As diamond prices scoot ever higher in a market driven by both inflation and diamond’s natural material scarcity, many people have begun to wonder about the availability of alternatives, such as lab diamonds. It is not easy, however, to replace the diamond. The diamond is prized as much for its natural beauty, its scintillating luster and clarity, as it is for its symbolic value, what it’s come to mean for generations of Westerners who tie the stone to important life rituals such as marriage and anniversaries. Lab diamonds, however, are one alternative that truly does stand on its own merits.
How Lab Diamonds Are Made
One of the key benefits of lab diamonds is how they are made. When diamonds are made in nature, they are created by the process of the earth’s core and mantle itself exerting immense heat and process upon carbon atoms, until they are compressed into the clear colourless stones that we all know and love. The diamonds that are close enough to the earth’s surface to be mined have been undergoing this process for literally billions of years. With lab diamonds, the process behind making them is exactly the same: carbon is exposed to intense conditions of heat and process until its molecular structure hardens into a stone that is atomically identical to a natural diamond in every way. The only real difference is that lab diamonds can be created in a mere six weeks, instead of billions of years.
How Lab Diamonds are Graded
If there was to be any doubt about the quality of lab diamonds, it’s worth bearing in mind that each lab diamond that goes on the market is graded by exactly the same standards as natural diamonds. Their carat weight, their cut, their clarity, and their colour, are all held to the same high criteria as natural diamonds. What this means, practically speaking, is that any highly graded lab diamond is indistinguishable from a natural diamond of the same grade. So, next time you’re in the market for a diamond, consider the immense value of this lab grown alternative.
Lily Arkwright is your source for the finest lab diamonds.