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Earth-mined diamonds or Lab diamonds?
If you are planning on purchasing a piece of diamond jewelry, you must have asked yourself, "what is better? A natural diamond that grew underneath the ground or a lab-grown diamond?".
Is a lab diamond considered a genuine diamond?
First and foremost, one should know that there is no difference between the two diamonds other than the habitat of the diamond.
To grow lab diamonds, scientists use a technology that simulates the same extreme heat and pressure conditions as the ones underneath the ground. In labs, scientists reconstruct the chemical and physical process using a carbon-rich gas and from a soil diamond seed, a rough diamond crystal identical to the earth-mined diamond. These diamonds are atomically, molecularly, physically, and optically identical. The hardness of the material and its properties are the same as the earth-mined diamond. Lab-grown diamonds also undergo sawing and polishing processes like diamonds from nature.
Perhaps these facts do not impress you, and you are still convinced. If so, you can rely on the FTC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which tested and determined in 2018 that a diamond is a diamond – it doesn’t matter if it grows in a lab or comes out of the ground.
Human Rights and Diamonds
Several years ago, the mined diamond industry has been examined in-depth, as a result, unethical production methods have been exposed. These diamonds, known as blood diamonds funded violence and exploited miners, including minors and their families.
Thanks to the Kimberley Process, established in 2003, these unethical practices have been significantly reduced. In fact, by the end of 2021, it is estimated that over 90% of the earth’s diamonds were conflict-free. But still struggles for control of the territory of diamond deposits may lead to violence and exploitation mainly among tribes in African countries as well as serve as a source of income for dictatorial regimes. If you also include Russia in the equation then every third mined diamond in the world is a conflict diamond.
In addition, during the dangerous mining procedures, there is hardly a day that does not occur a mining accident (in all types of mines) Work in the mines takes the lives of thousands of workers every year around the world.
Thus, if it is important for you to avoid conflict and violence, harm to the weakened populations on earth, or blood diamonds, lab-created diamonds provide peace of mind that a natural diamond cannot give, and you may find confidence in knowing the exact source of your diamond. When purchasing a lab diamond, you can rest assured that giving it to your loved ones did not hurt anyone.
Diamonds and Environmental Protection
Diamond mining has a significant impact on the environment. In all fairness, diamond mining companies are fully aware of this impact and have taken steps to try and minimize the damage they do to the ecosystems around them. Yet still, every mine that opens upon the earth causes irreversible damage to the globe, as it causes immense damage to animal habitats through widespread deforestation.
In contrast, laboratory-generated diamonds are inherently and significantly less harmful to the environment as much less energy is required to grow a diamond in a laboratory than to dig it from the ground. It is also in the interest of growers to minimize the amount of energy they use in the growing process to save money and reduce their costs.
Most of the diamonds grown in India and China consume a lot of energy and electricity. On the other hand, in developed countries’ labs, even the power supply is from solar energy and sources of renewable energy. We at Love Diamonds use only rough diamonds that are grown in these countries, which contributes to maximum protection of the environment.
Price
The price of diamonds created in the laboratory is significantly lower and more convenient than diamonds mined from the ground.
However, this does not mean that a diamond created in the laboratory is “cheap.” The capital costs for lab-grown diamonds and ground diamonds are quite similar. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in the leading laboratories for diamond cultivation.
So why are lab-created diamonds cheaper? Addicted diamonds and lab-created diamonds have the same costs when it comes to cutting, processing, polishing, and testing. However, the costs and processes are very different.
Earth-mined diamonds have a long supply chain. To obtain a diamond of its raw shape for a gemstone ready for retail, thousands of dunams of land are required to be leased and excavated, mining machines, and heavy mining equipment transported from mine to mine. Nonetheless, miners, distributors, cutters, polishers, jewelry manufacturers, and retailers are also in need.
On the other hand, the diamond supply chain created in the laboratory is much shorter by skipping the mining process. A lab-created diamond touches far fewer hands, making it ultimately more accessible and less expensive.
