How Are Lab Grown Diamonds Made?

In recent years, lab grown diamonds have become a sparkling revolution in the world of fine jewellery. These man made marvels offer the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as natural diamonds, but with a more sustainable and ethical story. 

This method is known for producing larger, gem quality stones with higher colour saturation, especially in yellow and blue diamonds. HPHT diamonds are also more likely to be inclusion free due to the intense pressure helping to purify the crystal as it forms. 

Additionally, HPHT can be used to enhance the colour of diamonds, turning brownish stones into whiter or fancy coloured gems. Overall, HPHT is a powerful technique valued for its ability to create high quality stones with consistent brilliance.

Lab Grown Diamonds Made Process Works As Follows

• High Pressure & Temperature:
Replicates natural diamond-forming conditions using over 1.5 million PSI and temperatures above 1,300°C.

• Uses Diamond Seed:
A tiny diamond seed initiates the crystallisation of carbon atoms into a larger diamond.

• Produces Gem Quality Stones:
Commonly yields high quality, durable diamonds suitable for fine jewellery.

• Natural Diamond Mimicry:
Closely resembles the way diamonds form underground, making it scientifically authentic.

• Enhanced Colour Possibilities:
Can produce vivid fancy colours like yellow, blue, or improve the whiteness of a stone.

• Fewer Inclusions:
High pressure helps purify the crystal during growth, resulting in cleaner diamonds.

Features of CVD Lab Grown Diamond

• High Purity and Quality:

CVD stones often have fewer inclusions and are Type IIa — the purest form of carbon, very rare in nature.

• Customisable Growth:

The process allows controlled growth conditions, so colour, clarity, and size can be managed with precision.

• No Metal Catalyst Needed:

Unlike HPHT, CVD does not use metal catalysts, reducing the risk of metallic inclusions.

• Flat-Plate Growth:

Stones grow in flat layers, resulting in square or rectangular roughs, ideal for precise cutting.

• Post-Growth Treatment:

Many CVD stones undergo HPHT treatment to improve colour from brown/grey to near-colourless.

In both natural and lab environments, carbon atoms bond together in a crystalline structure known as a cubic lattice. This arrangement gives diamonds their exceptional hardness (the hardest known natural material), brilliance, and durability. Whether a diamond forms underground over billions of years or inside a laboratory in weeks, the result is chemically, physically, and optically identical.

Lab grown diamonds are compose of pure carbon, just like natural diamonds. The carbon atoms are arranged in a precise crystalline structure call a cubic (or isometric) lattice, which is what gives all diamonds lab or natural, their remarkable hardness, brilliance, and fire. This atomic arrangement ensures that lab grown diamonds are not just similar but identical to natural diamonds in their chemical, physical, and optical properties.

Diamond Seed

• The process always begins with a diamond seed, a thin slice of a real diamond (natural or lab grown).
• This seed acts as the foundation, and new carbon atoms bond to it, layer by layer, to grow a larger stone.

Carbon Source

• This method uses carbon rich gases like methane (CH₄).
• These gases are introduce into a vacuum chamber, where they’re activated using microwaves or lasers.
• Carbon atoms are then deposite onto a flat diamond seed, growing the diamond layer by layer.

Trace Elements

• Nitrogen: Often responsible for yellow or brown hues. In HPHT diamonds, nitrogen is more common unless specifically removed.
• Boron: Causes blue tones. If boron is introduce intentionally (especially in HPHT), it gives the diamond a fancy blue colour.
• Hydrogen: Sometimes present in CVD diamonds, which can slightly affect colour or UV fluorescence.