As young people increasingly move away from natural diamonds, could lab grown diamonds be the future? Read more to find out.
Keyword(s): lab grown diamonds
Do you love jewelry? Are you one of the 73% of millennials who want to shop sustainably?
More and more shoppers are willing to pay a little more to ensure their high-quality pieces follow ethical practices.
Many jewels historically have a somewhat shady past. Conflict diamonds, stones that are mined using unethical practices; the industry has seen it all. Fortunately, times are changing. To both protect our planet and its people.
Astounding new technologies enable us to create stones in the laboratory. One of these miracle inventions is lab grown diamonds.
You may think this sounds like a strange concept; how can a naturally occurring stone be grown in a lab? However, these fascinating engineered stones are here to stay and have an array of remarkable properties.
Read on to find out why lab created diamonds are the future.
How Are Lab Grown Diamonds Made?
Diamonds formed deep in the earth billions of years ago and were brought to the earth's surface with the heat and pressure caused by volcanic explosions.
Lab created diamonds undergo a similar process. High pressure and high temperatures are used to replicate the same chemical processes natural diamonds go through. It just happens in a machine rather than on the earth.
For this reason, diamonds that are grown in a lab are chemically and physically identical to mined diamonds. You can't tell the difference to look at them either.
Lab diamonds start life as a seed. It then undergoes the process of making it into the beautiful stone we know and love. Due to the artificial process, the seed goes through, diamonds made in a lab are often referred to as synthetic diamonds.
How Are Lab Diamonds Graded?
Artificial diamonds are also graded in precisely the same way as mined diamonds. They are cut by experts and graded using the same quality criteria as mined diamonds.
They are rated using the 4 C's:
- Carat
- Cut
- Color
- Clarity
You would not be able to tell the difference between a mined diamond and a man-made one if you just looked at them.
Why Are Synthetic Diamonds the Future?
Diamond mining is notorious for being unsustainable, unethical, linked to child labor, as well as war and conflicts. Although the diamond industry has been cleaned up since the Kimberly Process Certification was introduced in 2003, it is sometimes difficult to trace a diamond's origin.
Many diamond dealers still can't tell you which mine their diamonds originate from. The Kimberly Process is hard to monitor, and many clean diamonds end up in the same shipments as those from less ethical origins.
If a diamond is grown in a lab, it is easy to trace and harms nobody. Let's take a more in-depth look at why consumers are starting to choose man-made diamonds.
They Are More Ethical
Even if a diamond claims to be conflict-free and not used to fund corrupt governments and warfare, we can never be entirely sure.
You also don't know if the workers who mine your natural diamond are paid fairly or treated humanely. Many countries where diamonds naturally occur don't have laws to ban child labor or enforce strict minimum wage or labor safety requirements.
Ethical diamonds are having a moment, and we won't ever go back to the dark days of unethical diamond extraction.
They Are More Environmentally Friendly
Mining diamonds also have a significant impact on the natural environment. Digging up the earth to extract a stone is not the most sustainable of practices after all. Hundreds of tonnes of earth need to move to find just one diamond.
This messes with local ecosystems and can end up displacing wildlife and communities. Local water sources can also end up polluted as a result of diamond mining. Minerals unearthed when the rocks are moved can run off into the water, causing it to become toxic.
The air miles that a mined diamond costs are also huge. They fly from origin to middle man, to cuter, to trader.
A lab grown diamond can be made in a few days and sold in the same city it is created. Further to this, a lot less energy is needed to create an artificial diamond. Thus, lab grown diamonds have a significantly lower carbon footprint.
Artificial Diamonds Are Less Expensive
Lab grown diamonds have the same properties and high quality as mined diamonds but a lower price tag.
Mined diamonds pass through many hands on their way to the store; each person involved takes a cut of the final price.
There are fewer people involved in creating a lab grown diamond which means fewer people who need paying. This, in turn, lowers the price for the end consumer.
Diamond Jewelry Is Always In Fashion
Ever since the 1940s, when diamonds became the height of fashion, they have been a staple in our jewelry boxes. We will continue to collect precious jewels for decades to come. They will be different from the jewels of the past.
Want to make a statement with your outfit? Say it with diamonds. Want to give a gift that lasts an eternity? Diamonds are perfect. They last indefinitely and are a symbol of class.
Diamonds are also the most popular gemstone used for engagement rings. This stunning stone has represented love for centuries.
Conscious Consumers Prefer Lab Diamonds
You don't want your beautiful diamond to have a shady past, do you? Unethical practices and dubious origins are not what this stone should represent. For this reason, lab grown diamonds are the future.
As consumer demands shift towards more transparent supply chains and the accountability of manufacturers, we need a change in the way goods are produced.
Innovative technologies that create lab-made diamonds can help us take much-needed steps towards a more sustainable and green future.
Feel inspired to browse some ethically sourced diamonds? Check out our collection of diamond rings.
If you are not into natural or lab grow diamonds there are options for you! Swarovski Crystals are beauiful, affordable and are sure to draw admiring eyes!
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