Diamonds are often considered the pinnacle of rare stones for jewelry making. They’re so valuable, in fact, that rough diamonds represent an approximately $13 billion industry.
Beyond jewelry making, diamonds that don’t quite meet the cut in terms of quality find use in industrial applications. After all, diamonds are also one of the hardest substances in the world.
What many people don’t realize is that diamonds can also be grown in a laboratory. More importantly, a lab-grown diamond provides a number of important benefits over diamonds harvested from nature.
Curious about what they offer? Keep reading for the benefits of lab-grown diamonds.
Table of Contents
Affordable
One key benefit of lab grown diamonds is that they are more affordable than their natural counterparts. One of the reasons why diamonds are so expensive is their rarity, particularly colored diamonds, and the expense of mining and transporting them.
Since lab-grown diamonds can be made almost anywhere, they aren’t as rare or nearly as expensive. That means you can get one for a much, much lower price. That also makes them more accessible for industrial uses.
Environmentally Friendly
Mining of any kind, no matter how sustainable the company tries to make it, is a destructive process. It often calls for blasting down into the earth and removing literal tons of material. Once the mine runs out of harvestable material, it’s very difficult to fill it back in.
Lab-grown diamonds don’t require these kinds of destructive processes. As an added bonus, they also take less fossil fuel for production than mining.
Better Quality
Natural diamonds often have a number of flaws, called inclusions, that mar the crystal structure. Lab-grown diamonds don’t suffer from these problems because they form under highly-controlled conditions.
That improved quality makes them ideal for the different cuts you typically see in jewelry.
You Know the Origin
For those interested in the origins of their diamonds, the problem of “blood diamonds” is well known. These are diamonds that come out of areas of conflict and often fund violence.
With lab-grown diamonds, you avoid fueling violent conflict, as well as associated problems like child labor and unsafe working conditions.
Only a Jeweler Will Know the Difference
While often called fake diamonds, these kinds of diamonds are indistinguishable from natural diamonds to the eye. It would take a close examination from a trained jeweler to distinguish between a lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond. In other words, no one will know the difference unless you announce it.
A Lab-Grown Diamond and You
While purists may turn their noses up at the idea of a lab-grown diamond, they offer many benefits. Lab-grown diamonds are remarkably more affordable than natural diamonds, which makes diamond jewelry far more accessible.
They’re more environmentally friendly, as they cut the mining process out of the picture. Lab-grown diamonds typically provide higher purity and better quality. You also escape the problem of blood diamonds.
Plus, no one will know the difference.
Looking for more jewelry tips? Check out our Fashion section for more interesting articles.
