Table of contents
- Simulated diamonds
- Lab grown diamonds
- Earth mined diamonds
- Are synthetic diamonds real diamonds
- Synthetic vs natural diamonds
- Environmental influence
- Impact of mining
- Carbon emissions
Simulated diamonds vs. lab grown diamonds vs. earth mined diamonds
You might think that all diamonds are essentially the same, but that’s not strictly true. There are three major types of diamonds: simulated diamonds, lab grown diamonds and earth mined diamonds. While they all look similar, each type of diamond is made in a different way and comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
At Heart In Diamond, we create gorgeous memorial diamonds from the hair, fur or cremated ashes of a loved one or pet who has passed on. The gemstones we create are lab grown diamonds, also known as man made diamonds.
To help you understand the differences between the gemstones, let’s dig deeper into the properties of cultivated diamonds. Below you’ll find a description of each type of diamond, along with their chemical compositions and how they’re made.
Simulated diamonds
A simulated diamond looks like a genuine diamond, but it doesn’t have the same physical, chemical or visual properties. Colourless cubic zirconium, moissanite, topaz, quartz, sapphire and beryl are all examples of popular diamond simulants, also known as artificial diamonds.
It’s important to know that simulated diamonds and synthetic diamonds are not the same. Although simulants and synthetics might look similar, a simulated diamond is simply a clear gemstone. While a synthetic diamond is a genuine diamond created in a lab.
It’s also noteworthy that simulated stones are not composed of the same materials as natural diamonds. In terms of appearance, simulated diamonds look similar to the real thing, but they’re not identical. The physical properties and chemical structure of imitation diamonds are quite different from both real and synthetic diamonds.
Lab grown diamonds
Lab grown diamonds are known by many names, including:
- Man made diamonds
- Synthetic diamonds
- Cultivated diamonds
- Created diamonds
- Cultured diamonds
This type of diamond is created in a laboratory using carbon and a diamond growing seed. Intense levels of heat and pressure are applied to the carbon and diamond growing seed, imitating the conditions which occur in the earth to create natural diamonds. The result is a gemstone which is chemically, physically and optically identical to earth mined diamonds. Lab created diamonds score a 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness (just like natural diamonds) and it’s impossible to tell the two apart just by looking at them.
The remembrance diamonds we make at Heart In Diamond are also created from carbon. But instead of the generic carbon used for standard lab created diamonds, we extract carbon from the hair, fur or cremated remains of a loved one or pet. The rest of the process remains the same.
Earth mined diamonds
Earth mined diamonds are the ones you’re probably most familiar with. These natural gemstones are formed miles below the Earth’s crust over millions of years.
Deep within the Earth, carbon, which has a natural crystal structure, is transformed into diamonds. The process occurs when this carbon is exposed to high pressure and high temperature over a very long period of time. Remarkably, many of the earth mined diamonds you see in jewelry stores are billions of years old.
Are synthetic diamonds real diamonds?
A common misconception about lab created diamonds is that they are not actually real diamonds. This is simply not true.
The truth is, even though synthetic diamonds are formed by an artificial process, they still possess the exact same physical properties and chemical composition as their naturally occurring counterparts. In fact, professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between man made and natural gemstones.
In terms of chemical properties and structure, cultivated diamonds are, in fact, real diamonds. This is because when examining the fundamental properties, synthetic diamonds are the same as natural diamonds. They retain the extreme hardness and density of natural diamonds, they’re transparent (especially when pure), they generate high thermal conductivity and they have high resistance for electricity.
The bottom line is that synthetic diamonds are by no means fake. Synthetic diamonds truly are real diamonds.
Synthetic diamonds vs natural diamonds
Ever since the production of synthetic diamonds began in 1953, a debate has raged over which is better. Natural or synthetic diamonds? Earth mined or lab grown diamonds?
The argument has become more relevant than ever since technology has become advanced enough to produce gem-grade diamonds suitable for jewelry. Now, people can purchase perfect diamonds (with the same chemical compositions, looks, feels and gradings of natural diamonds) that were grown in a lab.
Here’s how synthetic diamonds compare to natural diamonds:
AGE:
- Synthetic diamonds have been produced since 1953. It takes up to 120 days to create diamonds in a lab.
- Natural diamonds are created deep underground through a process almost as old as the Earth. It takes millions or even billions of years to create diamonds naturally below the Earth’s surface.
COLORS:
- Both natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds are available in a wide variety of colors.
- Synthetic gemstones are irradiated to create brilliant, vibrant colors such as red, green, champagne, pink, purple, brown, etc.
- Natural diamonds rarely come in spectacular colors. Mostly they’re seen in soft or dull colors.
