Lab-grown diamonds are gaining popularity today and even celebrities are now preferring these stones over mined diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are a great option for people who follow ethical values, as these stones are ethical and conflict-free. By choosing lab-grown diamonds over mined stones, it will be possible for you to avoid the environmental and social hazards associated with mining diamonds.
But lab-grown diamonds are not still widely available like natural diamonds. However, you can get these diamonds from many online diamond dealers who sell ethical stones.
A lot of people are confused about the creation of lab-grown diamonds. Therefore, we provide some details about the making of these stones inside a laboratory.
How Lab Grown Diamonds Are Made?
Lab-grown diamonds/synthetic diamonds are formed in a laboratory in less than a month of time, unlike natural diamonds that are formed over billions of years under the earth.
When producing synthetic diamonds, labs create the conditions that are necessary for the formation of diamonds artificially. Scientists believe that natural diamonds are formed under the earth when carbon dioxide is exposed to extreme heat and pressure. The pressure and heat required for the formation of diamonds are created inside a lab using advanced techniques.
Two methods are usually used for the creation of lab grown diamonds. They include:
- HPHT (High Pressure-High Temperature)
- CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition)
Both of these methods are highly efficient and they can be useful to produce diamonds just in a few weeks.
HPHT
In this method, a small diamond seed will be placed inside a piece of carbon. After this, a cubic press, belt press, or split-sphere press will be used to pressurize the carbon to almost 1.5 million pounds/square inch. In addition to this, a temperature over 2700 Fahrenheit will also be applied to the carbon.
This high temperature and pressure will melt the carbon thereby forming a diamond around the original diamond seed. The diamond thus formed will be then cooled carefully. This process can help to create a stunning diamond that can match the natural diamonds in terms of their properties and appearance.
CVD
This method also uses diamond seeds for producing diamonds. This seed will be placed in a sealed chamber which is heated up to 1,400 Fahrenheit. This chamber will be filled with gases like methane that are rich in carbon.
The process also involves ionizing the gases to break down their molecular bond. This will cause pure carbon to stick to the seed to form a new diamond.
So if you are looking for cost-effective and ethical stones for your diamond rings, then lab-grown diamonds can be a great option for you.