How are lab-created diamonds made?

Lab-created diamonds are produced by utilizing two gem-quality diamond creation processes: High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). In both processes, a small diamond seed is placed in an environment that contains carbon, the atomic component of a diamond. Under suitably controlled conditions, the diamond grows, atom-by-atom, layer-by-layer, recreating nature's process.

How do lab-created diamonds and natural diamonds compare?

Both have the same physical, chemical and optical properties and emerge as rough diamonds. Both have the same hardness, specific gravity, refractive index and dispersion factor; are polished using the same equipment and techniques; and have the same brilliance, sparkle, fire and scintillation. Both are, in fact, diamond.

Lab Created vs Mined
Diamonds	Chemical Composition	Crystalline Structure	Refractive Index	Dispersion	Hardness	Density
Lab Created	C	Cubic	2.42	0.044	10	3.52
Mined	C	Cubic	2.42	0.044	10	3.52

How do lab-created diamonds and diamond-like materials compare?

They don't. Cubic zirconium, moissanite, and diamond-coated materials, are not diamonds. These are called "simulants" in the industry. These materials have completely different physical properties compared to diamond.

Diamonds vs Simulants
	Chemical Composition	Crystalline Structure	Refractive Index	Dispersion	Hardness	Density
Diamonds
Lab Created	C	Cubic	2.42	0.044	10	3.52
Mined	C	Cubic	2.42	0.044	10	3.52
Simulants
CZ	ZrO2	Cubic	2.20	0.066	8.25	5.70
Moissanite	SIC	Hexagonal	2.65	0.104	9.25	3.21
White Sapphire	Al2O3	Hexagonal	1.77	0.018	9	3.97
Yag	Y3Al5O12	Cubic	1.83	0.028	8.25	4.60

If lab-created diamonds are the same as mined, why are the terms "cultured" and "laboratory-created" used?

We want to be absolutely certain that it distinguishes diamonds created by man from those grown in nature.

"Laboratory-created," "lab-grown" or "man-made" diamonds all appropriately describe lab created diamonds.

"Cultured" has been used for many years to describe commodities that are engineered by man.

That is, where man has found a way to recreate nature's process, so it is a fitting term to describe Gemesis diamonds. Though according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), it must be used in conjunction with laboratory-created, or lab-grown.

Is the term "synthetic" an accurate term to describe lab-created diamonds?

No. While this term is often used, we believe it can lead consumers to think the diamonds are fake, artificial or simulants such as cubic zirconia, which is inaccurate. The FTC has acknowledged the term synthetic can be misleading to the consumer when describing man-made diamonds. According to the FTC, "the term is a potentially confusing term, i.e., consumers associate synthetic gemstones with imitation stones." The FTC determined that "these other terms ('laboratory-created,' 'laboratory-grown,' '[manufacturer-name]-created') would more clearly communicate the nature of the stone." Furthermore, synthetic, as an adjective, is defined as: "made artificially by chemical synthesis, especially so as to resemble a natural product." The term synthesis is defined as: "the formation of compounds through one or more chemical reactions involving simpler substances." Lab-created diamonds are NOT created by a chemical reaction of two or more simpler substances, but by crystal growth process, atom by atom, the same as in nature. Therefore, by definition, lab-created diamonds are not synthetic.

Is the process patented?

Yes.

What is the quality of lab created diamonds?

Very high-quality. The cut, color and clarity are consistent with the top-tier of mined diamonds. And, in fact, all our lab-created colorless diamonds are Type IIa, which is the purest form produced in nature and accounts for only 2% of the global production of mined diamonds.

Are lab created diamonds graded?

Yes. Our lab-created diamonds are graded to the same specifications as mined diamonds by IGI.