Beauty

Lab-Grown diamonds shine and sparkle just like natural diamonds.

Value

Lab-Grown diamonds can be produced in large batches in just a few weeks. This makes Lab-grown diamonds considerably less expensive than natural diamonds of comparable size and quality.

Responsibly Sourced Choice

Today, both natural and lab-made diamonds are excellent choices for responsibly sourced diamonds. For those looking to purchase diamonds that have not been mined, lab-made diamonds are a popular choice.

Both lab-created and natural diamonds bring incredible sparkle, beauty and durability. Both kinds of diamonds are rated for their qualities, including the 4Cs. Lab-grown diamonds bring extra qualities to the table: 

How Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Made? 

The science behind lab-created diamonds has advanced in recent years, making it possible for specialized laboratories to create stunning diamonds. It all starts with a seed diamond, which is typically a small lab-grown diamond. From there, the seed will either undergo Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) or High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) processes to create the completed lab diamond. 

In CVD lab diamond creation, the small seed diamond is placed into a plasma reactor chamber where a mixture of carbon-rich gases is added at a low pressure. Then, microwaves are used to heat the gases and generate plasma. As the temperature climbs over several thousand degrees, the gas molecules break apart which makes way for carbon atoms to bond to the seed one layer at a time. As the layers build, the CVD lab creation process produces a complete lab-grown diamond. 

The HPHT method takes another approach to creating lab-made diamonds, following a controlled process that mimics the conditions in which diamonds form naturally. HPHT diamonds start with the same seed diamond, but things change from there. With HPHT diamonds, the seed is placed in a large mechanical press along with a carbon starting material. The press applies high pressure coupled with high temperatures, resulting in extreme conditions for the carbon starting material. The material’s carbon soon separates and finds its way to the cooler diamond seed, resulting in new layers of carbon forming to grow the lab-made diamond in size. This causes more layers of the lab-grown diamond to form. The seed diamond acts as a guide for the lattice of carbon that will soon become the completed lab-grown diamond, guiding the new layers of carbon to form a complete stone. This lab diamond process is closest to the conditions in which earth created diamonds are formed. 

Both CVD and HPHT diamonds can take several weeks or months to be created in a laboratory. The exact amount of time will depend on the diamond’s size, color and additional features.

How Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Certified & Graded?

As with natural diamonds, diamonds made in a lab have the option to receive grading. After being sent to a gem institute that specializes in grading diamonds, lab-grown diamonds are graded independently by several of the lab's gemologists. Afterward, the individual grades are compiled and compared to give the lab-grown diamond its final grade. 

Not all lab-grown diamonds are graded. Typically, smaller gems do not get grading, and not all jewelers choose to grade their lab-grown diamonds. At Blue Nile, we offer grading for many of our lab-created diamonds to bring transparency to the lab grown purchasing process. 

Can You Tell The Difference Between Lab-Grown Diamonds And Natural Diamonds?

There typically aren’t distinguishable differences between manufactured and natural diamonds, especially when comparing them with the unaided eye. Both lab-created and earth created diamonds have the same crystalline carbon structure and offer the same optical qualities. 

An expert jeweler may be able to tell the difference between these two kinds of diamonds when looking at their inclusions under magnification. They may have different types of inclusions depending on the diamond’s creation process. 

Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Priced Differently Than Natural Diamonds? 

Lab-grown diamonds have the benefit of being priced significantly lower than natural diamonds since their production capacity is unlimited.