If you don’t know much about diamonds, then you may be surprised one day when you are out looking at jewelry to see the term lab grown diamonds. However, just because you don’t know what they are, does not mean that you should discount them as a potential choice while looking for rings or other items of jewelry in Littleton, CO. In reality, they are a great option and sometimes can even help you save a little bit of money. Take a minute to read more about them to see if they are a great choice for you.
Traditional diamonds are formed by explosions at very high temperatures within the earth’s crust. Over time the soil sifts and they move a little closer to the surface, but not close enough that you can easily find them. Instead, they have to be mined and extracted from deep in the earth’s soil. This usually happens deep in the rainforests or other areas\ and has a high amount of risk associated with it. In fact, quite a lot of people die or are injured in diamond mining which is why they have fallen out of favor among some people.
This is where lab grown diamonds can make a difference because if the mining process bothers you, lab grown diamonds quickly take that issue out of the equation. While lab grown diamonds are grown at equally impressive conditions, it happens within a lab and is a carefully controlled situation where there is no risk to others. This makes it a great way to buy a diamond that does not have any adverse history associated with it. In fact, it has a great deal of innovative science attached to it which is a lot easier to get behind.
The process of making lab grown diamonds is still tedious and requires many materials, which is why the price tag is lower but not extremely low. Making a diamond is still a complex process, and creating the perfect diamond with the 4 C’s is also not always guaranteed. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to grow the perfect diamond in a carefully lab-created environment, depending on the method that is used and how pure the resulting diamond will be. Typically yellow diamonds are easier to replicate in a lab, whereas perfectly clear diamonds will take a few months. This can also be reflected in the price tag associated with the diamonds in Littleton, CO.
At this point, it should be pretty clear that lab grown diamonds are in fact, real diamonds. Because they’re made under the same pressure and circumstances as real diamonds, the appearance is relatively the same. In fact, even some trained gemologists are unable to tell the difference between a lab grown diamond and a real diamond. This generally will work in your favor if you want to buy a diamond and are looking for a more conscious way to do it without sacrificing any beauty. Plus, it might even save you a little bit of money.
Without a doubt, you know what a diamond looks like in Littleton, CO. The traditional diamond is sparkly, very clear, and tough enough to cut glass. Most of the time you see diamonds in jewelry settings, but they can be purchased on their own on occasion. This may be what you see when you look at a diamond but in reality, what you were actually seeing is a rare mineral that was created by the combustion of carbon atoms. It is this combustion process that can be replicated in the lab and creates a lab grown diamond.
It is generally understood that there are two ways that you can create a diamond with a lab. The first way is called HPHT, which stands for high pressure, high temperature. This process takes a small diamond seed, which is a tiny piece of diamond that is chipped off of a larger diamond, that is placed inside a lab container where the temperatures are increased to about 14,000°C. That’s almost 50 times hotter than the average stove and certainly unbearable for any living thing. However, when you add in immense pressure, it forces the carbon atoms to create the same molecular structure that is seen inside the diamond seed. This leads to a larger diamond forming after 2 to 3 weeks.
The second method to make lab grown diamonds is called CVD or chemical vapor deposition method. This method is sometimes referred to as more like the microwave version of making a diamond. It also involves using high pressures and temperatures to create the lab grown diamonds, in addition to using a diamond seed to start it. However, instead of applying pressure, it actually creates a pressure vacuum. This allows lower temperatures to be used that are only about 800°C and a little bit easier to maintain within the lab. The end result with both, however, is that the chemical reaction between methane and hydrogen forces the carbon atoms to combine and create a natural diamond. Depending on the size of the diamond and the clarity, this process can take anywhere from a couple of days to weeks to be completed.
While this may seem highly technical, the result is the same: lab grown diamonds that are just as spectacular as the ones that are naturally mined from the earth. It also means that there is an alternative way to continue to produce diamonds now so that they will not eventually run out or become inaccessible.
If you have considered purchasing a diamond that is lab grown, come down to Matheu’s Fine Watches & Jewelry to look at our many options.