HARDNESS:
- In the past, there was a time that natural diamonds were the hardest substance in the world.
- Advancements in technology and new state-of-the-art devices have made it possible to create synthetic diamonds that measure a 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness — the same as naturally occurring diamonds.
- Diamonds found in nature have multiple crystalline structures, which makes them more prone to fractures and cracks.
- Synthetic gemstones have crystals that are growing in one single direction making them more durable and less prone to cracks and/or fractures.
- Synthetic diamonds carry more weight and density than the natural gemstones.
APPEARANCE:
- Modern techniques and equipment creates synthetic diamonds that are practically flawless, containing only minor imperfections.
- UV light creates a different wave pattern when passed through synthetic diamonds that is not present in natural diamonds.
- Under magnified light, naturally-formed diamonds appear dull.
- Cultivated diamonds include an inscription for authenticity which carries an identification number, allowing jewelers to easily identify where the lab-diamond was created.
- Trace factors may be present in cultivated diamonds, including boron or platinum.
- Synthetic diamonds are free from external and internal blemishes, including scratches, fractures, fingerprints, clouds and nicks.
- When exposed to light, cultured diamonds give off a yellowish-green or orange glow.
CREATION:
- Deep within the mantle of Earth is where natural diamonds are created. Volcanic vents bring the diamonds to the surface where they are collected by mining processes. Then they are cut, polished, and sold.
- Synthetic diamonds are lab-manufactured with the help of machines that create high-temperature and high-pressure environments, imitating the conditions in the Earth’s mantle.
Environmental influence
Despite the argument regarding which diamonds are better, man made diamonds have one major advantage over natural diamonds: a smaller impact on the environment. That advantage is leading many customers to abandon natural diamonds in favor of synthetic when choosing important jewelry, such as a diamond engagement ring.
While some energy is required to produce the high temperature, high pressure environment in which synthetic diamonds grow, it’s not nearly as much energy as is required to produce naturally occurring diamonds.
Energy usage varies widely across both the mines that produce natural diamonds and the labs that create diamonds. However, some comparisons have been made between specific mines and specific labs and in many cases, the labs use less energy.
For example, one of the largest producers of natural diamonds uses an average of 80.3 kilowatt hours per carat over all of their mining operations, while anywhere from 20-28 kilowatt-hours per carat is required to produce diamonds through the synthetic diamond labs whose energy usage has been studied.
Why is saving this much energy good for the environment? Using less energy translates into using fewer resources such as oil and natural gas. It also means causing less pollution that can damage the environment over time.
Impact of mining
The mining of natural diamonds creates a great deal of change in the surrounding environment. Some mines can be more than 2 miles deep, meaning that all of the earth within that 2-mile depth must be excavated. Finding 1 carat worth of diamonds requires the movement of anywhere from 200 to 1,700+ tons of dirt.
The land immediately surrounding the mine is impacted by the production of natural diamonds. The dirt removed from the mine needs to be placed somewhere, which then impacts the area receiving the dirt. The creation of roadways around the mine disturbs the land. And, at times, entire waterways and other physical features are removed to make way for the production of natural diamonds. All of these actions can affect the health and habitat of the animals that live in the area.
Synthetic diamonds, on the other hand, because they are grown in a lab, do not affect the physical features of the land. Instead of moving mountains of earth and large waterways, the lab simply places the starter carbon in a machine, where it grows into a diamond of the desired size. As a result, synthetic diamonds have a significantly lower impact on the plants, animals, and land features of the Earth.
Difference real vs. synthetic diamonds >>
Carbon emissions
Another way to measure the eco-friendliness of lab grown and natural diamonds is to look at the emissions they create. Emissions refers to the byproducts of using materials such as oil and gas to produce the gems.
A student at Stanford University compared the energy usage of mining diamonds from one particular Canadian mine to the energy usage of creating diamonds in one particular lab. What he found was that the lab grown diamonds produced ⅕ the amount of carbon dioxide emissions. This equated to 483 million miles' worth of emissions.
While comprehensive research is lacking in this area, this one study indicates what common sense dictates: diamonds grown in a lab produce many fewer emissions than diamonds that rely on the extensive use of heavy machinery for their production.
When it comes to eco-friendliness, it’s hard to beat synthetic diamonds. At Heart in Diamond, we offer yet another reason to consider synthetic gems over natural ones: the ability to turn your loved one into a diamond.
Through the use of your loved one's ashes, we can create a beautiful memorial diamond that you can use to remember them forever. And, you can do so knowing that your loved one's memorial has been created with a minimal impact on the environment and a maximum effort to create a gem that reflects the value and beauty of their life.