Your guide to having a mined diamond versus a lab made diamond
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, or at least that has been the line for quite some time. Diamonds have been popular for decades. Ever since the 1930s, when a diamond mining company began a large advertising campaign with celebrities claiming that ‘diamonds are forever’, the demand for diamonds has been huge. Not only for jewelry but for any accessory or object that you want to decorate with them, as a status symbol of wealth. One of the reasons that diamonds have been so expensive for many years is because of their rarity, but now lab made diamonds can also be accessed more affordably. Which is better though?
- The quality
Mined diamonds are formed over 100 miles beneath the surface of the earth from carbon atoms that are put under extreme pressure and heat. They were then forced to the surface by volcanic eruption and are likely to be billions of years old.
A lab made diamond is produced by using carbon atoms also, and simulating the same amount of extreme pressure and heat as those that would be mined.
It is almost impossible to distinguish the difference between the two types of diamond, for even many professionals. It takes advanced specialist equipment to determine the difference, by looking for trace elements inside a natural diamond, so in fact a lab grown diamond is very slightly purer.
- The convenience
Mined diamonds are of course rarer and so more difficult to access, as well as being more expensive. You can opt to purchase a secondhand diamond, but this can bring questions of authenticity into the mix.
Lab made diamonds are much more affordable and can be provided in a variety of colors that are rare to obtain in nature. Getting a uniquely styled diamond within custom jewelry is becoming extremely popular now, and companies like Chapter 79 work with customers to design jewelry with their diamond requirements in mind.
- The sustainability
The comparison of synthetic diamonds versus natural diamonds regarding sustainability is extraordinarily complex. There has been a lot of publicity on the effects of mining diamonds. Includingair and water pollution, but also, that many of the miners work in extremely poor conditions. Lab made diamonds have been promoted as more sustainable because they are made in a controlled laboratory environment, but there is also debate over this. That is because to use enough energy to make a diamond in a lab, it means a large amount of fossil fuels are used. There are less staff needed for a lab made diamond though, and these are made in the western culture where employment laws prevent bad practices for workers.
Overall, what sort of diamond you purchase depends on your feelings of how old, rare, and expensive your rock needs to be. If you are just looking for something pretty to enjoy, then lab made diamonds are your best bet! You can enjoy the coloring, clarity and cut without as much guilt or financial suffering.
