Are lab created diamonds real? Sellers of lab created diamonds cringe when someone uses that word but in reality that’s exactly what they are. They might be 100% real diamonds, however, the biggest difference is synthetic diamonds are made from heat, carbon, and extreme pressure in a lab versus mining them naturally deep underground.
Lab created diamond facilities are popping up all over the world and manufacturing their own diamonds. Making this a great opportunity for individuals looking to save a buck but has the potential for disaster in the natural diamond industry. So, are lab created diamonds real? Well, continue reading to see just how lab created diamond compare with natural diamonds!
Are Lab Created Diamonds Real?
In the late 50’s, General Electric produced the first man-made diamonds for sale. They figured out how to manufacture them in the same manner that mother earth does by subjecting carbon to extreme pressure and heat. The pressure was applied by using a hydraulic press.
Lab created diamonds were used for decades to supply industrial equipment, specializing in diamond tip blades for heavy machinery and cutting wheels hard enough to slice through granite. Over the course of evolution, it became apparent that it was more beneficial for companies to make a diamond in the size they needed it for rather than waiting for scraps from the diamond mines to arrive.
In the middle of the last decade, lab created diamonds started the initiative in consumers’ minds that synthetic diamonds were becoming a poor investment. Their pink and yellow diamonds were inexpensive and did not win over consumer appeal, therefore the balance shifted back to consumers wanting clear diamonds.
This set a series in motion for synthetic diamond manufacturers to create a clear diamond and regain some of the revenue generated by diamond sales. In 2012, they perfected a high-quality colorless (lla) stone with an advanced process engineered by scientists working for Union Carbide Inc.
The company made a poor decision and never patented their formula called CVD which means chemical vapor deposition. To their dismay, other scientists soon caught on and man-made diamond labs went into full production.
Synthetic diamonds are Lab Created Diamonds
Lab created diamonds do affect natural diamonds because it impacts their value. The effects can be felt from the consumer buying a diamond and trickled down to the diamond miner working extra hours to make up for lost wages due to synthetic diamonds costing 40% less.
This has sparked life into a diamond company called Diamond Foundry in California, by cutting the time to manufacture a diamond down to 2 weeks. Most other companies take 6 to 10 weeks to get the same results. Investors backing them includes Leonardo DiCaprio and Silicon Valley’s blood diamond capitalist.
It’s safe to say that the impact lab created diamonds have on natural diamonds is paramount and further proof that lab created diamonds are a problem. Fortunately, they’ll never be able to reflect a prism of light over a real diamond.
The Long-Term Effects of Synthetic Diamonds
The Kimberly Process is an innovative certification program that was established in 2003 by the GIA, to require governments to have verification that the diamonds are conflict-free and naturally mined.
This has no bearing on the diamond mining industries as there is zero accountability at the current time and this is fueling man-made diamond labs to pass off their diamonds as the real deal with no consequences for not being in compliance with the Kimberly Process.
Lab created diamonds are impinging the real diamond industry and making so that consumers really need to pay attention to what they’re actually buying. So, are lab created diamonds real? The answer is yes but we know you may prefer the real, natural deal!
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