Skip to content
Knox Jewelers

Knox Jewelers

A Fine Jewelry & Engagement Ring Blog

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Engagement Rings
  • Wedding Bands
  • Diamonds
  • Gemstones
  • Contact Us
Knox Jewelers

Tag: Lab Diamond

The Creation of Laboratory Diamonds

minneapolis-engagement-rings Unique Engagement Rings
Knox Jewelers Custom Engagement Rings

Knox Jewelers will now be carrying Lab Created Diamonds as center stone options to feature in our custom engagement rings. But before you decide if this natural diamond alternative is right for you, you may like a a brief explanation on how these man-made diamonds are created.

Created diamonds are grown in a laboratory and will have the same basic crystal structure and chemical composition as natural diamonds that were formed over millions of years, deep underground. In-depth research and development of a man-made diamond  has been in progress for the past thirty years, but only recently has there been the successful creation of quality crystals, large enough for use in jewelry.

A laboratory created diamond is a gemstone produced by artificial means in a control process rather than natural diamonds, which are created by geological processes deep inside the earth. Lab created diamonds are often designated as either a High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) diamond or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond, depending on which process was utilized in their formation. HPHT and CVD are the two most common production methods currently in practice for created diamonds. These laboratory gemstones are made from pure crystallized carbon, the same structural material as earth mined diamonds.

Ever since the early nineteenth century there has been interested and experimentation in producing a diamond, but the exact process of duplicating the extreme pressure and temperature which natural diamonds are formed under remained a mystery. General Electric, in 1955, took the first steps in technological development and created the first laboratory diamonds, though they were small and only usable in industrial settings. Ever since then, the distinct processes that create a lab diamond have only become more refined. The end result, a fully developed laboratory diamond, is now available to feature as the center stone in a one-of-kind Knox engagement ring.

High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) Lab Created Diamond

The HPHT process is used to recreate the conditions of a natural diamond’s birth, where they form close to 150-200 km below the Earth’s surface. This growth process is slow and well-controlled. This steady growth is essential for creating high quality laboratory diamonds. The creation of a gem-quality stone close to one carat will takes about three days to crystallize.

Most HPHT diamonds are created the same way, though there are three main press designs used to supply the pressure and temperature necessary to produce a crystal. Currently the belt press, the cubic press and the split-sphere (BARS) press are all actively producing gem-quality stones.

A diamond seed is placed at the bottom of a press. This seed may be of natural or synthetic origin, and will be close to the thickness of a fingernail. The internal part of press is heated by a tubular, graphite heater.  This generates temperatures above 1400°C, replicating deep underground, and melts the solvent material that has been placed in the press.  The molten material dissolves and mixes with a high level carbon source, which is then transported to the diamond seeds and grows, forming a large synthetic diamond.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Lab Created Diamond

Chemical vapor deposition is a growth method where a diamond can be created from only a hydrocarbon gas mixture. Unlike HPHT gemstones, CVD diamonds do not require high pressures to form. This process is comparatively more simple than HPHT, with less necessary equipment and materials.

The CVD process involves feeding varying amounts of gases into a chamber and energizing them. The gases always include a carbon source, typically methane, and hydrogen. Hydrogen is essential because it selectively etches off non-diamond carbon. The gases are ionized with heat into chemically active radicals that collect to form diamond crystals.

Both of these processes form beautiful man-made diamonds that are faceting and waiting to be selected.

If a lab created diamond option is in your interest, please contact us today to inquire on the available selection of gemstones. We can search our current collection for the perfect grown diamond option to become the finishing touch to your beautiful handcrafted piece.

Author Katie MonsonPosted on July 3, 2016July 4, 2016Categories Unique Engagement RingsTags center stone, created diamond, Custom Engagement Rings, CVD, diamond options, HPHT, knox custom, Knox Jewelers, lab created, Lab Diamond, process lab diamondLeave a comment on The Creation of Laboratory Diamonds

Lab Created Diamonds

Knox Jewelers will now be offering Lab Created Diamond center stone options!

