Diamonds are one of the world’s most popular and desirable precious stones. However, diamonds take billions of years to form, and to process them into that fine shining stone we adore so much is complex, expensive, and attracts a lot of ethical issues concerning its environmental impact.
With the advent of lab-grown diamonds as an alternative, we now have a way of getting diamonds without waiting billions of years to mine them from deep within the earth.
Lab-grown diamonds have the same chemical composition, light dispersion, crystal structure, hardness, and refractive index as natural diamonds, and their color can be altered to suit the customer’s preference.
Are you looking to purchase that diamond engagement ring for your forever love-to-be but are unsure whether or not to go for lab-grown diamond jewelry? Then it’s best to educate yourself about what it is before you purchase one.
This article discusses lab-grown diamonds, why they are gaining in popularity, and if they are the gemstone of the future.
Let’s get started!
What are lab-grown diamonds?
Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds produced in a lab. They are authentic diamonds, but they are made artificially from a mined diamond “seed” using innovative technology that replicates the natural diamond growing process.
So, rather than waiting billions of years for them to form under the earth for mining, diamonds can be grown by a process called “chemical vapor deposition.”
Lab-grown diamonds, also called man-made or cultured diamonds, are created under conditions designed to produce the same chemical composition and physical properties as natural diamonds.
The only difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds is that they were not mined naturally from the earth’s crust.
Lab-grown diamonds have similar chemical and physical properties to natural diamonds because they are grown from the same type of carbon in the same conditions.
Lab-grown diamonds are often treated before they are sold so that they stand up to specific standards. For example, a lab-grown diamond is typically irradiated with UV light to detect trace impurities of nitrogen, nickel, or other metals.
This treatment ensures that only the best quality lab-grown diamonds are released into the marketplace for jewellery making.
Why are lab-grown diamonds gaining in popularity?
Although about 7% of the specialty diamond jewellery market is represented by lab-created diamonds, up from 3% in 2020, it is growing fast.
The demand for natural diamonds is insatiable, and as a rare precious stone, we can only mine a certain amount to satisfy that demand.
However, lab-grown diamonds only take about 12 weeks to grow; hence lab-grown diamonds are more readily available than natural diamonds. They are gaining in popularity as they are more affordable than their traditional counterparts and do not require mining or destruction of nature to create them.
This makes them environmentally friendly and ethical for consumers who want to buy jewelry with these qualities.
Besides, if a lab-grown diamond and a naturally mined diamond are placed before you, you would not be able to tell the difference.
The fact is, a lab-grown diamond is an authentic diamond. Still, there is a lot of misinformation and misconceptions about purchasing fake diamonds because they are now grown in a controlled environment. The best approach to ease your concern is to visit a trustworthy jewelry store.
The diamond industry generates billions of dollars worth of revenue each year. In 2020, it had a market value of USD 91.24 billion, with revenue forecasted to reach USD 123.83 billion by 2030.
This continuous growth in revenue projection is partly due to the rising demand for diamonds, especially among millennials who tend to be attracted by the ability of the lab-grown diamond to compare in size and quality to a smaller mined natural diamond.
Furthermore, they offer consumers an ethical alternative to mined diamonds that is environmentally friendly and free from conflict background stories surrounding mining.
As technology advances, lab-grown diamonds will become even more significant.
Are lab-created diamonds more sustainable?
When you think of sustainability, what may come to mind might be plastics, solar, and recycling. However, lab-grown diamonds are the sustainable choice when buying a piece of diamond jewelry.
Lab-created diamonds are more sustainable, better for the environment, more ethical, and more affordable (25 to 35 percent cheaper) than natural mined diamonds.
Mining diamonds affects the climate negatively because of the process involved in mining a single carat.
For example, for every carat mined from the earth’s crust, “up to two hundred and fifty tons of earth are removed, 127 gallons of fresh water are consumed, and billions of gallons of water are contaminated by acid mine drainage. Also, 143 pounds of air pollution is emitted, and countless gallons of fossil fuels spent.”
No doubt, the process involved in mining is expensive financially and environmentally and, in many cases, leads to flooding, drought, deforestation, and pollution.
In addition, diamond mines are usually located in regions where the local communities’ needs have been marginalized without regard to the social, environmental, and long-term ecological impact on their surroundings. Lean more reading Our article about the ethical aspect of Lab-grown diamonds.
But with lab-grown diamonds, you can have this symbol of luxury in your possession and still help save the environment.
Are lab-created diamonds the gemstone of the future?
Lab-grown diamonds represent the triumph of a generation that respects the environment and cares for the future of humanity. When you buy lab-grown diamonds, you invest in an industry that makes the world better.
Lab-grown diamonds are the future because they are more sustainable in so many ways compared to mined diamonds.
First, diamonds take billions of years to form, and as the demand for diamond jewelry continues to increase, more diamonds have to be mined to meet this demand.
We do not know when we may run out of mined diamonds, but mining diamonds is not sustainable, hence the opportunity for lab-grown diamonds as an alternative solution.
Lab-grown diamonds are not a new concept; the first synthetic diamond was created in 1954 by Herbert Strong and Howard Tracy at General Electric Laboratories, USA.
However, they were not popular in the jewelry segment and were used mainly for industrial purposes such as drilling.
Lab-grown diamonds started gaining ground in the jewelry and diamond engagement rings segment in the 1980s when scientists made some significant breakthroughs in creating high-quality lab-grown diamonds that made them comparable to natural diamonds in terms of quality and cost.
In fact, when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled that a diamond is a diamond, whether organic or lab-created and revised its jewelry guide, it helped solidify lab-grown diamond’s position in the marketplace.
Since the 1980s, the lab-grown diamond industry has been continuously growing with advancements and improvements for higher quality, lower cost, and lesser negative impact on the environment than organic diamond.
These advancements led to a surge of interest from jewelers and consumers now looking for lab-grown diamonds as a potential alternative to mined diamonds.
As of 2020, the market for lab-grown diamonds was valued at $19.3 billion and is projected to reach $49.9 billion by 2030.
No doubt, lab-grown diamonds are the new standard for responsible luxury that you can gift to your loved ones while making them proud that you considered the future they will be living in when you purchase this sustainable jewelry.
Conclusion
Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds in every sense of the word. They have the same chemical composition and physical properties as natural diamonds.
Lab-grown diamonds are a valuable piece of luxury like any other mined diamond, just slightly lesser in price and more eco-friendly.
Now that you better understand what lab-grown diamonds are, what do you think?
Do you still think that they are not diamonds? Or, if you were to gift a loved one with a piece of lab-grown jewelry, does it mean that you do not love them as much?
Here is our take: if you choose lab-grown diamond (which is a real diamond as aforementioned) over mined diamonds, it’s because you love them too much and want them to have a sustainable future.
You want them to have these luxury items that do not have a background conflict story behind their making, and you want them to have a sustainable piece of jewelry that lasts forever!
If you want top-quality eco-friendly jewelry, we have some of the best collections of lab-grown diamonds; see them right here.
