About Lab Grown Diamonds

What are Laboratory-Grown Diamonds?
 

Laboratory-grown diamonds have essentially the same chemical, optical and physical properties and crystal structure as natural diamonds. Like natural diamonds, they are made of tightly-bonded carbon atoms. They respond to light in the same way and are just as hard as natural diamonds. The main differences between laboratory-grown and natural diamonds lie in their origin. Think of it this way: laboratory-grown diamonds are like ice from your refrigerator, while natural diamonds are like ice from a glacier. They are both ice, although their formation stories and the age of each are very different.

Natural diamonds formed millions to billions of years ago in Earth’s mantle then were explosively carried by kimberlite and lamproite volcanoes to Earth’s surface, often carrying fascinating inclusions within them. The oldest laboratory-grown diamonds are decades old; they are created in laboratories or large factories, most commonly using the High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT) method or the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method. Laboratory-grown diamonds appear identical to natural diamonds to the unaided eye and typically require testing by a laboratory with advanced instruments to be identified.

Laboratory-Grown Diamond Timeline
 

1950s: Union Carbide produces the first Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamonds in 1952. Others produce diamonds using the high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) method soon after. These diamonds are used for industrial purposes, such as in telecommunications and laser optics and as abrasives and more.

1970s: General Electric researchers create the first gem-quality laboratory-grown diamonds. They are of high enough clarity and large enough size to be used in jewelry. GIA scientists publish the first scientific study of laboratory-grown diamonds in 1971.

Mid-1980s: Manufacturers grow commercial quantities of gem-quality laboratory-grown diamond crystals. These lab-created diamonds are initially mostly small and yellowish or brownish in color, but their quality improves over the ensuing decades.

2000s: Gem-quality diamonds are created using the chemical-vapor deposition (CVD) method, which requires lower pressures and temperatures than the HPHT method. 

Mid-2010s: Colorless laboratory-grown diamonds are available in the jewelry market in commercial quantities. Both HPHT and CVD continue to be popular methods of laboratory-grown diamond production.