Lab-grown diamonds: pros and cons (2023)

Advantages:

• Laboratory grown diamonds have the same chemical and physical properties as natural diamonds. The main difference is the origin.
• Both trained and untrained eyes cannot distinguish between natural diamonds and lab-created diamonds. You look the same.
• You can save 50% to 70% of your money by purchasing a lab grown diamond with the same qualities as your ideal natural diamond.
• For the same amount of money you can get a bigger and better lab grown diamond than a natural diamond.
• Lab grown diamonds are also known as sustainable diamonds and are much more environmentally friendly than mined diamonds.

Cross:

• Some customers are still skeptical. They consider natural diamonds to be more luxurious and valuable (read on to find out why this legitimate assumption is wrong).
• Some customers have felt that they are "real diamonds vs fake diamonds" even though they share identical chemical and physical characteristics.
• Looking for a natural diamond? Beware of scammers trying to sell you a lab grown diamond and trick you into believing it is natural. Make sure you buy your diamond, both natural and lab grown,Only from a reliable seller.

Table of contents

Iflab grown diamondsbecoming more and more popular, more and more customers are considering switching to this alternative product. Overall, these diamonds are more environmentally friendly and affordable than mined ones. In this article, we will cover the pros and cons of lab grown diamonds. My goal is to help you understand whether or not a lab grown diamond may be the right choice for you.

Without further ado, let’s get straight to the point:

2. The second advantage is environmental protection. Unlike natural diamonds, these diamonds are not obtained through mining, which is one of the main contributors to environmental degradation. Instead, they are made in the lab where environmental protection methods and practices are strictly adhered to.

3. Aside from cost savings and environmental benefits, lab grown diamonds are generally more visually appealing than their mined counterparts. Because in contrast to the latter, they result from aProceedingsfree from all possible impurities. Nitrogen atoms and other soil contaminants can affect the purity and clarity of natural diamonds and can easily degrade their aesthetic quality.

In addition, lab created diamonds are cheaper to produce compared to natural diamonds. You probably know that mining is one of the most expensive commercial ventures out there. Fortunately, this process involves none of that. Instead, only carbon atoms are extracted from carbon compounds and subjected to immense heat and pressure to form crystallized carbon particles that make up diamonds. The machinery and techniques required to do this are cheaper than those required to mine natural diamonds deep underground.

4. Finally, unlike their natural counterparts, lab grown diamonds are non-exhaustable and therefore sustainable. That's because carbon atoms, their main component, can be extracted from carbon dioxide, a gas that will never disappear from the atmosphere, at least as far as humans, animals, and plants exist on this planet. That is, as long as the means to extract and crystallize these atoms exist, one can always create artificial diamonds.

1. Unfortunately, growing diamonds in the lab can be quite energy intensive. This can result in high energy costs and place a significant financial burden on the company. However, as technology advances, so does energy consumption (which is good!).

2. While the cheaper price tags oflab grown diamondsCompared to natural diamonds, it can be a great deal for some buyers, but other customers might see it as less luxurious.

3. For diamond dealers who sell natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds are just bad for business. Think of it like dairy and soy milk: some customers prefer an alternative product, giving the dairy industry a smaller market share. Again, many customers prefer an environmentally friendly, larger, more beautiful lab grown diamond at a much better price.

4. Finally, many unsuspecting buyers have lost their hard-earned money buying lab-grown diamonds while thinking they were natural. It's a common scam. When purchasing a natural diamond, make sure this is the casecertified by a legitimate evaluation laboratorylike themIGI/AGS/FAMILY. I strongly recommend only buying from areliable seller. Remember that a cheap price may cost you later. As much as I love finding good deals, we need to draw the line when it's too good to be true.

A lab grown diamond, also known as a lab created diamond, is a diamond that is created in a lab. The process involves extracting carbon atoms from the air or any carbon-rich substance and gradually converting them into a crystalline form – crystallized carbon. This can take between 4-10 weeks.

Four techniques can be used in carbon crystallization;

• High Pressure High Temperature Technology (HPHT).
• Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technology.
• Detonation Synthesis Technology - involves the creation of nanometer-sized diamond grains through the detonation of carbonaceous explosives.
• High Power Ultrasonic Graphite Treatment Technology - involves treating graphite with high power ultrasonics.

N/B: Of all the above techniques, HPHT and CVD remain popular. Nonetheless, lab-created diamonds made using the first technology are called "HPHT diamonds" and those made using the second technology are known as "CVD diamonds".

Unfortunately, creating artificial diamonds requires a lot of energy, which might explain why not so many countries are getting involved in this activity. Few countries such as China, US, Russia, South Africa, Ireland, Japan, Belarus, Sweden, Ukraine, Israel and France do so with China topping the list. According to theBBC, it is the most populous country in the world and produces 50 to 60 percent of artificial diamonds.

In the CVD process, diamonds are grown from a hydrocarbon gas mixture and a diamond seed. This technique involves the use of a gas chamber, immense heat, a carbon-rich gas (often methane gas), and a sophisticated microwave or laser machine.

The diamond seed is placed in the gas chamber, which is then sealed and heated to approximately 800 degrees Celsius (1472 degrees Fahrenheit). After that, the gas is smoked into the sealed chamber and ionized into plasma with the microwave or laser machine. This process gradually releases the carbon from the gas. The resulting carbon atoms find and attach to the diamond seed and slowly build up, atom by atom, into a crystal diamond.

The short answer is yes, because both share the same visual qualities and physical properties. In some cases, unlike the latter, lab grown diamonds can appear more sparkling than their natural counterparts due to the lack of impurities such as nitrogen atoms.

It all boils down to how the crystallization of the carbon atoms takes place in both cases. Remember that diamonds are basically made up of carbon atoms arranged in a crystalline structure known as "cubic diamond".

The answer depends on a few factors. You see, lab created diamonds are just as real as their natural counterparts mined from the earth. Both have similar physical and chemical properties, i.e. the same shape,sizes,Colorgrades anddegrees of clarity.

However, lab grown diamonds tend to have a lower value compared to natural diamonds. If you don't care about the monetary value differences between the two choices, a lab grown diamond is just as good. If it is a piece of jewellery, you can use it to make a fashion statement just as much as a piece of jewelery made from mined diamonds.

The argument about the resale value of lab grown diamonds also doesn't hold water. Most natural diamonds lose 40% to 60% of their value the second you pay for them. Only rare diamonds, such as fancy blue, pink and red, will maintain or increase in value over the long term.

Check Out This 1.02 Carat Fancy Pink Diamond (Click Image To See Price Tag)

Eventually, people are beginning to accept lab grown diamonds as real diamonds. Many celebrities no longer have a problem wearing jewelry made from these diamonds. The beauty of these sustainable diamonds is that they are just as real as their mined counterparts, with whom they share chemical and physical properties. Both consist of crystallized carbon atoms.

In natural diamonds, carbon atoms have crystallized naturally beneath the earth's surface through exposure to intense heat and pressure over millions of years. With artificial diamonds, on the other hand, the atoms have been crystallized in the laboratory for a short period of between 4-10 weeks using special technologies. Both types of diamonds have their pros and cons as highlighted above.