Recent years, lab-created diamonds have seen an exponential rise in popularity among shoppers. Recently, major jewelry retailers have begun including man-made diamonds as a more significant component of their inventory.
Synthetic diamonds mimic the natural process of formation through high-pressure and high-temperature conditions inside a growth chamber, but without any of the atomic level defects that distinguish natural diamonds.
What is a man-made diamond?
Man made diamonds Parramatta, also referred to as synthetic diamonds, are laboratory-grown carbon crystals that replicate the chemical, physical and optical characteristics of natural mined diamonds. The process of creating lab diamonds is much more efficient and requires less land than mining natural diamonds does.
Two methods are employed in the laboratory to grow diamonds: high pressure-high temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The former begins with a small diamond seed that is inserted into carbon. Once heated and pressurised, this forms a diamond shell around it.
What is the difference between a man made diamond and a natural diamond?
Lab diamonds are created in a laboratory with the same chemical, physical and optical characteristics of naturally occurring diamonds. This allows them to be cut and polished with extreme precision for use in many applications.
Natural diamonds, on the other hand, are formed deep beneath Earth’s surface through intense heat and pressure. Under such circumstances, carbon molecules rearrange on an atomic level.
Natural diamonds, however, are not pure carbon but contain trace amounts of nitrogen and inclusions which have become cemented into their still-forming state by the time they reach the ground. This explains why natural diamonds are so rare and therefore so expensive.
Are man made diamonds ethical?
Although there has been an uptick in awareness around lab grown diamonds, many still lack clarity regarding whether they are ethical. While some jewellers may claim their products to be ‘ethically sourced’, there is no way to actually trace each gem through its supply chain.
This has ethical repercussions such as child labour, human trafficking and illegal mining practices. For instance, Sierra Leone’s civil war cost the country millions of dollars and affected hundreds of thousands of people when rebels took control of its diamond industry.
In an effort to reduce the environmental damage caused by mining diamonds, lab-grown diamonds are becoming a more popular alternative. Not only are they more ethical and cost effective than their mined counterparts, but they’re also environmentally friendly and cost efficient as well. They are created in laboratories by simulating natural conditions like high pressure and high temperature that create diamonds by using carbon atoms instead of rocks.
Are man made diamonds environmentally friendly?
Lab-grown diamonds differ from mined diamonds in that they aren’t mined at large industrial mining operations. Instead, they’re grown within small chambers inside safe laboratories which employ environmentally friendly techniques for waste disposal.
Producing a lab-grown diamond requires less energy and water than mining one, leading to lower carbon emissions. Furthermore, any waste created during this process is recycled or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner web series review.
Two primary methods for producing jewelry-quality diamonds: HPHT and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). With HPHT, carbon is subjected to extreme pressures and temperatures in order to form a diamond; whereas with CVD, heating a mixture of hydrogen and methane gas in a sealed chamber creates the seed crystal that will eventually grow into an actual diamond.
Can you tell the difference between a man-made diamond and a natural diamond?
If you’re thinking of investing in jewelry, one of the first questions you may have is whether to choose natural diamonds or man-made ones. While both can be found with various colors and looks, there are some key distinctions that you should be aware of before making a final decision.
Conclusion
The primary distinction between natural diamonds and man-made ones lies in their chemical makeup. Natural diamonds are composed primarily of carbon with a trace amount of nitrogen, while lab grown diamonds lack this element altogether.
