Good morning collectors of minerals and precious stones, this time we present a very complete guide on synthetic diamonds. Here you will learn their properties, characteristics, benefits, advantages of using them and what they are for.
Synthetic diamonds properties
Synthetic diamonds are those that have been artificially manufactured or cultivated by humans in a laboratory; for this reason they are also known as engineered diamonds, artificial diamonds or laboratory diamonds.
The synthetic diamonds are precious stones that are manufactured in special, highly monitored laboratories and use physical and chemical conditions that simulate the natural geological environment of formation of a natural diamond. Let us remember that natural diamonds are formed in the upper mantle of the earth at a depth of about 200 kilometers.
| synthetic diamond | Properties and characteristics |
|---|---|
| chemical classification | Native Element – Carbon – Synthetic Element |
| Chemical composition | Carbon (C) |
| Color | Transparent or colorless, it can have any color: brown, blue, yellow, green, red, pink, orange, black, gray, purple. |
| luster, shine | Adamantine: The highest level of brilliance for a non-metallic mineral. |
| diaphanousness | Transparent, translucent, opaque. |
| cleavage | Perfect octahedral cleavage in four directions. |
| Mohs hardness | 10. Synthetic diamond is the hardest material known |
| specific gravity | 3.4 to 3.6 |
| crystalline system | isometric |
| Applications | Precious stones, industrial abrasives, diamond windows, speaker domes, heat sinks, low friction micro bearings, wear resistant parts, wire manufacturing dies. |
Synthetic diamonds are manufactured taking into account the physical and chemical properties of a natural diamond and for this reason they are also made of 100% carbon and retain the properties of any diamond, for example, its adamantine brilliance, its high hardness of 10 in the Mohs scale, its crystallography and its transparent theoretical color; it is like the lab made diamonds they are often even more pure than natural diamonds.
Are synthetic diamonds minerals?
The quick answer to this question is that man-made or synthetic diamonds are not minerals. Let us remember that by definition a mineral must be of natural origin, on the other hand, a synthetic diamond no longer meets this condition as it is artificially manufactured in a laboratory.
Colors and types of synthetic diamonds
The lab-made diamonds they have similar properties and characteristics as a natural diamond and therefore the human being can create synthetic diamonds of the same colors in which the precious gem can appear in the bark.
How do you do this? For this, it is necessary to understand why a natural diamond takes a specific hue and then, based on this, the same physical and chemical conditions are simulated in a diamond created in the laboratory to give it another hue, since a synthetic diamond is usually colorless.
In general, synthetic diamonds of a specific color tend to be more accessible in price than a natural diamond with a specific color.
| Synthetic Diamond Colors | Laboratory conditions |
|---|---|
| colorless synthetic diamond | It has no impurities or crystalline deformations |
| red synthetic diamond | High crystal strain, displacement of carbon atoms |
| pink synthetic diamond | Average crystal strain, displacement of carbon atoms |
| orange synthetic diamond | Low crystal strain, displacement of carbon atoms |
| synthetic yellow diamond | Addition of nitrogen atoms |
| synthetic green diamond | Radiation that removes carbon atoms |
| synthetic blue diamond | Addition of boron atoms |
| Synthetic Violet Diamond | Addition of hydrogen atoms |
| synthetic brown diamond | Plastic deformation of the gem |
| synthetic black diamond | Addition of graphite to the gem |
How are synthetic or lab diamonds made?
The most amount of synthetic or man-made diamonds They are made using a technique called: Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). The technique consists of enclosing small diamond seeds (they can be natural or synthetic) along with carbon-rich gases in a completely sealed chamber that simulates the pressure and temperature conditions for the formation of natural diamonds.
The gases in the chamber are ionized into plasma with a technology similar to microwaves or lasers to break the carbon bonds, making this chemical element adhere to the diamond seeds and slowly crystallize to form a perfect synthetic diamond. To give color to artificial diamonds, some trace elements such as nitrogen, boron, etc. adhere to the mixture.
- Step 1: A disc containing 15 to 30 diamond seeds is placed in the diamond growth chamber.
- Step 2: A plasma ball of superheated gases is created in the chamber.
- Step 3: The temperature is increased to approximately 1200°C.
- Step 4: The methane and hydrogen gases adhere to the seed. Diamonds grow carbon atom by carbon atom over 3 to 4 weeks.
- Step 5: The growth of the diamond is closely monitored in order to remove it at the right time.
