Diamonds have several properties that lend themselves extremely well to use in processors, which are the heart and brain of any modern PC. Importantly, they can withstand a much higher amount of heat than silicon, which is the material that all computer chips are made out of today. With the ever increasing power of modern computers leading to a corresponding rise in the amount of heat produced, this quality will be critical in the next generation of processors.

It has been almost 7 years since researchers solved the final piece of the puzzle by mixing synthetic diamonds with boron to allow the creation of diamond transistors, and although researchers in the lab have tested processors running at speeds most computer owners could never dream of, widespread commercial use hasn’t seemed to be getting much closer. This is partly because of the low cost and wide spread use of Silicon to produce these parts, as opposed to diamond – which is still significantly more expensive, even with modern production methods.

Another innovative way to use diamonds in computing has been discovered at Melbourne University though, which combines two of the biggest buzz words in breaking PC technology – the diamond quantum computer! This system works using light, rather than electricity to transfer data and perform operations, and although this tech is in very early stages, it is riveting stuff for those looking into the solution to the boundaries caused by the physical limitations of Silicon.

How are created diamonds made?

As we have discussed previously, there are several main methods of producing lab diamonds. All involve creating an environment to mimic the conditions under which diamonds are produced in nature, namely that of high pressure and high temperature. These conditions are created using a series of ‘anvils’ which are designed to increase pressure by transferring force through a series of smaller and smaller surfaces. Because the diamonds grown are formed so much more quickly than in nature, the conditions must be precisely controlled. In fact, diamond producing companies like Gemesis might have experimented with millions of possible combinations of temperature, pressure and trace elements before finding te perfect combination to produce optimal diamonds.

Are lab created diamonds real?

Yes! Lab diamonds are as ‘real’ as a mined diamond. They are made out of the same material and they are grown in a similar way as in nature. They are man made, but they are real diamonds in every sense of the word.

Choosing the best lab created diamonds

Buying lab diamonds can be a perilous affair if you aren’t familiar with the terminology. Look out for words like ‘simulated’, ‘synthetic’, ‘simulant’ or similar. If you hear this language, be very clear about what you are getting. Is it a real, lab grown diamond, made out of carbon? Or is it another material manufactured to look like a diamond? One of the best ways to tell is the price. Genuine lab diamonds, while cheaper than real gems, are still very expensive. You might pay several thousand dollars to buy a high quality one carat lab created gem. In contrast, good quality diamond simulants sell for closer to $100 per carat. Not that these can’t be lovely gems – but be clear that you are getting what you want.

How hard are lab created diamonds?

Because lab diamonds are chemically identical to real diamonds, they are extremely hard. Lab diamonds can scratch glass just like a real diamond.

Do created diamonds have flaws?

Yes! This is a common misconception. Lab diamonds are just as likely to have flaws in the stone as a real one. These are called inclusions and a good gem cutter will be able to minimize the visibility of these. The greater the clarity of a created diamond the greater the rarity and higher the price, just like a real diamond.

History of lab created diamonds

Lab diamonds were first produced in the 50s and 60s by both the Russian government and American companies – specifically General Electric. Initially the focus was on military and industrial usage, and the diamonds produced were fairly low quality. However quality wasn’t an issue when even diamond powder had immense industrial value. At this time, diamonds were made using the High Pressure High Temperature method, which required large costs in electricity.

The current method used to produce lab made diamonds tends to be Chemical Vapor Deposition, which still uses a high pressure environment but is much more efficient. The equipment used is smaller in scale, but produces better quality diamonds. Some say that this technology is an offshoot of the Russian diamond production methods.

What are lab created diamonds?

Lab created diamonds are jewels made using the same base elements as real, mined diamonds. Just like real diamonds, they are produced in conditions of high temperature and pressure. However while natural diamonds grew deep in the earth millions of years ago, diamonds can be made in the lab in a matter of days. These man-made diamonds are chemically identical to a real diamond and it is impossible to tell them apart by eye, even with a jewelers loupe. Complex lab equipment is needed to tell them apart, and the only known method is to analyse the invisible crystalline structure, which reveals how the diamond grew over time.

What are Russian diamonds?

The term ‘Russian diamonds’ is most commonly used to describe a diamond stimulant called Cubic Zirconia. Diamond simulants are stones that look similar to a genuine or lab diamond but are not chemically the same. These can usually be told apart by the naked eye, at least by a jeweler.

