Lab Grown Diamonds FAQs
Lab-grown diamonds are not imitations or simulants. They are real diamonds, and they have the same physical, chemical, and optical properties as mined diamonds - the only difference being their origin.
Natural diamonds are grown in the earth for several millions or even billions of years, whereas lab created diamonds are grown in a machine for a few weeks to months depending on the size.
Because it’s the same material, it’s typically hard even for a trained gemologist or jeweler to tell the difference between a lab grown diamond and a natural one.
Currently, there are two ways lab grown diamonds are created - the HPHT (high pressure high temperature) and CVD (chemical vapor deposition) methods.
- The HPHT process closely mimics the conditions that diamonds need to form naturally, but they do it much quicker.
- CVD diamonds grow from an HPHT grown diamond seed crystal. Carbon rains down from a plasma cloud and deposits onto the seed crystal, growing diamond in layers.
Both processes produce the same quality lab diamonds. However, the CVD process is becoming more common in the industry because it’s slightly more cost-effective.
On Rare Carat, our wholesalers list both HPHT and CVD diamonds.