Lab Grown Diamonds

Lab Grown Diamonds

A central question in the diamond market is if lab diamonds are real diamonds. Although they are made in labs and man-made, they are, in fact, real diamonds. The only difference between lab created diamonds and natural diamonds are their origins. Meaning that diamonds can be grown in labs using technology that replicates the growing process of natural diamonds. This makes the diamonds to be an identical replica as diamonds found in earth’s crust all physically, chemically and optically. Since lab grown diamonds share the same properties as natural diamonds, they are not fake. This was similarly said by Stephen Morisseaus, a spokesman for the Gemological Institutes of America. In addition, there are two different processes labs will use in order to grow diamonds- High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). The HPHT diamonds are produced by using up one out of three manufacturing processes: the cubic press, a belt press, and the split-sphere (BARS) press. Each manufacturing process causes an environment of extreme high pressures and temperature which encourages diamond growth. First, the HPHT diamond starts as a little diamond seed which will be placed into carbon. With one of the manufacturing processes previously stated, the little seed gets exposed to temperatures around 1500 degrees Celsius and pressurized approximately to 1.5 million pounds per square inch. The diamond starts to form as the pure carbon proceeds to melt around the starter seed. After, it gets thoroughly cooled to form a pure carbon diamond. In contrast, the CVD begins as a thin piece of a diamond seed, which is frequently an HPHT- produced diamond. The seed will then be set in a sealed chamber and heated to nearly 800 degrees Celsius. The sealed chamber is packed with carbon-rich gas, such as Methane, and other gasses. The gasses get ionized inside of plasma using technology equivalent to microwaves or lasers. This ionization splits the molecular bonds inside of the gasses, and the pure carbon attaches to the diamond seed and gradually crystalizes.
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