Lab-Grown Vs. Mined Diamonds: A Quick Guide

In order to meet retailers' needs, considering that diamonds are non-renewable, scientists have once again surprised all of us with the advancements oftechnology. They’ve developed a way to produce diamondsinside a laboratory! In fact, lab-grown diamonds are getting more and more popular. Dive in to learn more about them.

What are mined diamonds?

Mined diamonds are the way people have had access to the stone for centuries. Earth takes around1 to 3 billion yearsto produce diamonds; so all the gems found and mined so far are extremely old. 

Inside the Earth, carbon dioxide gets exposed to extreme high conditions ofpressure and temperature. It takes time, but the gas crystalizes and forms a diamond. The process is fascinating, but not reliable. If one of the conditions changes, the process can be stopped and interfere with the final result. 

The best way to find them is throughvolcanic eruptions; that’s when they’re closer to the surface. Mining diamonds is avery expensive procedurethat requires many machines and workers, which is why diamonds are priced so highly. 

Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?

Of course, yes! In fact, the only difference between them is in thecomposition. Natural diamonds have nitrogen in their structure while lab-grown ones don’t, that’s it. You can’t even tell them apart withoutspecialized equipment, which is done only by experts.

How are lab-grown diamonds made?

There aretwo waysof doing so, through a process calledChemical Vapor Depositionand another calledHigh Pressure High Temperature. The first one is the cheapest way, because it requires less energy. It was developed during the 1980’s and it uses slices of diamond seed.

The slices are heated up to800 degreesCelsius until it creates a plasma. Later, this substance will solidify into a diamond. The second alternative to create diamonds is similar to the real conditions a diamond would need to beformed inside Earth.

Carbon dioxide is heated with certain conditions of temperature and pressure until it crystallizes. This technique wascreated in the 1950's, for industrial purposes.  Both of them take afew weeks to complete.

Do lab-grown diamonds last forever?

Both of them do! But remember: it’s important to take care of it properly in order to protect your jewelry from wear and tear. Be careful when using chemicals like acetone, bleach and abrasive substances. They candamage your diamond.

Diamonds are known as thehardest mineral in the world, and when it comes to scratches, it would only be possible to leave marks on the surface with another diamond. Remember this fact when storing your jewelry!Don’t keep diamonds together, otherwise they’ll be damaged.

How do you clean alab-grown diamond?

Lab-grown diamonds and mined ones can becleaned the same way: with soap and warm water! Mix the soap and the warm water in a bowl then let your diamond jewelry soak for20 to 40 minutes. The amount of time depends on how dirty it is. 

If you want, you can use a softtoothbrushto remove small particles of dirt. Be gentle while scrubbing! Rinse the ring and let it dry.  This technique will help you bring back a little brilliance to your piece. In case of other types of marks and stains, search for atrustworthy retailer. Here, at Peter Franklin, we offer jewelry repair serviceswith the best experts to help you!