Natural vs Lab grown Diamonds
•Posted on June 02 2023
NATURAL DIAMONDS
Natural diamonds are among the most coveted gemstones in the world and are valued for their beauty, rarity, uniqueness, and timeless appeal. Despite the increase in lab-grown diamond popularity, there will always be those who will settle for nothing less than a natural diamond and it is entirely a personal decision.
Natural diamonds are completely unique, much like a fingerprint. Diamonds are billions of years old —in some cases, more than three billion years old. (A natural diamond may be the oldest thing you will ever hold!) They are made of almost pure carbon crystallizing under extreme conditions of high temperature and enormous pressure.
Natural diamonds are formed approximately 300 kilometers under the earth’s surface. They are transferred to the surface by volcanic activities. Many years later, the magma solidifies to a diamond-rich rock known as kimberlite. Mining starts from the surface level and digs down in a cone shape to extract the diamonds from the pipe.
Jwaeng Diamond Mine in Botswana
Minerals are assigned a number between 1 and 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale to describe their resistance to scratching. Diamonds are given the highest number, a 10. There is nothing on earth that can scratch a diamond — except another diamond.
Lab-grown diamonds vs. natural diamonds. They both look fabulous and can last forever. What’s the difference between them? One is grown by scientists in a laboratory for 2-8 weeks, while the other was created 1.0 to 3.5 billion years ago in the earth’s crust by nature. Growth time is the major difference, and the maker – Man or Mother Nature.
Another main difference is the price. Lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) can cost 30%-50% less than their natural counterparts, allowing you to be able to purchase diamonds with a higher carat weight at a very accessible price point. Thus being so affordable lab-grown diamonds are popular with all generations from Gen Z to Baby Boomers.
Lab-grown diamonds are not simulants; they are diamonds that are optically, chemically, and physically similar to natural diamonds. Scientists create them in a lab by starting with diamond seeds (either natural or LGD) that are grown using either HPHT (High-Pressure High-Temperature) or CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition).
Machines used to grow diamonds
The purchasing of a Natural Diamond or a Lab Grown is entirely up to you the customer. Are you a romantic and want the beautiful million year old diamond or do you want the bang for buck the Lab Grown diamond allows.
A Comparison Chart
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Natural Diamonds
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Lab-Grown Diamonds
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|---|---|---|
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Growth Time
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Billions of years
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2-8 Weeks
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Chemical Composition
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Carbon
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Carbon
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Refractive Index
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2.42
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2.42
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Hardness
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10
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10
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Durability
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Excellent
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Excellent
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Inclusions/Blemishes
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Yes
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Yes
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