Lab Grown Diamonds Vs. Real Diamonds

Natural and lab-grown diamonds are physically and chemically identical, with the exception that lab-grown diamonds are produced under controlled conditions utilizing cutting-edge technology.

A Natural Diamond is a pleasant concept. The practice has been around for millennia, and choosing a natural diamond demonstrates an appealing devotion and dependability. Here are some things to consider when choosing between lab-created diamonds and real gemstones.

Real Diamonds Vs. Lab Grown Diamonds

Are lab-created diamonds worth anything?

Lab-created diamonds have some value, but that value can change based on size, quality, and general market demand, among other things. Although lab-made diamonds of the same size and quality are typically less expensive than genuine diamonds, they can be utilized in jewelry and other applications, just like natural diamonds.

Because they are uncommon and have a history, some people might prefer natural diamonds, while others would choose lab-created diamonds because their sourcing is more morally and environmentally responsible. A lab-created diamond’s worth is ultimately determined by the buyer’s tastes and the particulars of the diamond.

Are lab-created diamonds sustainable?

It takes a lot of energy to generate a lab diamond, but this is something that lab diamond creators are continually working on, reducing the time and resources required to create each diamond. Some producers already claim to utilize as little as 20 kWh to create a diamond, contrary to previous claims that a lab diamond required 250 kWh to be manufactured.

A lab-created diamond is much more environmentally friendly than one that was mined. A diamond laboratory can be relatively compact and does not require any type of excavation or mining, in contrast to diamond mining, which requires the exploration of huge areas of land.

There are an increasing number of lab diamonds made with renewable energy on the market. In addition, many lab diamond producers use solar energy to create diamonds or invest in reducing their carbon footprint. As a result, many diamond laboratories are expected to reevaluate how they make their diamonds and work toward more environmentally friendly production due to the demand for carbon-neutral diamonds.

Lab diamonds are generally viewed as being far more sustainable than mined diamonds. It is anticipated that their sustainability will grow as technologies advance, becoming more efficient and less wasteful.

Are Lab-Grown Diamonds as Strong as Real Diamonds?

Because lab-grown and natural diamonds are chemically and physically equivalent, they share the same qualities. As a result, laboratory-grown diamonds are equally durable as real diamonds. Pure carbon that has been heated and crushed to incredibly high pressures and temperatures makes up both sorts of diamonds.

Both have a Mohs hardness rating of 10, the highest attainable on the scale, making them incredibly strong and durable. In addition, the same physical and optical characteristics, such as refractive index, dispersion, and birefringence, also apply to them. As a result, lab-grown diamonds can be utilized in a variety of applications where strength is needed, such as jewelry, industrial tools, and electrical gadgets. They can also be just as robust as genuine diamonds.

How are Lab Grown Diamonds Made?

Artificial, synthetic, cultivated, or artisan occasionally describe lab-grown diamonds. A buyer could become confused due to the interchangeable wording. However, they all refer to the same thing—a certified diamond that was “produced” in a laboratory. CVD or HPHT, sometimes used to describe lab-grown diamonds, simply refers to the diamond creation process.

Lab-Made Diamonds – Two Popular Methods

Lab-grown diamonds are produced using two different procedures:

Chemical Vapor Deposition Diamonds

Chemical Vapor Deposition is the name of the initial procedure (CVD). First, a tiny diamond seed known as a “seed crystal” is inserted into a niche. Then hot gasses are poured into the chamber. The seed crystal starts to develop layers of carbon as soon as the gasses reach the proper temperature. As a result, the seed grows and crystallizes into a square-shaped diamond.

High-Pressure High-Temperature Diamonds

The second procedure is HPHT (High Pressure, High Temperature). This is intended to mimic how natural diamonds are created on Earth. In this procedure, raw graphite is put into a sizable machine that crushes it under high temperatures and pressure. In these circumstances, graphite changes into a diamond.

Pros of Buying a Lab-Grown Diamond

Due to the fact that lab-grown diamonds cost between 30 and 50% less than natural diamonds, you can feasibly buy a much larger diamond. When comparing a Lab Grown Diamond with a Natural Diamond with identical 4 C properties, the difference cannot be seen with the naked eye. Lab-grown diamonds’ physical and chemical characteristics are identical to those of natural diamonds, making them just as brilliant.

