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Diamonds take millions of years to form, with intense heat and pressure under the ground and these tiny fragments of compressed carbon are considered to be very valuable, largely thanks to the amazing marketing campaigns set up by De Beers, the world’s largest diamond mogul.
What about lab grown diamonds?
Well, as the name suggests, these diamonds are made in a laboratory and the great news is, you cannot tell the difference between a natural and a lab-cultivated diamond, at least not with the naked eye. Some people think lab grown diamonds are inferior, yet we can’t see that at all! Prices are lower and the stone even comes with a GIA certificate! More Australian couples are choosing lab grown diamonds than ever before and let’s face it, once the engagement or wedding ring is finished, who would ever know the diamonds were grown in a lab?
Speeding up a natural process
In essence, lab diamond engagement rings grown diamonds go through the same processes, which shrinks 3 million years to just a couple of months. Once the raw diamond has reached a suitable size, it is cut and polished much like a natural stone. When you choose a custom diamond engagement ring, you choose the cut, the grade and the diamond is polished and sent to a regulatory organisation like the GIA; you can save a significant amount by having an engagement ring custom made using lab grown diamonds.
Two methods of diamond cultivation
There are two ways to create diamonds, namely Chemical Vapour Deposition Diamonds (CVDD), which involves taking a real diamond seed and subjecting it to heated gases in a confined space. This forms layers of carbon form on the seed, with square-shaped crystals. The other method is High Pressure High Temperature Diamonds (HPHTD), a process that replicates the Earth’s forces; graphite is crushed in a special machine and with very high temperatures, carbon is formed.
The ethical choice
If you are a deep person who worries about the potential suffering that might have occurred in the procurement of a diamond, lab grown is the ideal choice. Of course, it takes a lot of expensive resources to cultivate high quality diamonds, with no inclusions, yet when compared to natural diamonds, prices are very favourable. As mentioned, a quality lab grown diamond would have official certification to assess the properties, exactly like with a natural stone. If you are in love with yellow diamonds, click here.
Online solutions
If you and your partner are planning an engagement, start by Googling ‘custom lab grown diamond engagement rings, Australia’ and browse a few sites. Why not have the ring designed by an award-winning jewellery designer? The lab grown diamond will be a head-turner and the price is affordable; you choose the metal, gold or platinum, plus you can select from the following diamond cuts:
- Brilliant round
- Princess
- Cushion
- Emerald
- Pear
- Oval
- Radiant
- Asscher
- Marquise
- Heart
- Baguette
The designer would take your input and recommend a cut that best shows the attributes of the central diamond and the finished ring is presented to the client at the end of the project. You can select your chosen options online and the design process can begin.
Talk to your partner, work out a budget and search online for a custom jeweller that uses lab grown diamonds and ask for a quote. Gemstones make for good investment, many private investors have gemstones in their portfolio.