How to Make a Diamond?

Diamonds are made from the element carbon. In nature, diamonds are formed when carbon is placed under extremely high temperatures and pressures. This typically takes place deep within the Earth’s mantle. While making lab created diamonds, a similar process is replicated in a laboratory. There are two ways to create synthetic diamonds in a laboratory. These methods include High Pressure- High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). In this blog, we will take a look at how lab created diamonds are made.

How a Diamond is Made?

High-Pressure High-Temperature Method (HPHT): High-Pressure High Temperature is also known as HPHT. Under this method, a piece of carbon, like graphite, is subjected to intense pressure and high temperatures. A diamond seed or a small diamond crystal is placed in a growth cell with a carbon source.

This cell is then exposed to temperatures around 1,500 degrees Celsius. It is also exposed to pressures of about 5 Giga Pascals or higher. Over time, the carbon atoms begin to crystallize. It happens around the diamond seed. This, in turn, forms a larger diamond. This process can take several weeks or even months to create a sizable diamond. HPHT is a widely used process to create diamonds.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): Chemical Vapor Deposition, also known as CVD, is one of the most used methods to create lab created diamonds. In the CVD process, a diamond seed is placed in a sealed chamber. Then, a mixture of gases, typically methane and hydrogen, are placed into this chamber. This chamber with the diamond seed is then heated to a high temperature. The temperatures can range up to 1000 degrees Celsius.

This causes the contents of the chamber to break down. The carbon atoms from the methane gas are deposited onto the diamond seed. It happens layer by layer to form a diamond. These lab created diamonds can take several days to grow into a usable diamond. This depends on the desired size and quality of the diamond. Both these methods require specialized equipment and expertise.

There are myths surrounding lab created diamonds. The misconception is that lab created diamonds are inferior to natural diamonds. But that is not true. When it comes to lab created diamonds vs natural diamonds, we feel that lab created diamonds are better. This is because you can get customized lab created diamond rings that are as authentic as natural diamonds. One can hardly tell the difference between these two types of diamonds. Thus, it is better to buy lab grown diamonds.