The introduction of lab-grown diamonds to the diamond market may leave some consumers confused as to what they are actually getting when they purchase a lab-grown diamond. This is especially true as lab-grown diamonds become more and more affordable. In addition to being marketed under different names such as “synthetic” or “cultured” diamond, lab-grown diamonds may be confused with diamond simulants such as cubic zirconia. But the two are not the same. The difference is that lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to mined diamonds, while cubic zirconia is a different substance entirely. Let’s get into exactly what that means.
A diamond, as you probably know already, is a mineral composed of about 99.95% carbon. Graphite and, to a lesser extent, coal are also mostly composed of carbon, but the difference is that in a diamond, intense heat and pressure have crystallized the carbon atoms into a three-dimensional lattice structure. Various other elements may comprise the other 0.05% of a diamond, and it's those trace elements that determine the color of a diamond: when nitrogen replaces carbon in parts of the crystal, you get a yellow diamond and the presence of boron leads to a blue diamond.
The process by which a flat chain of carbon atoms is restructured into a cubic crystal requires a great deal of heat and pressure. The heat and pressure required—1300°C (2400°F) and pressure 240,000 times the pressure found at sea level—occurs in the upper mantle, 150 km (90 miles) deep.
What are Lab-Grown Diamonds?
Throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, scientists gained a more thorough understanding of the chemical composition of minerals and the geological processes that created them. In the 19th century, scientists like Henri Moissan hypothesized that the sort of heat and pressure required could be reproduced in a laboratory. Using the new electric technology of the day, he claimed to have grown diamonds.
Early attempts at growing diamonds resulted in stones too small and too brown to be of any value—if what was being created were diamonds at all and not a substance like silicon carbide. It wasn’t until the invention of the belt press that the dream of growing diamonds that were both useful to industry and gemstone-quality became a reality.
The belt press, invented by General Electric engineer Tracy Hall in 1954, produced temperatures of over 1600°C and 1.5 million pounds per square inch of pressure. This temperature was much lower than the 3500°C of Moissan’s electric arc furnace, but the pressure was far more than anyone in the late 1800s could have imagined possible.
The technique GE used to grow diamonds, called High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT), did not produce diamonds large and clear enough to be used as gemstones until the 1970s. Around the same time, the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method began producing gemstone-quality diamonds. CVD grows diamonds at lower temperatures and pressures than HPHT by sealing a diamond seed in a chamber full of hydrocarbon gas. The chamber is then heated by microwaves, which breaks the hydrocarbon gas down into hydrogen and carbon. The carbon then bonds with the diamond seed, building a diamond crystal atom by atom.
Why “Lab-Grown”?
The result of both the HPHT and CVD methods is a crystalline mineral of almost pure carbon. A mineral composed of 99.95% or more carbon is a diamond, whether it was grown in molten rock under extreme heat and pressure in the upper mantle, in a gas-filled chamber heated by microwaves, or in the pressure of a mechanical press. For this reason, diamonds produced this way are referred to as “lab-grown” rather than synthetic. The term “synthetic” denotes a material produced by synthesis (combining two or more different substances) in order to imitate another substance. Lab-grown diamonds don’t imitate diamonds; they are diamonds. And since the methods produce actual diamonds, they are not “imitation” diamonds or “diamond simulants.” “Lab-grown diamond” is the most accurate way to describe the product of these processes.
What is Cubic Zirconia?
While lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to diamonds, cubic zirconia (CZ) is a different substance altogether. Its brightness and clarity, not to mention its affordability, make it a great diamond simulant. But it is susceptible to dulling over time due to the accumulation of dirt. Nevertheless, it is almost indistinguishable from diamond to the untrained eye. But overall it is a far less durable stone. While diamond (both the mined and lab-grown kinds) rates a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, the hardness of CZ is only 8. Nothing will scratch or chip a diamond, but CZ is likely to scratch, chip, and turn cloudy over years of daily use. This is because CZ is not a diamond but zirconium dioxide (ZrO2). It occurs rarely in nature; the cubic zirconia used in jewelry is synthesized by combining zirconium oxide powder with magnesium or calcium at 2750°C (4,982°F).
Whether your reasons for seeking an alternative to mined diamonds are about affordability or ethics, both cubic zirconia and lab-grown diamonds are both great alternatives. But only lab-grown diamonds are actual diamonds, with the same hardness, clarity, color, and unmistakable sparkle you expect from a diamond.
There seems to be a bias in the jewelry industry to think about lab-grown diamonds as a budget alternative for young people in the marriage market. To be sure, a lab-grown diamonds provide the opportunity for a big, beautiful ring at a significant discount from a mined diamond - and it doesn’t hurt that nobody can tell it’s lab-grown just by looking at it.
