How Lab Diamonds are Made

Lab created diamonds are not imitation diamonds like a CZ or any other look-alike stone. Earth mined diamonds were produced by carbon far below the surface of the earth under conditions of enormous pressure and extremely high heat.

Lab grown diamonds follow suit by using a micro-sized diamond ‘seed’ placed in a specialized laboratory containment under high pressure and extreme heat.
The result is a lab created diamond that’s durable and beautiful like its earth mined counterpart.  

What are Lab Grown Diamonds?

These are certainly beautiful diamonds at very attractive prices, but what are they, actually? Lab grown diamonds are diamonds with the same optical, chemical and physical properties as earth mined diamonds.

They handle light the same way as a naturally formed diamond. So, the stones sparkle and scintillate beautifully just as you’d expect a quality diamond to do.
They are chemically like natural diamonds; lab stones are made from just carbon---like your natural diamond.

Finally, they also are completely transparent and rank very close in hardness to earth mined diamonds on the Mohs scale; your lab diamond is hard and durable, much like an earth mined one.

MINED

MOHS SCALE HARDNESS - 10
COST - Most Expensive
 

Lab Created Diamond

MOHS SCALE HARDNESS - 10
COST - Approx. 30 - 40% less than mined diamonds

Who Buys Created Diamonds?

Naturally created diamonds are extraordinarily breathtaking, rare and precious. And many consumers prefer diamonds from the earth. Fortunately, today lab diamonds or man made diamonds have broadened the options for shoppers who can enjoy more choices than ever at remarkable price points.

Some customers for lab diamonds enjoy the attributes of diamonds, but also value the knowledge that no earth was disturbed in creating their precious stone.

Other consumers, particularly first-time bridal jewelry buyers are attracted to the budget friendly prices that lab-grown diamonds offer. And still, many lab-grown diamond collectors today already have natural diamonds in their jewelry wardrobe.

They appreciate adding large dramatic lab diamonds to their jewelry collection without the bank-breaking prices of naturally produced diamonds.

Are There Grading Reports for Lab Created Diamonds?

Leading grading laboratories like the renowned GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and IGI have been issuing grading reports on created diamonds for well over a decade now.
These reports have evolved over time in response to the ever more sophisticated technology that produces lab diamonds. 
GIA and other labs use terminology similar to that used in grading earth-mined diamonds so consumers can better understand the quality components of their lab diamond.

In 2019, GIA lab added a QR code to the grading reports conducted on lab diamonds which links to GIA’s online Report Check service and delivers more in-depth information on the lab diamonds themselves.

This way, consumers maintain confidence in the quality and identity of their lab created stone and can articulate its key characteristics in a universally understood way.