Are lab-grown diamonds more ethically superior? Since no mining is involved, some believe lab-grown diamonds are more morally acceptable. However, the 2003 implementation of The Kimberley Process has effectively stopped the flow of conflict diamonds.

A Lab Grown Diamond is a good substitute for a more expensive Natural Diamond if your priority is not the diamond’s potential for resale. Simply said, you’ll get more value for your money.

Cons of Buying a Lab-Grown Diamond

The rarity of a natural diamond is significant. Because there is a limited supply, a natural diamond will often retain its value better than a lab-grown diamond. According to the fundamental principles of supply and demand, the value rises as demand rises, particularly when supply is constrained. Although grown diamonds can be manufactured, their value may not hold over time, so resale values may continue to decline if the market becomes oversaturated.

A lab-grown diamond avoids the moral and ethical dilemmas associated with natural diamond mining; however, lab-grown diamonds also have sustainability difficulties. Because producing a diamond requires such high heat, an HPHT-treated diamond requires enormous energy. The energy needed for the CVD approach is equivalent to that needed to power a house for one month.

Pros Of Buying A Real Diamond

Diamonds carry a significant emotional attachment.

The main reason diamonds are so valuable is that, regardless of carat size, just buying a diamond represents a large financial and emotional investment.

The diamond is the ideal stone for commemorating significant and momentous occasions, including graduations, anniversaries, and the good ol’ important ones like grand proposals.

Essentially, these stones are the ideal representation of significant life events you always want to hold dear to your heart. Additionally, it represents devotion, love, and fresh starts.

A rich history of the diamonds

Diamonds have been around for much longer than we thought; they are thought to have formed between 300 and 400 million years ago due to volcanic eruptions that brought them to the surface. Although we first learned about the existence and beauty of diamonds in the early 20th century, they have actually been around for much longer than we originally thought.

Due to the extraordinary process by which natural diamonds are created, many people regard mined diamonds as some of nature’s most priceless wonders.

Rare and valuable gemstone

Although there are diamonds in the Earth’s crust, the reality is that due to the enormous demand for diamonds, a significant portion of the mined diamonds have already been extracted through difficult procedures like the Kimberley Process, as well as the diamond processing steps.

They boost the local economies.

The fact that mined, natural diamonds significantly strengthen regional economies and communities is another key benefit.

Natural diamonds that have been mined directly benefit local communities, workers, and their families, which helps to strengthen local economies.

Additionally, a large number of mining workers and the towns in which they reside benefit greatly from the local economies’ stimulation.

Botswana, which was formerly among the world’s poorest countries but is now categorized as a middle-income country with a GDP that has increased dramatically, is one of the nations whose economies have profited from the mined diamonds. This has allowed the government to provide free education.

Not as unfriendly to the environment as advertised

While it has been claimed that lab-grown diamonds are more environmentally friendly than mined diamonds, this is not the case. Manufacturing lab-grown diamonds still requires a significant amount of energy, making them just as energy-intensive as mined diamonds.

It’s largely a clean process.

Companies are now increasingly focused on employing cleaner methods that generally support using recycled water in the mining process as they push for effective and sustainable methods for creating and mining diamonds.

The separation of the diamonds from the rocks is frequently accomplished with the application of high pressure and recycled water.

Cons  Of Buying A Real Diamond

Natural diamonds are associated with severe pollution, particularly in regions where diamond mining is not highly regulated.

The fact that water and soil are so heavily polluted in certain places may not be the most alluring feature of natural diamonds.

It might not be the best investment tool.

While high-karat gold and platinum are among the greatest materials for storing cash due to their constant appreciation in value, diamonds don’t hold their worth or increase in value as much as diamonds do.

Even if you can still sell the jewelry for a profit in the future, it will be worth less than when you first acquired it because the value of the diamonds decreases almost immediately after you buy it.

Blood Diamonds challenges

Although some diamonds are obtained and mined legally before being sold to other regions, mined diamonds are regarded as blood diamonds because of the violence and exploitation that individuals face while extracting the gems.

So, if you are concerned about the origin of your diamonds, using naturally mined diamonds may provide a problem.

Expensive

The price of mined real diamonds is another drawback; you would have to pay far more for these diamonds than you would for lab-created ones. So, the mined diamonds might not be the best choice for you if you are concerned about the price of the diamonds.

Should I choose a lab-grown or a real diamond ring?