Such memorial diamonds are synthetic, lab created diamonds — not natural diamonds. But they are chemically identical with a natural diamond in that they are made from carbon. They are not ‘imitation’ or ‘simulant’ diamonds, ie another substance than carbon pretending to be or resembling diamond. They are the real thing, just made by people instead of nature.

A cremation diamond is increasingly popular as a way of remembering loved ones who have passed away, whether they were human or animal. The memorial diamond or hair diamond can be cut and polished in just the same way as a regular diamond and mounted as a gemstone in a piece of jewelry, or otherwise used as a normal gem. Generally, the final color of the stone will be a pale golden yellow or blue (from, respectively, nitrogen or boron present during the creation of the crystal), though colorless, red or green diamonds can also be created by this process.

When hair is used as the basic material from which the diamond will be made, it is possible to obtain a detailed analysis of the hair showing its unique composition. The diamond made from that hair can also be identified uniquely according to a patented process. A  hair diamond can, of course, be made from the hair (or fur, nails, or hooves) of a loved one who is still living.

Around 250g of cremated remains are all that is needed to produce one small diamond. The final diamond size depends on budget and quantity of original material, but would usually be from around one-fifth of a carat to one carat. The process typically takes between six and nine months. At the moment, memorial diamonds are available in the US, UK, Russia, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland and other countries.

Cubic Zirconia was first produced in Russia for industrial use, with the intention of using it in manufacturing laser equipment. However it was quickly realized that this new material could have jewelry applications. In the 70s and 80s new manufacturing technology, which employed microwaves to melt the mineral used to make Cubic Zirconia meant that large scale production could commence. These gems are now so popular that almost every clear or colored imitation gemstone on the market is likely to be a CZ.

For the story of Russian lab diamonds we need to rewind a little to the late 40s and early 50s. Around this time at the start of the cold war, it was realized that a source of diamonds was needed that was independent of western control. Diamonds are immensely important for industrial and military manufacturing and if the supply was interrupted, this would have significant impacts on Russia’s manufacturing capability.

Joint efforts were made to discover natural sources of diamonds as well as investigate whether industrial grade diamonds could be manufactured. Both efforts met with success, and around the time the first Russian diamond mine started production, synthetic diamonds were also being produced using the High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) method. The newly mined diamonds were quickly brought to the international jewelry market and became a valuable part of the countries GDP.

The interesting story here is that worldwide estimates of the production capacity of the new mine were exceeded, massively and over a prolonged period. The production was so great, and the diamonds of such consistent quality, that the oversupply threatened to destabilize the world price of diamonds for a time. In the 70s, Scientists realized that some of the diamonds coming out of the country were in fact synthetic. Russian officials claimed that it was not cost effective to produce these for gemological use but it is interesting to speculate that some new technology was discovered and some percentage of the diamonds sold were in fact Russian man made diamonds.

The footnote to this story is that the present volume of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamonds which are being produced in the US owe their technology to Russia. One of the founders of Gemesis is said to have sourced his equipment from a Russian government bureau which was tasked with selling Soviet technology. As we know, diamonds produced by the CVD method are substantially cheaper than HPHT diamonds. The question must be asked – exactly when did the Soviets perfect the CVD technology. We may never know… but it is fascinating to speculate how many of the sparkling diamonds on the fingers of European socialites over the last 50 years were actually made in a Russian lab!

As a rule of thumb if the price is just ten or twenty dollars, chances are you are looking at a cubic zirconia or another synthetic diamond. The costs involved in making a lab created diamonds can be quite substantial – to end up with one carat of finished cut diamond you need a few carats of rough diamond. Gemstone cutters charge by the carat, and this might cost $1-200. Even if the diamond didn’t cost a cent the seller would still have to charge at least $400 per carat just to break even, and obviously the raw diamond itself is not free. So if you see someone selling man made diamonds at less than $100 a carat you can be pretty confident it is not real lab created diamond, regardless of what they claim.

Read the description carefully! If it says simulated lab diamond it is probably not a genuine lab diamond. If it says it is a Russian lab diamond, it is most likely cubic zirconia (cubic zirconia is often called a Russian diamond).
The absolute best way to make sure you are getting a good quality created diamond is to buy from a reputable source either online or in a real shop, and make sure it comes with some kind of certification from an independent lab. Most created diamonds these days should come with a grading report.

Carats are also used to describe the weight of other gem stones. A point to look out for is that two different types of stone with the same carat weight might be a different size. This is because some stones are denser than others, and so an equal weight has a smaller volume.

