What Makes Lab-Grown Diamonds Better than Mined Diamonds?

Below are some of the features of lab-grown diamonds and 5 main reasons that make lab-grown diamonds not just at par, but BETTER than the earth-mined diamonds.

1. A GUARANTEED ETHICAL ALTERNATIVE THAT LEAVES NO NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HUMANS AND ANIMALS

A considerable percentage of diamonds are untraceable by the time they reach the consumer markets. This means, you are never sure which country the diamond has come from, let alone the mine form which it has been extracted.

Even with the KPCS (Kimberley Process Certification Scheme) in place, one can never be sure whether the jewellery they have bought or are intending to buy is really ethical and conflict-free or not. Since most mines are unregulated or come under the authoritarian and notorious regimes in Africa, human exploitation is rife.

Wages as low as $1 a day, child labour and even to some extent slavery are common. Besides, animal habitats are dug up and destroyed with the slightest possibility of diamonds underneath them.

However, since cultured diamonds are grown in laboratories, it naturally becomes free from all sorts of human and animal abuse and offers guaranteed CONFLICT-FREE and ETHICAL DIAMONDS.

2. ABSOLUTELY ECO-FRIENDLY OPTION THAT DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

Do you know for extracting 1 carat of diamond, a whopping 1750 tons of earth need to be dug up? Every year, around 150 million carats of diamond are extracted. One can imagine the level of destruction happens because of this.

To contribute further to this already degrading ecosystem, the mineral waste coming out of the mines proves hazardous not just to the human population living in the vicinity, but also to the animals and birds who feed in that land. Worst hit from the mineral wastes are the water bodies, which often becomes a cause for diseases and outbreak of epidemic.

Because of intense mining, the top layer of the soil, which is responsible for agricultural produce, also gets lost and the land becomes barren. To top it all, when the mine depletes, they are just abandoned like big open pits, collecting rainwater whose stagnation results in malaria and other diseases.

The very fact that lab-grown diamonds are mining-free, they do not contribute to this ecosystem devastation and are hence eco-friendly.

3. BEING RELATIVELY CHEAPER, ALLOWS YOU TO GO FOR BIGGER STONES WITHOUT MAKING A BIG HOLE IN YOUR POCKET

Among the 4Cs of diamond, carat is something that is the most common element and perhaps the first question that comes to mind, whenever diamond jewellery is mentioned. The cut, the clarity and the colour, generally come after it.

There is no doubt that a bigger stone size is directly related to the bigger smile on the face of your beloved, but it also makes your pocket lighter.

But with lab-grown diamonds, you can go for a relatively bigger stone in the same budget. One can get the same quality lab-grown diamond, with comparable colour, clarity and carat, at around 30% – 40% lesser cost, compared to the mined diamonds.

4. LAB GROWN DIAMONDS ARE REAL DIAMONDS WITH THE SAME CHEMICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES AS MINED DIAMONDS

Regarding lab-grown diamonds, there is a common misconception that runs very deep, which is whether it is really a diamond or not.

Clearly the way the acceptability of lab-grown diamond has increased in the past decade and the way it has appeared as an alternative to the conflict diamonds, it is shaking the natural diamond industry and such claims are nothing but propaganda.

Imagine the ice you get from your refrigerator and the ice you get when a lake freezes in polar regions. The ice is the same, with the same properties, the only change is the process by which you have made it.

Similarly, lab-grown diamonds are diamonds, exhibiting the same physical, chemical and optical properties, it is just that you have created in labs and not extracted from under the earth. In fact, one cannot tell the difference between a lab-grown and mined diamond from a naked eye.

5. COMPLETELY FREE FROM NEGATIVE ENERGY MAKE THEM AN INSTANT HIT AMONG THE CONSCIENTIOUS BUYERS

As the veil has lifted from the traditional diamond industry, the buyers (who happen to be most millenials) are simply looking for ethical alternatives that can satisfy their love for diamonds without making their conscience dirty.

A significant percentage among the buyers are vegan, who simply cannot accept the fact that anything that they consume is a result of animal exploitation, let alone human exploitation and environmental degradation.

In a recent poll, nearly 52% of women have said that they would readily accept an engagement ring made of lab-grown diamonds because it is ethical.

TO CONCLUDE, the lab-grown diamonds are replete with all the features that make it relevant today and for the future too. It is here to stay and stay for long!