Man Made Diamonds Vs Real: A Comprehensive Overview
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Time to read 4 min
Man Made Diamonds vs Real: industry has long marketed the allure and prestige of “real” mined diamonds...
The diamond industry has long marketed the allure and prestige of man made diamonds vs real by emphasizing their billion-year underground origins and perceived scarcity compared to “fake” simulated stones.
This messaging portrays cultured diamonds grown above ground through technological processes as inferior imitations threatening the value of diamonds formed naturally below the earth over eons through heat and pressure.
- However, scientific evidence now verifies laboratory-grown diamonds have essentially equivalent physical, optical and chemical properties to their mined counterparts. They test identically across all quality benchmarks like cut, color, clarity and carat. As consumer awareness grows around these facts, marketing language seeks to re frame the difference as “real” versus “man-made” diamonds to preserve notions of innate hierarchy. But does this distinction hold up to intellectual scrutiny, or serve to justify inflated pricing for rare natural diamonds at a time when production innovations allow expanding access to identical crystals once restricted to wealthy elites?
- Mined diamonds crystallize slowly over billions of years as carbon particles deposited to the earth’s mantle get compressed under extreme heat and pressure kilometers below the crust. In contrast, lab diamonds use specialized equipment to meticulously simulate those temperature, pressure and environmental conditions to grow lavish diamond crystals above ground in just weeks or months. This accelerated process replicates natural diamond origins, yielding gems with essentially equivalent brilliance and chemical structures. Their equal composition remains simply carbon atoms arranged into perfect tetrahedron crystalline formations. So despite taking days rather hours than eons, the output diamonds prove scientifically indistinguishable from their ancient geological counterparts on a molecular level.
- Of course no human endeavor fully replicates complex natural processes at work across deep time. But just as cultured pearls mirror the allure of found pearls born inside oysters at the bottom of the sea, technology now verifies recreating diamonds with identical integrity in the laboratory. Classifying them as merely “man-made” risks perpetuating misleading value judgements that ration diamond accessibility based on flawed assumptions and socially-instilled perceptions around authentic origins rather than truths upheld under modern analytics.
- Mined diamonds retain unique emotional appeal around perceived genesis rarity and authenticity for those prioritizing luxury status symbols or high-profile investing. For the rest aiming to secure beauty, ethics and affordability when symbolizing their commitments, lab diamonds present a compelling risk-free alternative free from environmental and controversy baggage haunting the traditional diamond supply chain. Shoppers gain flexibility choosing between equivalent rocks born worlds apart – either over 4 billion years underground, or 4 months in high-tech growth chamber. Yet their sparkle looks identical since both remain crystallized elemental carbon at heart.
Comparing the Properties: Natural Diamonds vs Man Made Diamond
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Production MethodsThe two main methods of lab diamond growth are:
Durability and Hardness Parity with Natural Diamonds
Optical Performance
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Skyrocketing Production Volumes
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Advancements in Lab Diamond Quality
Evolving Consumer Perceptions
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