What are Lab-Created Diamonds?
When you’re shopping around for diamond jewellery you might notice the term ‘lab-created’ or ‘lab-grown’ diamonds mentioned a lot, but what exactly does this mean, and how on earth can you create a diamond in a lab?
In this article, our diamond specialists explore the differences between lab-created and natural diamonds, including how they are made, as well why people choose lab-created diamonds over natural ones.
What is a lab-created diamond?
Lab-created diamonds are diamonds that are created in a synthetic environment (a lab) instead of being formed under the Earth’s crust over millions of years. They are chemically and physically identical to natural diamonds.
While the name may cause doubt, lab diamonds are real diamonds. The key difference is that they are created through very different methods.
How are lab diamonds made?
In a nutshell, lab-created diamonds are made by compressing pure carbon (called a ‘diamond seed’) using heat and pressure (and sometimes chemicals). This process then converts the carbon into a diamond just like it would do in nature, only over a significantly shorter timeframe.
This results in a perfectly formed diamond without waiting for billions of years.
What styles can be made using lab diamonds
Lab-created diamonds can be used to achieve any of the same styles a natural diamond can, meaning that if you choose a lab diamond over a natural diamond for your jewellery, you don’t have to compromise on appearance.
All the diamond cuts you love can be successfully created with a lab diamond. Like we said earlier: they’re real diamonds, just created differently.
At Mitchel & Co we specialise in bespoke handcrafted diamond jewellery. If you have a design in mind using lab-created or natural diamonds, we can create something truly unique for you. To begin your bespoke journey, make an appointment with our team today.
Which is better, a lab or a natural diamond?
As the two types of diamonds are chemically and aesthetically identical, the true answer is that neither is better and that it’s all down to personal preference if you’re not buying the diamond as an investment.
Some may prefer knowing that their diamond was been created naturally, while others have no strong feelings about one method of creation over another.
Having said that, it is worth noting one key thing:
Lab-created diamonds don’t hold much value. They are significantly cheaper to buy in the first place, and make for wonderful engagement rings, eternity rings, gifts and more. However, don’t expect to be able to sell your lab-created diamond for more than you bought it for initially.
If you want an investment, choose a natural diamond instead.
How is a lab diamond graded?
Lab created diamonds receive the same grade report as naturally mined diamonds. The grading consists of the 4Cs, which include:
-Cut
-Clarity
-Colour
-Carat
Each category grades the unique characteristics of the diamond. The higher the diamond is graded in each category, the better the quality. Typically, a competent Jeweller will only craft their pieces using diamonds that have been graded highly.
You can read more about this in our diamond guide here.
Specialist Diamond Jewellery from Mitchel & Co
At Mitchel & Co, we handcraft our jewellery using both lab-created and natural diamonds, ensuring that there’s the perfect diamond here for you.
If you have any questions about the creation of diamonds, or if you want to enquire about our wonderful handcrafted rings, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.
Fancy a browse online? You can view our Signature collection online by clicking the link below.
You can browse our Signature Collection here.
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made for you
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