Most gemstones increase in cost exponentially as they increase in size – for example, a 1 carat diamond will be worth much more than twice as much as a 0.5 carat diamond.

For stones of less than one carat, the size of the stone is often given in ‘points’, which is simply the size of the stone shown as a percentage of one full carat. For example an .50 carat stone is equal to half a carat.

Although larger stones are worth more, size is not the most important attribute when choosing a diamond. Many feel that a better quality stone is preferable to a larger, poorer quality one.

Read more about: Cut, Color, Clarity

Moissanite

Moissanite is named after its discoverer, Henri Moussan. He was digging around in Canyon Diablo in Arizona when he came upon it. Today a synthetic gem-cut version is popular in place of diamonds in jewelry.

Cubic Zirconia

Cubic zirconia is very hard, normally has no color, and is optically flawless. Chemically it is a form of zirconium dioxide. With moissanite running a close second, this is diamonds’ greatest synthetic competitor since the mid 1970’s, probably due to its affordability as much as any other single factor. Cubic zirconia rings are a popular choice for buyers with lower income who are still looking for a beautiful stone, and is considered one of the best simulated diamonds. Simulated diamond jewelry made with cubic zirconias is very common, particularly on ebay. Be cautious of how this is described if you’re after a real created diamond however, as some vendors make listings for CZ jewelry sound like the real thing.

Colourless Synthetic Corundum (sapphire)

Colourless synthetic corundum is very simple to create. Because of this the market became somewhat flooded, dropping the price. That said, it is still a beautiful sapphire stone.

Synthetic Spinel

This synthetic diamond simulant has been produced by both the Verneuil Process and the flux method (in Russia). It can be found in all naturally occurring colors, as well as some which don’t occur in nature. It is very lovely, I must say.

Strontium Titanate

The natural counterpart of this stone is called tausonite and was discovered long after the original synthesis in Siberia. Interestingly, strontium titanate is both denser and softer than real diamonds.

Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG)

YAG is in the  garnet family. These diamond simulants are known for both their durability and their clarity. Unfortunately, the production was basically all but ceased with the emergence of cubic zirconia.

Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (GGG)

Gadolinium gallium garnet: say that three times fast! This is another member of the garnet family, obviously. It is most often found to be colorless. Its crystals are made through the Czochralski method and the color can be doped into various varieties.

So there you have it: a brief history of diamond simulants, both popular and rare. Remember that some of these would not necessarily make sense to purchase or use anymore nowadays, because they have been replaced by better looking and performing synthetics, such as the cubic zirconia. Nevertheless, it is good to know the history of simulants in order to understand what the state of the market is today, and what you might hear when shopping for a lab created diamond of your own.

Sapphire

Let’s take a look at true lab sapphire. This is made of corundum as is the naturally occurring stone. In fact, it is created from a powder of real sapphire, so that is about as close as you’re ever going to get to the real thing. The good thing, of course, is that this will cost you much less than the real thing. If not for that, I suppose there would be no market for lab created stones.

Ruby

Now, lab created ruby can also be very beautiful. Like its predecessor it is made out of corundum. Those who love the passionate color red will have to take a second look at this first-rate creation, as it looks and feels essentially just like a real ruby. It is very stunning, and as always you can save a lot of money going this route. (Not that anyone ahs to know that!)

Emerald

Finally we come to emerald. This is a member of the beryl family as all lovers of the color green will likely already know. One good thing about going with the lab created emeralds is that they typically have a higher degree of perfection than is normally found out in the wild. This is really one of the unsung reasons to choose synthetic other than the price. Of course, you will find that it is made of the same materials composed in the same way too.

Keep in mind that all of these pieces are literally grown in a lab, and as such can be subject to the ever-watchful eye of their overseers. This degree of attention has created some truly brilliant lab created stones over the years, and will doubtless continue to do so. There is no better way to get to wear the “real” thing without having to pay for it. Every color and gem can be represented so exquisitely that everyone you know will truly be impressed.

Every year native vegetation is destroyed and precious land cleared to accommodate the expanding number of diamond mines.  In the last ten years alone over three million people have died as a direct result of diamond mining in Africa.  Not only have these people died because of wars which have been funded by the diamond trade, but they have been killed or injured as a result of mining accidents from working in third world mines with no safety or prevention measures. Young children have also been sold into slavery and forced to work the mines.

The alternative to buying a mined diamonds is to buy lab created diamonds, and there are many benefits to doing so. Aside from the obvious value of helping to save the environment there is the added benefit of being able to afford a larger stone of better quality, with many more choices of color available.