But to focus entirely on this market for lab-grown misses an important demographic: the over-40 female self-purchaser.
Ideally, a woman’s jewelry wardrobe would include a suite of diamond basics beyond the engagement ring and regardless of marital/engaged status:
- 1.00 carat diamond studs
- 2.00 carat diamond studs
- Diamond hoop earrings
- Solitaire diamond pendant
- Cocktail diamond pendant
- Straight-Line diamond bracelet
- Diamond cocktail ring
But such a suite is beyond the purchasing power of many women, and many women of means still find it difficult to justify buying diamonds for themselves and wait for gifts for meaningful life milestones.
Many women find it increasingly interesting to buy some of the elements of the ideal diamond suite for themselves, rather than waiting five and ten years between life events to receive them as gifts. They can always replace their lab-grown diamonds with mined diamond gifts later, while having the option to enjoy their diamond jewelry throughout their adult lives.
If you’re not selling lab-grown diamond jewelry as part of a jewelry wardrobe to mature women, you’re missing a tremendous opportunity. When this client walks in your door looking for something special, don’t hesitate to ask her if she has all the diamond basics in her jewelry wardrobe, then show her how exciting it can be to add those pieces for herself, on her own timetable.
According to Marty Hurwitz, CEO of MVI Marketing LLC, “Critical mass of consumer interest is now converging with increasing acceptance of lab-grown diamonds by retailers. This unique moment in time will propel growth for many years to come.” MVI conducted a study in 2019 that indicated that 66% of millennials actively shopping for engagement rings would consider a lab-grown diamond, largely driven by the perception that they can get a larger, better-quality lab-grown diamond for the same or better price as a smaller diamond.
Lab-grown diamonds are not a new concept. They were first introduced in the 1950s. But these diamonds are a relatively new phenomenon in the diamond industry, because it took nearly 50 years to produce lab-grown diamonds with sufficient depth and quality to be used for jewelry purposes. They are made in laboratories using a process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or high-pressure-high-temperature (HPHT).
There has been a lot of debate about lab-grown diamonds and how they compare to natural diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds are the same chemical composition as natural diamonds, but they are created under controlled conditions in a production environment.
The reasons people choose lab-grown diamonds are fairly broad. Some consumers like the variety of colors they come in. Fancy pink and blue diamonds do happen in nature, but they are so rare that they are extremely expensive. Color production in the lab is more predictable and controllable, making colorful lab-grown diamonds an affordable choice.
Some people are completely enamored of the technical aspect of lab-grown diamonds. Just as they get excited about a new iPhone, smart watch, or smart home technology, they like the idea of buying a product that is precious and rare in nature, but which humans have figured out how to produce in a laboratory environment.
Some people prefer lab-grown diamonds because of their concerns about mining. Particularly during this time of increased awareness of the dangers of global warming, mining’s impact on deforestation and water pollution is something to be aware of. But it should also be noted that growing diamonds in a manufacturing environment demands a great deal of electricity. So unless the grower has committed to being carbon neutral (which some have), a lab-grown diamond isn’t inherently more responsible than a mining operation.
And finally, many prefer lab-grown diamonds for the price. While the number of companies that have the capacity to mine natural diamonds at scale is quite small and the barrier to entry is high, lab-grown diamonds are much easier to produce and there are far more producers of lab-grown diamonds. This means that the price of a lab-grown diamond is significantly lower than a mined diamond of the same specifications. Consumers have discovered that they can get a lab-grown diamond for between $800 - $1200 per carat, compared to natural diamonds which tend to be $3200 - $3600 per carat.
Lab-grown diamonds are not simply a replacement for a natural diamond. Natural diamonds have thousands of years of history as a symbol of wealth and preciousness, and the association between diamonds and romance has been strongly established. Don’t expect mined diamonds to go away! But research has indicated diamond consumers are interested in owning both natural and lab-grown diamonds for their diamond wardrobe. Part of the appeal may be that it’s completely impossible to tell with the naked eye if a diamond is mined or lab-grown. But part of the appeal is that a woman can expand her diamond wardrobe to include more diamond styles by including lab-grown in the mix.
Lab-grown diamonds also bring a new buyer to the diamond market … a person who did not consider diamonds interesting before due to reasons related to price or social or environmental impact. These buyers represent an entirely new market for jewelry stores that offer both types of diamonds.
The difference in consumer awareness about lab-grown diamonds has changed dramatically in just the past five years. When speaking to consumers about their jewelry needs, keep in mind the many reasons that a lab-grown diamond may be of interest to them, and offer lab-grown as an option when you suspect that it will fit with that consumer’s values and interests.