About Lab-
Grown Diamonds

What are Lab-Grown Diamonds?

Lab-Grown Diamonds are manufactured in a controlled environment simulating conditions similar to naturally mined diamonds. Referred to by names like cultured diamonds, and above earth diamonds, these diamonds were first created by General Electric in the 1950s for industrial purposes.

Their original reason for creating diamonds was to leverage their sturdiness for the manufacturing process; hence, there was little concern for their overall quality and purity. However, once lab-grown diamonds started gaining commercial value, manufacturers started paying more attention to their quality and now based on the latest innovation technology and advanced quality control, lab-grown diamonds have attained the same quality level as naturally occurring diamonds.

Manufacturing Process for Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are also considered real diamonds because they have the core carbon composition of mined diamonds. Arranging them in this composition requires them to go through the manufacturing process. There are two main manufacturing methods for lab-grown diamonds:

High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) Method

As the name implies, the HPHT method uses a combination of pressure and temperature to create diamonds. This method uses carbon powder or diamond seeds and presses them into a growth capsule. There are three ways in which pressure can be applied:

1. The Belt Press
2. The Cubic Press
3. The Split-Sphere Press

Once the powder or seeds are securely placed, they are subjected to temperatures between 1300°C and 1600°C to melt the metal and create a diamond crystal. By continuously applying pressure under such temperatures, the diamond crystal grows into a rough stone that can be polished and perfected to create loose diamonds or fit the precious stone into jewellery.

While this method may sound complex, it has become more efficient due to modern technological advancements and capable to manufacture multiple stones of several thousands of carats in a few weeks.

Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) Method

The CVD method uses pressure but replaces high temperature with gas manipulation. The process requires placing a thin diamond wafer into a vacuum chamber filled with a mixture of hydrogen and methane and combined with carbon. The chamber is heated at about 800°C under the necessary pressure, vaporising hydrogen and methane, leaving carbon residue to settle onto the diamond wafer in a layer by layer formation.
The process is repeated several times over a month to create a crystal large enough to make a 1-carat diamond after it is polished. While CVD allows manufacturers to avoid handling high temperatures during the manufacturing process, it is relatively slow for diamond production. However, both methods produce high-quality diamonds when managed well and diligently.
Limerence Diamonds manufactures lab-grown diamonds primarily utilizing the CVD manufacturing process that creates the most sought after Type IIa diamonds. Almost every Limerence created Diamond is a Type IIa lab-grown diamond, and less than 2% of all diamonds in the world are type IIa diamonds.

Lab-Grown vs. Mined Diamonds

Although lab-grown and mined diamonds are considered real diamonds, they have a few prominent differences.

Formation Timeline

Mined diamonds take billions of years to form in the Earth’s mantle and are pushed up to the Earth’s surface due to volcanic activity. In contrast, a significant quantity of lab-grown diamonds can be manufactured within a few weeks or a few months.

Therefore, lab-grown diamonds have a significantly quicker production cycle than their mined counterparts.

Environmental Impact

It takes extensive work to mine diamonds, and the mining process is highly unsustainable. Several fossil fuels, like diesel, are a part of the process in addition to electricity and hydrocarbons. Manufacturing lab grown diamonds are a far more eco-friendly method of procuring valuable stone.

Control over Purity

Mined diamonds are formed naturally when the temperature and pressure conditions are met; however, the level of purity of these diamonds cannot be controlled. Natural diamond formation takes billions of years so there is limited control over the pollutants in the gemstone that became a part of it during the formation process.

In contrast, it is easier to control the purity of a lab-grown diamond since the manufacturing is managed manually. Limerence Diamonds has a talented team, ensuring that our diamonds rank exceptionally well on the purity scale.

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