- Step 6 – The cubic shaped rough diamonds are removed from the machine and sent to be cut and polished.
Synthetic Diamonds vs Natural Diamonds
If what you want is to know if you have a natural diamond or synthetic diamond, you should know that to differentiate both materials, tests with highly specialized technological equipment are needed, that is to say that with the naked eye it is practically impossible to differentiate natural diamonds from synthetic ones.
Now, even though the synthetic diamonds they are generally “cheaper” than the natural diamonds They have practically the same physical and chemical properties. Synthetic diamonds are precious gems that display spectacular brilliance, are extremely wear resistant, have unrivaled hue, and are unique in optics.
That is to say that a synthetic diamond has nothing to envy to a natural diamond, and even have several advantages or benefits that we will know later. I will also mention that synthetic diamonds are usually of better quality and purity than the natural ones because each step in its formation is controlled in the laboratory.
Natural diamonds are usually more valuable due to their origin and formation, these precious gems are formed in the so-called diamond stable zone that is located under the earth’s crust, in the upper mantle at a depth of about 200 kilometers.
Advantages and benefits of synthetic or artificial diamonds
They are friendly to the environment
One of the main advantages that synthetic diamonds have over natural diamonds is that they are friendly to the environment. Keep in mind that natural diamonds need complex mining processes carried out in large open pit mines to be extracted and reach people.
These mining processes cause environmental impacts such as: changes in the landscape, a lot of noise, dust pollution, high energy consumption, etc. While artificial diamonds are made in laboratories that do not harm natural ecosystems.
They are of ethical origin and avoid social conflicts
One of the main problems with natural diamonds is that they often cause social conflicts such as child exploitation, wars between nations, violence, illegal mining, etc. These social conflicts are related to blood diamonds.
Lab-created diamonds prevent these social conflicts from forming and contribute ethically to their origin. Despite this, people are still more predisposed to acquire a natural diamond.
They are more accessible in terms of price (they are cheaper)
Let us remember that diamonds of natural origin require complex mining processes for their extraction that include: exploration of deposits, rock drilling, construction of expensive mines, hiring many people for their extraction, mineral transportation, high energy consumption, etc. All of these processes increase the cost of natural diamonds.
In contrast, lab-grown diamonds avoid all of those costs associated with mining and only have the cost associated with their fabrication, polishing, and jewelry. Thanks to this, a synthetic diamond is usually cheaper than its natural counterpart.
They are of better quality and purity
Naturally-occurring diamonds are formed under complex geological conditions that cause gemstones to warp, have changes in their structure, and even have uncoveted shapes or sizes. This makes them more difficult to work with and many times natural diamonds are not of the best quality and purity.
Instead, the diamonds created by humans in laboratories They are strictly controlled from the time they begin to be manufactured, thus ensuring that the final gemstones are extremely pure and of a higher quality than their natural counterparts.
They can be found in a wide range of colors.
It is now known that colored diamonds are very rare to find in nature. Therefore, it will be very difficult to find a diamond with the color you like and if you do find it, you may have to pay a lot of money. Also, naturally occurring diamonds do not appear in many color ranges. In contrast, synthetic diamonds can be made in almost any color and can be obtained at very affordable prices.
What are synthetic diamonds used for?
For engagement rings
Now you know that the synthetic diamonds They are really beautiful precious gems that are very pure and have excellent quality. These properties and characteristics make them one of the most used gemstones to make engagement rings.
Synthetic diamonds are very popular for couples who want to get married and commit for life. The advantages they have is that they can choose from a wide variety of colorful diamonds that have many meanings. Another advantage is that the diamonds created in the laboratory and that will be used in engagement rings are just as beautiful as the other types of natural diamonds that exist.
Luxury jewelry
Another incredible use for lab-grown diamonds is to make luxury jewelry. Rings, chains, pendants, earrings, etc. are made with these precious gems. The big advantage is that these luxury jewels are usually cheaper than those created with natural diamonds, but they are just as beautiful.
Industrial synthetic diamonds
There are other types of lower quality synthetic diamonds that are manufactured for industrial purposes, for example:
- Diamonds used as abrasives, most used in drilling bits for oil rigs, water well drilling and core drilling rigs in mining.
- Industrial diamond heat sinks: These are materials that absorb or transmit excess heat.
- Low friction microbearings: they are essential elements in mechanical devices.