Natural diamonds are cultivated for billions of years deep down the earth’s surface, whereas a manufactured diamond can be grown within weeks.
Synthetic Diamond, Lab-created Diamond, and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Diamond are some of the general terms given to any man-made diamond replicating a natural one. Man-made diamonds have similar structural and optical characteristics, or even better than the mined diamonds. It is because the advancements in the technological processes to manufacture diamonds leave no defect in the end-product, i.e., Lab-grown or ‘Cultured’ Diamonds.
These high-quality stones are engineered by replicating earth’s natural process of crystallizing carbon to yield diamonds, but everything is done with modern manufacturing techniques using High Pressure & High Temperature (HPHT) machines or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process.
Is there any difference between an earth-mined and a manufactured diamond?
There is NO difference in terms of physical properties, chemical composition and brilliance factor as lab-made diamonds are not fake, but are diamonds scientifically.
In fact, some chemical impurities are intentionally introduced in the diamond manufacturing process to produce them in fancy colors and hues, or even to make them look better than the original stones. The manufacturers claim that the lab-grown diamonds are more beautiful and affordable than the ones mined from the earth, minus the issues of Conflict Diamonds and hardships involved.
Now The Real Question.
Why are natural diamonds still more expensive and in high demand, provided we can manufacture them?
Rarity, peculiarity, carat weight, billions of years in the creation, and the associated emotional factors are some of the reasons why consumers always prefer natural diamonds. It is why the market share of natural diamonds is still close to 99% as compared to only 1% of the perfectly crafted man-made precious stones.
Simply put, lab-created gems lack the uniqueness found in natural diamonds. If the manufacturing process gives us a perfect diamond without any flaws, then how would you know if the diamond in question is natural or not?
Here’s how you can ensure that you buy a natural diamond, not a synthetic:
The answer is – Diamond Certification. Any acclaimed gemological institute like GIA issues a Synthetic Diamond Grading Report which looks completely different from the standard Diamond Grading Report (for natural diamonds). GIA also inscribes a unique report number on every synthetic diamond’s girdle to differentiate them from the natural ones.
Although hard to detect, only trained gemologists can recognize and confirm if a diamond is manufactured or not. It is usually done by using sophisticated gem-testing equipment and scientific instruments.
Moreover, synthetic diamonds are essentially similar to natural solitaires. The principal difference lies in their place of origin. In the present day, however, the majority of factory-made products are sold with a clear indication like ‘Manufactured’ or ‘Synthetic Diamond.’