Choosing a lab-created or natural diamond is a personal decision, and we aren’t here to influence your decision. Here is some data to aid in your decision-making, but if they’re insufficient, why not visit with one of our specialists to compare natural and lab-created diamonds?

• It is possible to find lab-grown and natural diamonds with the same excellent cut, color, and clarity grading.
• Diamonds grown in laboratories are 100 percent real and identical to those found in nature.
• Natural diamonds cost between 60% and 80% more at retail than lab-created diamonds.
• You can acquire a lab-created diamond with a significantly higher carat weight for the same price as a natural diamond.
• While the future worth of lab-created diamonds is unknown, natural diamonds generally hold their value throughout time.
• Natural diamonds require much more land than lab diamonds do.
• A lab diamond must be generated using a lot of energy; however, technology is improving to lessen this requirement, and many lab diamonds are produced sustainably using solar power.
• In contrast to the billions of years, it takes natural diamonds to form; lab diamonds are made in weeks.
• Without specialized equipment, it is impossible to distinguish between a mined and a lab-created diamond.
• A lab-created diamond is an actual diamond, not a replica or a knockoff.
• Buying natural diamonds is not unethical unless you purchase a blood diamond, which is nearly impossible thanks to the UN’s Kimberley Process.
• Most natural diamond
•  mines are run responsibly for developing communities that depend on mining. However, the majority of diamond laboratories are located in wealthy nations.

Are Diamonds Grown in Labs Real? Lab Diamond Vs. Moissanite and Cubic Zirconia.

Contrary to popular belief, lab-created diamonds are not “fake” diamonds. Unlike cubic zirconia or moissanite, lab diamonds are “genuine” because of their carbon-based chemical makeup.

These lab-produced diamond imitators are not actual diamonds since they do not contain carbon atoms.

Lab-grown diamonds vs. cubic zirconia

Cubic zirconia, or “CZ,” is produced in a lab, although it differs from a lab diamond in several ways. CZ is a gem in and of itself and shares many characteristics with diamonds. CZ is a very cheap stone that is frequently perfect and colorless, but it scratches considerably more easily and has a duller brilliance. Compared to lab-created diamonds, CZs shine far less brightly and produce bright rainbow-like color flashes that are very unnatural-looking. Even though colorless when made, a CZ can eventually turn yellow.

Lab-grown diamonds vs. moissanite

The stone known as moissanite was previously discovered in nature but has since been created synthetically. Moissanite is distinctly different from a lab-grown diamond, even though both were developed in a laboratory. The color of moissanite tends to appear grey, brown, yellow, or greenish, even though it can be cut into stones with exceptional clarity and is a relatively durable gemstone. 

A moissanite’s glitter is significantly dissimilar from a lab-created diamond; it is fiery and emits a lot of rainbow-like colors, which can be a dead giveaway that the stone is synthetic. Because moissanite is doubly reflective, its tendency to look fuzzy or foggy is its main drawback. The impact of this increases with the size of the moissanite.

FAQs

Are lab-grown diamonds GIA certified?

The same criteria used to grade natural diamonds—cut, clarity, color, and carat weight—are used to grade lab-grown diamonds. Although they have just begun, there aren’t very many lab-grown diamonds that the GIA has certified. Therefore, for lab diamonds, we suggest IGI certifications since these are much easier to find and also include particular Color and Clarity grading.

Can a jeweler tell if a diamond is lab-created?

It’s usually impossible to distinguish between a natural and a lab-created diamond with the naked eye, even for jewelers or trained gemologists. However, a gemologist may be able to spot tiny inclusions that signify a lab-created diamond with the aid of sophisticated tools.

Are lab-created diamonds good?

Lab-produced diamonds are nearly identical to “real” or natural diamonds in appearance, feel, and chemical composition. Additionally, they are less expensive, and some consider them a more environmentally friendly option. Lab diamonds, however, have a far shorter lifespan than wild diamonds.

Why aren’t people purchasing lab-grown diamonds?

Since the supply of lab-grown diamonds will always be large and lab-grown diamonds are not finite like their natural counterparts, there is no assurance that they will retain any value in the future.

Will lab grown diamonds hold their value?

Many people assert that these man-made diamonds have little to no market worth, however that isn’t true at all! Lab-created diamonds have a similar resale value to mined diamonds and can be purchased for a lower price than when they were first sold.