Generating a lot of buzz in the jewelry industry this year has been the topic of lab grown diamonds and their comparison to genuine, or mined, diamonds. Perhaps so many people are having trouble understanding lab grown diamonds because there’s confusion as to what just a diamond is in the first place. To understand what makes lab grown diamonds different, we need to understand mined diamonds first.
We all know that certain conditions, a specific temperature and pressure, create diamonds underneath earth’s surface.
With the help of technology, mining companies are able to locate diamond deposits underground and construct mines to extract them from their pipes. It takes many years and millions of dollars to develop a diamond mine. There is tremendous cost in the time, equipment, and manpower it takes to run a mine–not to mention the expense of locating the mine, testing the pipes, ensuring protection for local wildlife and vegetation, and actually digging the giant hole in the ground.
One mine in Australia took 8 years and $12 million to find, and then an additional $420 million over five years to develop the mine just to begin diamond production. Mining is expensive.
Understanding the labor and expense of mining, it’s a no brainer that lab grown diamonds are less expensive. They are not less expensive because they are any less of a diamond, but rather because of the more affordable process by which they are developed.
Lab grown diamonds are chemically and optically the same as mined diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are just as durable, brilliant, and rare as mined diamonds, if not more so. A diamond is forever, and a lab grown diamond is no exception.
Our lab grown diamonds by Pure Grown Diamonds are grown above earth, layer by layer in a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) chamber. Is an orchid grown in a greenhouse any less of an orchid than one grown in the wild? Pure Grown Diamonds are polished using the same tools and techniques, and can be mounted in the same mountings as mined diamonds. With the exception of how they formed, they are the same.
Here are some frequently asked questions about lab grown diamonds.
Are lab grown diamonds inscribed with a serial number?
Our Pure Grown Diamonds over .25 carats are laser inscribed.
Are lab grown diamonds graded by a grading lab?
Yes, Pure Grown Diamonds are graded by the same labs that grade mined diamonds.
What is the environmental impact of a lab grown diamond facility?
The environmental impact of a mined diamonds is approximately seven times more than that of grown diamonds. Pure Grown Diamonds require no soil movement, they produce a fraction of the air pollution (.001 ounces of carbon emissions per carat), and use 14% the amount of water that it is used in mining.
If you have more questions about lab grown diamonds, one of our jewelry consultants would be happy to help. Our store always stays up to date on the latest technology and advances in the jewelry industry, and our associates will happily and confidently answer whatever questions you may have.
Jordan Rayne
GIA Diamonds Graduate, GIA AJP
Designer and Consultant for HPerry Jewelers since 2013