As the jewelry market changes, knowing the difference between natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds helps you pick what matches your style and values.

Diamonds are miracles of nature, a gift of God. They are even more precious than gold which is another gift of God to mankind. Humans have always had this curiosity to emulate and add its own perfection to enhance the products which are inspired by nature and perfected by man.

Around 70 years ago, scientists developed the technique to create diamonds in laboratories under controlled environments. These diamonds are identical to natural diamonds in terms of their physical, chemical, thermal and optical properties. It's impossible to distinguish between a natural and a lab-grown diamond with the naked eye.

Exploring the brilliance of diamonds? Dive into the understanding of natural and lab-grown diamonds.

What are Natural Diamonds?

Natural diamonds originated billion of years ago, deep within the Earth’s crust under tremendous heat and pressure. Over time, due to volcanic eruptions these diamonds came closer to the earth’s surface, waiting to be mined. But, because of their very difficult terrain and natural circumstances, only a handful of these diamonds could be extracted.

You may wonder, if like Oxygen, it’s a gift of God to mankind, then why are we as customers paying such high cost for these precious stones? Well, mining these diamonds is extremely difficult from terrains which are difficult to reach and to excavate these diamonds it takes large amount of money, human resources and above all precious time.

What are Lab Grown Diamonds?

Lab-grown diamonds are scientific wonders and ingenuity of human achievements. These diamonds are grown in laboratories (Plasma Reactors), allowing scientists to replicate the natural processes of diamond formation that occur below the Earth's surface.

So technically there is no difference between a Natural diamond and a Lab Grown Diamond. The only difference is the Orgin of the two i.e Natural diamonds were formed below the earth and Lab Grown Diamonds are formed above the earth.

Today Lab-grown diamonds are perfected by man and have managed to create the same chemical, physical, thermal and optical structures as their natural counter parts.

Want to know how these diamonds are formed? The following section showcases an overview of the procedure for creating lab-grown diamonds.

How Are Lab Grown Diamonds Formed/Grown?

There are two key processes that allow scientists to develop diamonds in a lab within weeks: High-Pressure-High-Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).

How do they work? Well, scientists have managed to crunch billions of years of creation time to a matter of a few weeks. The process involves creating the same environment, in a reactor, which exists below the earth’s crust, that existed and created natural diamonds.

1. High-Pressure-High-Temperature (HPHT) Method

To create a lab-grown diamond using the HPHT method, a small diamond seed needs to be placed into the carbon. This seed must then be processed through either a belt press, cubic press, or the split sphere (BARS) press.

Next, the diamond seeds are exposed to a whopping temperature of around 1500°C and pressurized to 1.5 million pounds per square inch. Under such extreme pressure and temperature, the carbon melts to form a diamond. Now, all that is left is for it to cool down so that we can get a pure diamond!

2. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Method

The CVD method calls for the diamond seed to be placed in a chamber. The chamber is theninfused with methane (CH4) and other gases that are compounds of carbon and heated to a very high temperature of approx. 800°C under tremendous pressure. The gases are ionized into plasma using microwave technology, and this ionization breaks the molecular bonds. Soon, pure carbon begins to crystallize and morph into a diamond seed.

Difference Between Natural and Lab Grown Diamonds

To make it easier for you to decide, we have compared natural and lab-grown diamonds on six parameters. Let’s check them out!

 

Factors	Natural Diamond	Lab-Grown Diamond
Formulation	Formed under Earth’s surface over billions of years	Created in laboratories over weeks, replicating the Earth’s environment to form.
Composition	Pure carbon in a crystalline structure with potential impurities like nitrogen, affecting color and clarity.	Pure carbon in a crystalline structure with minimal impurities due to controlled conditions.
Price	More expensive due to very high mining cost.	Much more affordable than natural diamonds since there is no mining cost so the benefit is passed on to the customers.
Durability	Scores a 10 on the Mohs scale, indicating high durability.	Also scores a 10 on the Mohs scale, equally durable.
Ethical practices	Has faced some challenges unethical practices resulting in less than 1 percent of diamonds tagged as “Blood Diamonds”	So far there has been no wars or unethical practices identified with Lab Grown Diamonds
Appearance	Often contains impurities and inclusions, which can affect clarity and color.	Controlled environment can give consistency in clarity and color.

 

Which One Should I Buy?

We understand this is a personal choice but we would like to share a few factors that usually help to consider the most suitable choice. 

Consider your budget: No matter what money is always limited in supply and a very precious resource. If money is a constraint/consideration then lab grown diamonds are an excellent choice. In addition, the affordability factor of lab grown diamonds can give you the flexibility of either buying much larger sized diamonds in the same budget as natural diamond or perhaps buy the same size of diamond that you prefer, at a much lower price saving you your precious resource. So diamonds of your choice are “More beautiful than you imagine for less than you think”.

Conclusion

In conclusion, natural and lab grown diamonds are stunning regardless of their formation. The main features that set the two types apart are their mode of Origin, price, and environmental impact. On the one hand, natural diamonds are considered precious and relatively costly. On the other, lab grown are affordable and yet are identical to the natural diamonds in terms of its quality and other parameters. At the end of the day, the final decision rests on one’s taste, pockets and social norms.

FAQs

1. How long do lab-grown diamonds last?
Ans. Lab-grown diamonds, just like their natural counterparts, do not have a shelf life. That means both lab-grown and natural diamonds are forever.

2. Can I spot the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds?
Ans. No, the differences between natural vs lab-grown diamonds cannot be spotted by a human eye just by looking at them. However, a gemologist with advanced tools/detection machinesand techniques can always tell the difference.

3. Do lab-grown diamonds come with certifications?
Ans. Yes, lab-grown diamonds also come with certifications. The diamond verification laboratories all over the world, use  exactly the same process, methods and parameters that are used to certify natural diamonds. You can ask for certifications whenever you buy them.