The Journey of a Lab Grown Diamond
The dream of making a diamond from simple carbon has long captivated the imagination of scientists and visionaries alike. A Lab grown diamond is a replica of one of the earth’s greatest and oldest treasure, The Natural Diamond. A natural diamond was formed between one to three billion years ago, deep below the earth’s surface under intense heat and pressure. It is made up of billions of carbon atoms and each carbon atom in a diamond is strongly bonded to four others, making them the hardest and most durable natural substance known to humanity.
Lab grown diamonds, also known as the synthetic or engineered diamonds, are one of the latest technological advancement. The scientists are able to duplicate the process and the conditions in which a diamond can be formed using two methods, HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature & CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). Alaya’s diamonds undergo the process of HPHT. A diamond seed is placed under a sealed chamber, which is heated over 1000 degrees. The chamber is filled with carbon-rich gases such as Methane and Hydrogen. The intense heat turns the gases into a plasma causing the process of crystalization, where the carbon atoms start to stick to the diamond seed that gets bigger and bigger, eventually forming into a diamond. The scientists have mimicked the process in such an extraordinary way, it is a huge development and achievement for the jewelry industry.
They are also given names such as, ‘The Sustainable Diamond’ or 'The Green Diamond'. Unlike natural diamonds, where unethical practices take place during mining, lab grown diamonds, are environmentally friendly and extremely virtuous. Additionally, Lab Grown Diamonds are graded and certified using the same process as the natural diamonds. They are often compared with moissanite, however, they are not the same. A Lab Diamond is created in a laboratory instead of the Earth’s Crust. It is identical to the natural diamond, a crystal-clear carbon. It is the hardest material on earth, just like the natural diamond, a 10 on the Mohs scale and the gives the same shine and luster.. Whereas, moissanite is composed of silicon carbide. It is a different type of gemstone altogether.