Lab created diamonds are natural diamond alternatives that are grown in highly controlled laboratory settings. These environments simulate earth’s natural gemstone growing conditions and produce real mineral diamonds. These lab created gemstones are physically, optically and chemically identical to their earth-mined counterparts.

These grown options are real diamonds. They hold the same chemical composition, pure carbon, and crystal growth pattern as their naturally formed mates. These gemstones will have the same face-up appearance and optical properties as a real diamond, because essential they are real diamonds. The only different between the two will be their origin of creations. The same skilled cutters who fashion earth mined diamond are also responsible for faceting their lab created twins.

Lab created diamonds are grown using one of two very different techniques. When complete, each growing process will produce pure carbon mineral diamond crystals. Which process is used to create diamonds will depend on the application of the completed stone. The High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) growing technique is the main process used to grow gemstone quality crystals, while Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is most commonly used for the creation of industrial grade diamonds.

2336_1_image Unique Engagement Rings
Knox Jewelers' custom engagement ring design Jill Dianne featuring a lab created diamond center stone.

Benefits of Lab Created Diamonds

  • Aesthetic – Lab diamonds are chemically, physically and optically identical to earth-mined diamonds. Up until now beauty such as this has never been attainable in a lab created stone.
  • Value – Lab created diamonds offer excellent value, and are slightly more affordable than natural diamond of equivalent carat size and quality.
  • Environmentally Conscience – Lab created diamonds are ethically grown with minimal environmental impact.
  • Sustainable – The supply of grown diamonds will flow at a constant pace compared to earth mined diamonds that ebb-and-flow with availability, depending on the minable sources. Global demand for diamonds is on the rise, though a new sizable diamond mine has not been discovered in this decade.

Lab created diamonds will reflection a savings of 30 to 40 percent compared to their natural earth mined counterparts.

We now have a variety of lab created diamond center stone options available to be featured in one of our custom created engagement rings. Nearly every cut shape, carat weight, clarity grade and color grade is represented in our selection. Several fancy colored unique diamond options have also made their way into the pool of available center stones. If a lab created diamond option is in your interest, please contact us today to inquire on the available selection of gemstones. We can search our current collection for the perfect grown diamond option to become the finishing touch to your beautiful handcrafted piece.

Author Katie MonsonPosted on June 12, 2016Categories Unique Engagement RingsTags center stone, Center Stone Option, Custom Engagement Rings, knox custom creation, Knox Jewelers, KNox Lab Created Diamond, Lab Created Diamond, Lab DiamondLeave a comment on Lab Created Diamonds

Recent Posts

  • August’s Custom Engagement Ring Spotlight
  • Gemstone Spotlight
  • July’s Custom Engagement Ring Spotlight
  • Gemstone Spotlight
  • June’s Custom Engagement Ring Spotlight

Categories

  • Buying a Wedding Ring
  • Cushion Cut Rings
  • Custom Creation
  • Custom In Progress
  • Diamonds
  • Gemstones
  • Jewelry
  • Micro Pave Engagement Rings
  • Ring Metal Info
  • Ring Spotlight
  • Sapphire Engagement Rings
  • Setting and Styles
  • Top Ten List
  • Unique Engagement Rings
  • Unique Wedding Rings
  • Whats New at Knox

Recent Comments

  • Tony Stanley on Can a diamond become discolored from well water?
  • admin on Can a diamond become discolored from well water?
  • Ahlyssa on Can a diamond become discolored from well water?
  • admin on How often will my white gold ring need to be rhodium plated?
  • Shelagh on How often will my white gold ring need to be rhodium plated?

Get Posts Straight to Your Email

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Engagement Rings
  • Wedding Bands
  • Diamonds
  • Gemstones
  • Contact Us
Knox Jewelers Proudly powered by WordPress