Have you ever wondered how the most sought-after, sparkly gem in the world is formed? We're here to break down how earth-mined and lab-grown diamonds are created!
The formation of a naturally-occurring diamond is truly a magical event. Starting about 100 miles below the Earth’s surface, diamonds are formed by a combination of intense heat and pressure. The timeframe of these formations have been thought to occur in just a span of a few days, to over the course of a thousand years. Diamonds are composed of carbon atoms that are bonded together, forming crystals under the high temperature and pressure from the earth, which are one of the strongest atom bonds.
When it comes to the creation of a lab-grown diamond, the process of Mother Nature is replicated in a controlled laboratory environment. There are currently two different ways to grow a lab-grown diamond - one process is called HPHT and the other is CVD. Both processes mimic the intense pressure and high heat that happens below the Earth's crust and create a perfect replica of a diamond that was formed naturally - the initial crystal growth shape and variation is the main difference between the two processes.
How long does it take a diamond to form in the earth vs a laboratory?
Scientist aren’t entirely sure exactly how long it takes to form a diamond because they have not ever been able to directly sample that portion of the Earth’s upper mantle. They believe that diamonds can be formed over periods of time of just a few short days, to weeks and months, or even thousands of years in some cases. On the other hand, the process of creating a diamond within a controlled, laboratory setting is as short as a few weeks. Lab-grown diamonds are made by copying mother nature’s process with intense pressure and high heat in a controlled environment. Formed from slivers of carbon to create a rough diamond crystal, Lab-grown diamonds are then put through the same cutting and polishing process of a naturally-occurring earth-mined diamond.
Can you determine how old a diamond is?
Scientists actually haven't been able to date diamonds, however, using a process of radioactive-dating, the mineral deposits found around diamonds that are mined can be dated. That being said, diamonds can be assumed to be quite old. Since scientists have been able to date the mineral deposits found around the mined diamond crystals, it helps give them an estimate on the age - most are thought to date back a hundred million years.
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