniques need much energy to operate, but can offer really beautiful natural looking diamonds that cannot be easily distinguished from the mined ones.
Previously, people considered synthetic diamonds to be less valuable than natural diamonds and even fake; however, they are now viewed as a good way to own big diamonds at low prices, making it a guilt-free investment option to many. For many of the jewelers, lab grown synthetic diamonds are uncharted domain, even though it offers diamonds that are chemically, physically, and optically the same as the mined versions. Lab grown diamonds are available at much more accessible prices, but many jewelers claim that they can dilute the aura of rarity and luxury of natural diamonds.