An Insight into Lab Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are in use for the last few years. The process of growing diamonds in the lab and naturally is quite different. Many diamond jewellery manufacturers in Kolkata are growing diamonds in their lab. This piece tells about the past, present, and future of lab-grown diamonds. 

Everyone is aware of the enormous scale of diamond mining and production. Production of natural diamonds requires incredible feat which involves vast resources of manpower, equipment, technology, time and money. But only around 30% of the world’s diamonds are gem quality, the rest is being used for industrial purposes. The rarity of gem-quality diamonds, make it obvious for a cheaper diamond substitute. This gives birth to the idea of producing lab-grown diamonds which are identical to natural diamonds both chemically and structurally. Many diamond jewellery manufacturers in Kolkata are opting for lab-grown diamonds, naturally. 

Provenance - Where does a diamond come from? 

Diamond provenance is the ability to accurately determine the source and history of a diamond. Whether it is natural or mined, lab has grown or not, natural or imitation can be determined by diamond provenance. All these questions are important to understand the true authenticity and value of a diamond. Be it a diamond wedding rings supplier in Kolkata or a wholesaler, accurate diamond verification, authentication and treatment detections requires deep gemological expertise and use of advanced technology. The first step to verifying a diamond is learning about natural, lab-grown and man-made diamonds. 

Lab-Grown Diamonds  

Lab-grown or synthetic diamonds are diamonds grown in a laboratory- chemically and structurally identical to natural diamonds. First, lab-grown diamonds were grown in 1952 in the USA. The first method of polycrystalline and grown by the chemical vapor deposition method (CVD). However, first, monocrystalline diamond was grown a year later in Sweden using High-Pressure High-Temperature synthesis (HPHT). But in 2003, the first monocrystalline gem-quality diamond was grown by CVD. By 2014, almost colorless, gem-like synthetic diamonds grown by HPHT process were still more costly than natural diamonds of equal quality. While CVD grown diamonds were almost the price of naturally grown diamonds. 

Since 2014, producers of lab-grown diamonds have made rapid progress. Many diamond jewellery manufacturers in Kolkata grow almost-colorless diamonds at a lower cost than the natural processed diamonds. Synthetic diamonds can now be grown in all sizes - from small to up to 10 carats. 

Diamond Imitations 

Diamond imitations are materials that look similar to naturally processed diamond but that are neither of equal chemical nor structural makeup as diamond. These diamonds may be produced artificially, or naturally occurring. Among the many artificial diamond imitations, diamond wedding rings supplier in Kolkata prefer CZ, Moissanite, and lead glass. All others are very uncommon. Natural materials include zircon, topaz, colorless sapphire and quartz, but only zircon is a convincing material when used as a faceted material. 

Diamond Treatments

Many diamond jewellery manufacturers in Kolkata treat in a variety of ways to enhance or change their appearance. Clarity enhancement is done to hide inclusions or to make their appearance quite obvious. Color enhancement changes the color of a diamond to make it look more attractive and marketable. 

In today’s global diamond market, a diamond wedding rings supplier in Kolkata things are not the same as it looks. Lab-grown diamonds make-up 1-2% of the diamond jewellery industry. By 2013, the lab-grown diamond share is going reach 22% to a whopping $5 billion. Technologies to grow lab-grown diamonds have become much cheaper, enabling lab-grown diamonds one of the most available in the market. This is the key reason why diamond provenance and traceability technologies are playing a critical role in the diamond world. 

Author’s Bio: Biplab Das is associated with renowned diamond wedding rings supplier in Kolkata and writing about diamonds is his forte. He has specialization in writing about diamond and jewellery related topics for the last 5 years.