Artificially grown diamonds are pure carbon crystals just like natural diamonds,and even have the same optical properties,hardness and refractive index as natural diamonds.It can be said that cultivated diamonds are also real diamonds,but unlike natural diamonds,one is artificially cultivated in a laboratory,and the other is naturally formed underground after hundreds of millions of years.
The formation of natural diamonds
Harsh formation conditions and long gestation process precipitate scarce value.Diamond:The scientific name of the mineral is diamond.It is a simple crystal composed of carbon element formed under high pressure and high temperature conditions deep in the earth.It is generally believed that the conditions for the formation of diamonds include:high pressure(4.5 to 6Gpa),high temperature(1100 to 1500°C),deep underground(150 to 200km underground),long history(most of the diamonds that have been mined were formed 3.3 billion years ago and During these two periods of 1.2-1.7 billion years,the South African kimberlite mine was formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago).
With the help of volcanic eruptions,etc.,it finally appears.1)Primary minerals:Volcanic eruptions bring diamond-containing magma to near the surface.After the magma cools,primary minerals are formed(divided into kimberlite and lamprophyre).2)Secondary minerals:Primary minerals are weathered,broken,etc.under the action of external forces from the earth,and are washed and transported by rainwater and rivers to form secondary minerals(also called placer minerals and alluvial minerals).3)Seabed Mines:Namibia has currently the richest ocean diamond deposits,among which Namibia Diamond Company is a joint venture between DeBeers and the Namibian government,dedicated to the mining of ocean diamond deposits.
The difference between lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds
Different from imitation diamonds,lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds that are artificially grown in a laboratory to simulate the crystallization process and conditions of natural diamonds.The chemical composition,crystal morphology and other chemical and physical properties of artificial diamonds are almost the same as those of natural diamonds.They cannot be distinguished by the naked eye.Only extremely sophisticated instruments can detect the differences between the two by detecting small differences in trace elements and crystal growth.Lab-grown diamonds are comparable to natural diamonds in terms of crystal structure integrity,refractive index,relative density,dispersion,etc.In terms of hardness,thermal conductivity,thermal expansion,resistivity,compressibility,etc.,the performance of the two is almost the same.Totally consistent.
The 4C standards of diamonds
The national standard for cultivated diamonds has been initially established,and 4C is the grading standard,which is the same as that of natural diamonds.In the latest national standard for cultivated diamonds,in addition to clarifying that the quality evaluation of synthetic diamonds has no correlation with the rarity in nature,other quality evaluation items are mostly implemented with reference to GB/T 16554″Diamond Grading”.The quality of diamonds is evaluated from four dimensions:color,clarity,cut and carat,referred to as 4C grading.Color levels are divided into D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,and N.
Lab-grown diamonds are more environmentally friendly
Lab-grown diamonds are naturally conflict-free and more environmentally sustainable,making them a good alternative to natural diamonds.Compared with natural diamonds,cultivated diamonds are more environmentally friendly and will not cause problems such as environmental pollution,over-exploitation,and human rights violations that may occur during the mining of natural diamonds.According to Frost&Sullivan data,the amount of land destruction caused by cultivated diamonds is only 1/1300 of natural diamonds,the amount of mineral waste is only 1/4383,and the water consumption is only 1/6.9.It has higher gas emissions,energy consumption,etc.Far lower than natural diamonds and almost free of environmental incidents,workplace injuries and occupational diseases.