Diamond Education

RRP Diamond’s has welcomed its other range of jewellery under the company Loose Lab Grown Diamond. This company’s main focus is to make people aware of how purchasing lab grown diamonds will benefit them and the environment altogether. Loose Lab Grown Diamond has a variety of man made diamonds or in other words synthetic diamonds to choose from.  

There have been many confusions regarding what are lab grown diamonds? Are they real diamonds or not? How much do lab grown diamonds cost? There have also been some myths regarding lab grown diamonds. Well, we are here to help debunk these myths and provide you with authentic information.

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to lab grown diamonds/synthetic diamonds.

What are Lab Grown Diamonds?

Lab grown diamonds are real diamonds which have been created within laboratories. These precious gems have the same physical, chemical and optical properties as that of natural diamonds which are found below the earth’s surface. These lab grown diamonds are created in a controlled environment, with the help of advanced technology. 

The controlled environment being a lab, the advanced technology/machines consist of chambers. In these chambers, raw material is placed, which will later be converted into a rough diamond. The chamber replicates the conditions within the earth’s crust, which are needed to create a man made diamond. 

Why Lab Grown Diamonds?

How are Lab Grown Diamonds Created?

The most distinguishing factor between lab grown diamonds and natural diamonds are how they are made. While natural diamonds are mined from the earth’s crust, lab grown diamonds are made by different processes. 

There are two main processes used to create lab grown diamonds:

1. CVD Method- CVD stands for Chemical Vapour Decomposition. In this process, a material (tiny carbon seed) is placed inside a chamber in the presence of a pure rich carbon plasma. As soon as the machine starts, carbon atoms get deposited on the diamond seed and with time it forms a man made diamond. These diamonds formed are rough diamonds.
2. HPHT Method- HPHT stands for High Pressure High Temperature. As the name suggests in this process there is a use of an excessive amount of pressure and temperature. A tiny diamond seed is placed inside a machine. An HPHT Synthetic Diamond making machine is able to generate 60,000 ATM (atmospheric pressure) and 2500°C temperature. Thus creating an environment similar to the one under the earth’s crust. With such conditions, it assists the formation of a man made diamond.

What is the time taken to create Lab Grown Diamonds?

While naturally mined diamonds take about billions of years to form, man made diamonds take about a few weeks. These diamonds are cultured in labs and made to go through either CVD process or HPHT process. It can take about 3-8 weeks for the proper formation of a rough lab grown diamond. 

Are Lab Grown Diamonds harmful to the Environment?

Not all, it’s the complete opposite. These man made diamonds are considered to be eco-friendly. This is in comparison to natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds do produce waste but in negligible amounts. To obtain a natural diamond one has to first mine and extract it, which is a very destructive and polluting process. It pollutes the land around the mine, the water bodies, causes air pollution and much more; basically being harmful to the environment. 

Lab grown diamonds, on the other hand, are made in labs under a controlled environment. The waste materials produced are treated and then thrown away. There is no source of mass pollution hence making these lab grown diamonds eco-friendly. 

Now with all of that covered up let us check out some basic features and prices of these man made diamonds. 

Price of man-made Diamonds:

Even though man made diamonds have the same chemical, physical and optical properties as that of natural diamonds. They are about 30% cheaper than natural diamonds. This difference in prices occur due to the difference in the process of making them.

On what basis are Lab Created Diamonds Certified and graded?

1) Quality of lab grown diamonds: 4C’s of diamonds

The 4C’s on which a diamond is graded is ‘Cut, Carat Weight, Clarity, and Colour’. These determine the price of a diamond and how valuable it really is. 

• Cut: Diamonds are available in various cuts. The cut of a diamond impacts how a diamond will disperse light. It also impacts on how attractive, big and sparkling it may appear. The refraction of light, brightness, luminous shine, dispersion, scintillation and contrast are all affected by the cut of a diamond. 
• Carat Weight: It is what determines the diamond’s weight and size. Though the cut of a diamond makes it appear bigger or smaller, the carat weight determines its actual size. An A-1 carat of diamond weighs 200mg, but there is no perfect size for a diamond. A diamond may have a bigger carat weight but not a good cut due to which it may be worth less. 
• Clarity: The flaws present in a diamond are measured by clarity. The other name for these flaws are inclusions, which are tiny spots, air cavity, clouds, etc. A diamond is said to be flawless if it has no inclusions and is categorized as FL or flawless. 
• Colour: Different colour of diamonds have different values, depending on how rare they are. There is a scale which is used to grade the colour of a diamond. This grade goes from D to Z, in which D is the rarest and colourless diamond white diamond, and with increasing presence of colour it goes to grade Z.

 2) Lab grown diamonds are graded by institutions

There are various institutions all around the globe that specialize in the inspection and grading of diamonds. Certification institutions like:

1. International Gemological Institute (IGI)
2. Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
3. American Gem Society (AGS)
4. Gemological Science International (GSI)
5. Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC)

All of the above mentioned are authentic institutions which grade and provide certificates to man made diamonds. This certification indicates that the diamond you have purchased is authentic and worth your money.

Other than that man made diamonds also have a mark/symbol which is made on their brim. This is to distinguish them from natural diamonds when needed. 

In all totality lab grown diamonds have a upper hand in comparison to natural diamonds. The reason being that they are cheaper, eco-friendly and ethical in nature. Be sure to do your research before going to purchase a man made diamond.