All buyers desire to purchase the best diamonds. However, the day when people wanted diamonds that were mined is long gone. More and more customers are choosing to buy lab grown diamonds today.
Many new things, both true and false, have come into the market as lab diamonds have become more popular. While some people adore labs, others are quick to criticize them.
Cultivated diamonds are replacing mined diamonds in all types of diamond jewelry, including engagement rings, necklaces, and other diamond jewelry. There are many reasons for this, including accessibility, less environmental effect, sustainability, social and humanitarian safety, etc.
Are you trying to decide which side of the coin you fall on? Let's discuss lab created diamonds and get some honest debate going.
What is Lab Grown Diamonds?
Lab-created diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, synthetic diamonds, cultivated diamonds, or cultured diamonds are man-made diamonds that resemble natural diamonds. These diamonds are created in a laboratory rather than being found in nature. They are often used as a more affordable and ethical alternative to natural diamonds.
Artificially produced diamonds possess identical physical and chemical characteristics to those found in nature, rendering them visually indistinguishable. They are becoming increasingly popular in the jewelry and diamond industries supply chain.
Manufactured diamonds are produced in laboratories by imitating the procedures used to make natural diamonds. Over billions of years, heat and pressure turn carbon into beautiful gemstones called diamonds. This is how natural diamonds form. Like natural diamond growth, lab-grown diamonds develop over a period of weeks rather than billions of years.
A small diamond seed is put in a sealed chamber that imitates the conditions in the Earth's crust. The seed, covered in carbon, will become a man-made diamond. This diamond is chemically identical to a natural diamond.
Myths About Lab-Grown Diamonds
1. Laboratory-Grown Diamonds Are Fake
Yes. Like naturally mined diamonds, laboratory-grown diamonds are made of crystallized carbon. In other words, laboratories are identical to natural stones both chemically and optically. The same chemical composition, as well as the same shine, hardness, durability, and beauty.
Natural diamonds are extracted from the Earth, whereas lab diamonds are simply manufactured in laboratories. The FTC in the US is very concerned about lab quality. They removed the word "natural" from the definition of "diamond." However, lab grown diamonds are not fake diamonds they are considered as real diamonds.
2. Engagement rings cannot be made with lab-created diamonds
The demand for engagement rings set with lab-grown diamonds is rising daily. Lab diamonds are less expensive, ethically produced, and environmentally friendly. As a result, more millennials and Gen Z individuals are opting to purchase lab diamonds instead of mined diamonds.
66% of young consumers, according to surveys, are actively shopping for engagement rings manufactured with lab-created diamonds. A lab grown diamond engagement ring is something that 23% of diamond buyers said they would purchase.
3. Diamonds Mined and Grown in a Lab Are Graded Differently
It's not true. HRD Antwerp, the top organization in Europe for diamond certification, updated its grading system in March 2019.
Now, regardless of origin, all diamonds are graded in the same manner. The grading process is similar, but some groups may give fewer quality grades for lab-grown diamond reports.
Fact: The 4Cs color, cut, clarity, and carat weight are used to grade both natural and lab grown diamonds.
Laser inscription is a method to verify lab-grown diamonds and ensure they are genuine. The reputed gemological laboratories that specialize in grading both natural and lab grown diamonds issue the certificate.
4. The Color of Lab Diamonds Changes Over Time
No, the idea that lab-created diamonds lose their color over time is not true and unfounded. Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds.
They are formed of the same elements as naturally occurring diamonds. They share the same physical, chemical, thermal, optical, and visual characteristics as naturally occurring diamonds. They don't change color and are strong and sturdy.
5. All Lab-Grown Diamonds Are White
Although white diamonds are the most common, colored diamonds are very occasionally found. These consist of diamonds in various colors, such as yellow, pink, green, and others.
Remember, these diamonds are real and pure, not just colored gems that are less valuable. These diamonds, often known as fancy color diamonds, have a unique grade. Even the smallest difference in color might be significant.
6. Lab-Grown Diamonds Lack Durability
This myth is simpler to disprove because we have already covered the structure of lab-grown diamonds. There are no variations in the physical properties due to the similarity in the arrangement of the carbon atoms. This indicates that the diamond's hardness and other characteristics are identical to those of diamonds found in nature.
How Can I Tell the Difference Between Natural and Lab Created Diamonds?
Even a trained gemologist cannot distinguish between natural and lab created diamonds without the use of specialized tools. The most effective method to ascertain whether a diamond is synthetic or natural is by analyzing the grading report.
To tell if a diamond is natural or made in a lab, a gem expert uses magnification to examine the inclusions. Inclusions in natural diamonds have a slightly different look compared to lab-grown diamonds. Sometimes, there are differences in how light is reflected by a diamond when compared to an artificial one.
However, it is impossible to tell a lab-created diamond apart from a natural diamond when comparing the two.
Why Should You Buy a Lab Grown Diamond?
Lab-grown diamonds are made in a lab using high pressures and temperatures, just like how diamonds are formed naturally.
Modern jewelry designs increasingly include manufactured diamonds to create stunning pieces. For many of reasons, these man-made diamonds are growing more and more popular every day. A few benefits of lab grown diamonds have over their natural counterparts are listed below.
1. Lab-Grown Diamonds Can Be 40–50% Less Expensive
The cost of producing diamonds in a laboratory is cheaper than that of a mining operation. Additionally, there is substantially less demand for man-made diamonds, which contributes to their affordable price points. A man-made diamond that looks exactly like a natural diamond can be up to 50% cheaper. If you choose a man-made option, you get greater value for your money.
2. Lab-Grown Diamonds are Conflict-Free in Every Way
Now you may purchase an engagement ring without feeling guilty. No need to worry about social responsibility in mining because lab-grown diamonds are made without any associated issues.
3. They are Eco-Friendly
Mining consumes a lot of energy and has a significant negative environmental impact. Diamond mining has a negative impact on our planet, causing erosion, deforestation, and pollution. The environmental impact of laboratory-grown processes is considerably less. Due to their use of renewable energy, some laboratories are even carbon negative.
4. It's Difficult to Tell the Difference
Your manmade gem will not lose color, get cloudy, or appear to be a lower-quality version of a natural diamond. You are not sacrificing color, carat weight, clarity, or cut by selecting a lab grown diamond engagement ring.
Conclusion
It is obvious that lab-grown diamonds are real and are just as stunning and brilliant as diamonds that are mined. However, lab-grown diamonds are more cost-effective and less harmful to the environment than mined diamonds, among other benefits.
The quality of lab-grown diamonds is the same as that of diamonds that are extracted from the earth. Lab-grown diamonds can be up to 50% cheaper than natural diamonds of the same quality. This is because of better manufacturing methods like CVD (chemical vapor deposition) or HPHT (High pressure, high temperature). For diamond buyers seeking a conflict-free but high quality option, lab-grown diamonds provide an ethical substitute.
Lab-grown diamonds are real diamond and equally as flawless as mined diamonds when compared to diamond substitutes. However, alternative possibilities, such as diamond simulants like moissanite and cubic zirconia, are not real diamonds. Thus, the quick answer to the question " Are Lab Grown Diamonds Fake?" is a resounding NO!
1. Laboratory-Grown Diamonds Are Fake
