• Lab Made Diamonds

What are Lab Diamonds?

Lab Grown Diamonds – How they are made and how are they different from mined diamonds?

Imagine two diamonds. Both are stunningly beautiful, with identical physical, chemical and aesthetic properties. The difference? It is only the journeys these stones have taken to arrive before you that are different. In one diamonds case, over 200 tonnes of soil has been shifted to unearth it, civil wars have been funded, thousands of innocent humans have died, raped or been murdered and detrimental environmental effects have caused irreversible damage. On the other hand, scientific brilliance gives us the newer, modern, ethical and conflict-free young stones whose story and journey begins with you.

All jewellery by Ahimsa London from www.labmadediamonds.co.uk are 100% lab grown diamonds.

What is a diamond?
A diamond is a crystallized form of pure carbon which is created deep beneath the earth's crust under intense pressure and high temperatures. A diamond is the hardest known material on the Mohs scale.

What is a lab grown diamond?
Lab grown diamonds share the exact same chemical, physical and optical properties as mined diamonds. There is no difference between a naturally occurring mined diamonds and lab grown diamonds. Even expert gemologists will struggle to distinguish between a lab made diamond and a mined diamond, this is because they are identical and exactly the same.

How is a diamond grown in a lab?
Scientists were able to mimic the intense pressure and the high heat which is found 90 miles beneath the earth's crust in a laboratory setting. This was the first process used to grow diamonds in a laboratory and it had great beneficial use in different industries. Due to the tough nature of diamonds and being the hardest material diamonds were used to all sorts of tools, knives, drill bits. It is even used heavily in dentistry! However, the process commonly known as HPHT (high-pressure high temperature) did not produce colourless diamonds which we favour in jewellery. There is still a huge demand for these diamonds as it is still used in tools, polishing and in modern technology as diamond is a good thermal conductor.

In recent years a new cutting-edge technology known as CVD (chemical vapour deposition) emerged. During this process a diamond seed (usually created by HPHT or CVD) is placed into a vacuum chamber, a gas mixture is introduced into the chamber and is heated to 900 to 1200°C. This active carbon-hydrogen gas attaches to the carbon atom on the diamond seed, the seed is now one carbon atom thicker. The process continuously repeats itself until a 3-dimensional crystalline structure has been created, this is a rough diamond which is then expertly polished to create the diamond as we know it.

So is a lab grown diamond the same as a Swarovski, Cubic Zirconia or Moissanite?
No, certainly not. A Swarovski is a brand name for a type of simulated glass, Swarovski's are actually not even crystals, it is a mixture of glass and silicone dioxide with a lead content of 32%. This high lead content mimics the optical properties of a diamond. However, similar to cubic zirconia's a Swarovski is much more delicate measuring between 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale, this makes it extremely susceptible to chipping, general wear & tear and scratches.

Cubic Zirconia's are also crystals which are slightly different from Swarovski's. These crystals are completely different to diamonds whether lab made or naturally mined. CZ (cubic zirconia) is made from zirconium dioxide, it is much heavier than a diamond, it has a lower refractive index which makes it less sparkly, and is also not as hard as a diamond and measures at an 8 on the Mohs scale. Over time Cubic Zirconia's lose their shine and start to look dull.

A Moissanite is another diamond imitation which is made from silicon carbide, it is harder than cubic zircona's and Swarovski measuring at 9.45 on the Mohs scale however it is still a cheaper fake version of a diamond and is an imitation whereas a lab grown diamond is no different to a naturally mined diamond