Diamonds are breathtaking and can easily distract with their beauty. For most people buying a diamond is a significant investment, meaning they must be careful to get it right from the start. Sadly, the diamond industry has suffered from misinformation. The expansion of diamond options in the market may have created some confusion. In fact, there is a non-ending debate about lab-grown diamonds. Some people are claiming that lab-grown diamonds are fake, which is a wild falsehood.
Despite all these, no one can deny that there are plenty of benefits. Besides environmental benefits and cost savings, diamonds grown above the earth have the same physical and chemical properties as natural diamonds. In fact, some lab grown diamonds have less strain in the crystal structure and fewer defects than their natural counterparts. Moreover, they are purer than mined diamonds, which often carry dirt. In this post, we will take a deep dive into the main benefits of lab-created diamonds, while also cutting through some of the rhetoric to enable you to make the right decision.
What Are The Differences Between Lab Grown Diamonds And Mined Diamonds?
It is essential to understand the formation process of diamonds and the main difference between natural and lab grown diamonds. Naturally, diamonds are created under extreme pressure and heat over a couple of years. Lab grown diamonds are formed under those same conditions, but with the assistance of advanced technology. So, diamonds grown above the earth have the same physical and chemical properties as natural diamonds. Just like their mined counterparts, man-made diamonds are formed out of carbon. The result of both lab and mined diamonds is a crystallized carbon structure.
Lab grown diamonds can be created in this way. In most cases, scientists start with a tiny lab diamond, and then they either keep it in a chamber referred to as a plasma reactor or subject it to a huge mechanical press. From here, they will apply some combination of pressure, heat, and a carbon source.
How Long Does it Take to Grow a Cultured Diamond?
Using modern ground-breaking technology, lab grown diamonds can be created in a matter of months. In some cases, you can get a big enough diamond within a few weeks.
Are Lab Grown Diamonds Better than Mined Diamonds?
While some people may still want to debate about the superiority of each of these diamonds, in the real sense, synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds are not in competition with each other. With that said, there are some areas where lab-grown diamonds are better than natural diamonds:
- Lab Diamonds are High Quality
Quality matters a lot when you are looking for precious stones like diamonds. You deserve a ring that has a good rating in terms of carat, color, cut, and clarity. Of course, you have to take into account that higher quality diamonds are not cheap.
Generally, lab created diamonds are purer than mined diamonds. A majority of mined diamonds come with impurities ingrained in them. This can be attributed to the environment where they grew. On the other hand, lab created diamonds are pure because they are formed in controlled environments.
- Lab Diamonds Are Environmentally Sustainable
One of the key benefits of lab created diamonds is their environmental sustainability. It generally takes less energy to form diamonds in the lab than to extract it from the earth. One carat of mined diamond can cost more than 100,000 pounds of displaced earth. As you would guess, there is no need to displace millions of tons of earth matter to form your lab-grown diamonds.
- Lab Diamonds Are Cost Effective
The price is another main difference between the two diamond types. In this case, lab grown diamonds have a slight advantage, as they utilize the latest technologies to deliver the best diamond cost-effectively. You can save up to 30% with a man-made diamond over a mined diamond. This percentage may even go up if you are shopping for colored diamonds. In most cases, natural colored diamonds are hardly found, so they tend to be very expensive.
Where Can I Find Lab-Grown Diamonds?
Do you feel you are now informed about lab-grown vs. mined diamonds? Both of them have pure carbon in the crystalline form.
If you are in the market for diamond jewelry but concerned about costs and ethical issues, you can rely on the expertise of the Doylestown Gold Exchange to get you the best lab grown diamonds in Doylestown, PA. We are trusted as we have lot of experience when it comes in the world of gold, sliver and lab grown diamonds.
