Natural earth-mined diamonds remain the world's most sought-after precious stone, unparalleled in luxury and prestige. Synonymous with diamond engagement rings, bridal ring sets, and wedding bands, diamonds are almost always the main focal point.
Do you love the fire and scintillation of a diamond but sometimes worry about the strenuous supply chain accompanying the diamond mining process? Choosing a lab-grown diamond is a socially conscious choice that can also be eco-friendly and budget-friendly. Consider building your favorite custom-made jewelry design using lab-grown diamonds.
Today we'll cover the following topics: The Origin of Lab Grown Diamonds, The Quality & Craft of Lab Grown Diamonds, Lab Grown Diamonds vs. Diamond Simulants, How Lab Grown Diamonds Protect the Environment, and The Beauty of Aether Diamonds.
The Origin of Lab-Grown Diamonds
According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), lab-grown diamonds have been around since the 1900s. Union Carbide produced the first Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) lab-grown diamonds in 1952. Other companies produced lab-grown diamonds using the HPHT method. Lab-grown diamonds were originally used and created for industrial purposes.
In 1970, General Electric (GE) researchers created the first gem-quality lab-grown diamonds with acceptable clarity and carat size for jewelry-making. During the 1980s, manufacturers started growing commercial quantities of gem-quality lab-grown diamonds. These diamonds were considered poor quality with brown to yellowish body color with small carat size. Between 2000 and 2010, gem-quality diamonds were created using the CVD method, requiring lower temperatures and pressures than the HPHT method.
The Quality & Craft of Lab-Grown Diamonds
As mentioned above, lab-grown diamonds are created with two different methods. These methods include High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT), or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).
Modern technology uses small carbon seeds of already formed diamonds or a deposition process like CVD, where the lab-grown diamonds undergo pressure and heat treatment as they grow.
The CVD method uses moderate temperatures of 700C-1300C with lower pressures. Carbon-containing gas is pumped into a vacuum chamber and deposited onto the diamond seed. This method crystallizes the lab-grown diamond and grows in size (larger) as time prevails (the longer time, the larger the diamond).
The HPHT method produces lab-grown diamonds with pressures of 5-6 GPa and temperatures of 1300-1600C. Did you know the HPHT method can also improve the color of natural or lab-grown diamonds, making them more colorless? The HPHT method can also enhance fancy color diamonds (pink, blue, or yellow), producing rich saturated colors and making them fancy "color-enhanced" diamonds.
Lab-grown diamonds have the same world-famous hardness as natural diamonds, rating 10/10 on the Mohs hardness scale, a scale developed to evaluate minerals' scratch tendencies. Read how preventative jewelry maintenance can help you extend the life of your piece.
Lab-Grown Diamonds vs. Diamond Simulants
Lab-grown diamonds are NOT the same as diamond simulants. Simulants are other stones made to mimic the beauty and brilliance of a diamond-they do not have the same optical or chemical properties as diamonds and lab-grown diamonds. If you're in doubt, we recommend getting your jewelry checked to ensure that it isn't fake or artificial.
Common stimulants include man-made moissanite, cubic zirconia, YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet), GGG (gadolinium gallium garnet), and Strontium Titanate. Glass and plastic can also be considered simulants, simulating the diamond and put in its place in fashion jewelry.
Lab-grown diamonds are not simulants. They contain the same physical and chemical properties as natural earth-mined diamonds. They are synthetic or man-made diamonds. Only particular equipment can tell a natural diamond apart from a lab-grown diamond by gemstone and jewelry professionals. Lab-grown diamonds are high-quality stones exhibiting all the gorgeous attributes of a natural diamond at a fraction of the price.
How Lab-Grown Diamonds Protect the Environment
Lab-grown diamonds undergo the same conditions as natural diamonds forming in the earth's mantle at high pressure and temperatures. However, lab-grown diamonds don't undergo the same stressful process as mining diamonds and the strenuous supply chain.
Lab-grown diamonds are a conflict-free, socially conscious way to protect ecosystems that would be impacted through mining. Investing in a lab-grown diamond at your preferred price point allows you to choose your dream diamond at your comfort level by selecting a sustainable jewelry design.
Keep quality and your chance to obtain your dream diamond engagement ring/custom-made jewelry concept. Lab-grown diamonds are of superior quality, possessing all the same physical and chemical properties as natural diamonds without a carbon footprint.
Choosing your lab-grown diamond engagement ring has never been more streamlined–lab-grown diamonds set in your favorite fine metal are easy to find. Customizing your diamond shape and carat weight with a mounting is effortless in the modern jewelry market. Reimagine the piece you have always had in mind with a captivating sustainable jewelry design.
The Beauty of Aether Diamonds
We're proud to carry Aether carbon-neutral diamonds set into sustainable jewelry and other handmade jewelry creations--bespoke and totally unique.
These high-quality lab-grown diamonds are created using 100% atmospheric carbon (CO2). Aether lab-grown diamonds use direct air capture technology, extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using the CVD method, utilizing carbon that doesn't come from the ground.
The hydrocarbon raw material is fed into specialized CVD reactors powered by 100% clean energy. Fully formed lab-grown diamonds are sent to professionals to cut and polish them, making the lab-grown diamonds ready for sustainable jewelry design.
Key Takeaways
Lab-grown diamonds are identical to natural earth-mined diamonds and exhibit the same physical and chemical properties. Lab-grown diamonds are an affordable way to express yourself with luxury and feel good about your purchase. Lab-grown diamonds can have less of an environmental impact, are high-quality, and are perfect for those who seek a budget-friendly alternative to natural earth-mined diamonds.
Lab-grown diamonds ARE NOT simulants–they are not moissanite or cubic zirconia, which are different stones. Lab-grown diamonds DO have value: they are evaluated the same way as natural diamonds on the 4Cs (cut, color, clarity, and caratage).
Choosing sustainable jewelry and carbon-neutral diamonds are both easy choices by purchasing Aether Diamonds. Custom-made jewelry using lab-grown diamonds is an effortless way to personalize your diamond engagement ring, wedding band, or other fine jewelry design from start to finish. Handmade jewelry using lab-grown diamonds as an alternative–perfect for fusing artisan quality with modern technology.
ABOUT ILAH CIBIS JEWELRY
Looking for a Worcester jewelry store that carries lab-grown diamonds? We specialize in unique, hand-made, responsibly sourced custom jewelry, emo jewelry, dom/sub jewelry, and LGBT jewelry as the top independent jewelry store in Worcester, MA.
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-Ilah ♥ / IG: @ilahjewelry
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