Lab-produced diamonds have the identical optical, physical and chemical properties as well as the same crystal structure as mined diamonds - the only difference is their origin.
Both are based on the same crystal structure - created by nature.
Lab-grown diamonds and mine diamonds have the same crystal structure. The only difference between mined and lab-grown diamonds is their origin alone. Regardless of whether they are grown in a laboratory or extracted from the earth, both diamond types have an identical growth process. In the process, carbon atoms are first formed under high temperature as well as immense pressure, which then combine to form a crystalline lattice structure.
They share the same chemical composition
Officially, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes a diamond as "a mineral consisting essentially of pure carbon crystallised in the isometric system". Whether a diamond is mined or created in a laboratory, both share the same chemical composition. For this reason, the FTC has defined lab-grown diamonds as genuine diamonds since 2018.
High-tech manufacturing process based on nature's example
Lab-created diamonds have the identical chemical, physical and optical properties as mine diamonds. There are two different processes for the production of so-called synthetic diamonds, which are modelled on nature: The high-pressure, high-temperature process (HPHT) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD). In the HPHT process, the diamonds are essentially produced under high pressure and temperature. In the newer CVD method, on the other hand, a carbon seed is heated to about 800 degrees Celsius in a reactor. The chamber is filled with a carbon-rich gas such as methane and is ionised into a plasma under a high-tech process. The ionisation breaks the molecular bonds in the gases, pure carbon adheres to the nucleus and eventually crystallises into a true diamond.
Classification & certification under identical criteria
Once formed into a rough diamond, both mined and lab-grown diamonds are cut and polished into a gemstone. Lab-created diamonds, like their mined counterpart, exhibit unique variations in colour as well as clarity and can also acquire inclusions during the growth process. This makes each synthetic diamond truly unique. The cut lab diamonds are then graded on the same scale as mined diamonds, known as the 4 C's. They are graded under the same criteria as mined diamonds. They are graded, analysed, described and classified under the same criteria as mined diamonds by all the established international gemological laboratories, such as IGI, GCAL, GIA etc.. Finally, they receive a certificate documenting their individual cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.