There are two major types of diamonds that you can invest in if you want to put your money in the diamond industry. You’ll have to choose between lab-grown and natural diamonds or decide to invest in both. But it is vital to know the similarities and differences between them.
This article is your best guide to lab-grown and natural diamonds. It will go over everything you need to know about lab created loose diamonds. You will learn about natural diamonds and also get a comparison of the two to help you make informed investment decisions.
Let’s get started with it.
What are Lab Grown Diamonds?
These are artificial diamonds made in labs that mirror natural diamonds physically, optically, and chemically. They consist of carbon structures just like natural diamonds that are mined from the earth’s crust. There’s no noticeable difference between them and natural diamonds.
However, these synthetic diamonds cost much less than natural ones. Remember, natural diamonds exist deep in the earth’s crust. Mining and processing them for the market can be costly. This makes lab created diamonds that don’t require these lengthy processes cheaper.
You might wonder if lab created diamonds are worth anything. Well, the reality is that these types of diamonds hold value just like natural ones. Lab created diamonds can also be great for restoring. You might also be looking to restore broken rings and necklaces.
The best diamonds for restoring such pieces are loose lab created diamonds. They are small pieces that you can use to replace and restore specific broken or lost parts. This is especially for inherited diamond jewelry that might be missing some diamond accents.
What are Natural Diamonds?
These are diamonds that are formed hundreds of kilometers under the earth’s surface. What you might not know is that natural diamonds are as old as the earth is. They are created by nature and have existed for several decades, although mining activities are depleting them.
You might wonder how natural diamonds get formed deep in the earth’s crust. They are formed under high temperatures and high pressure in the earth’s crust. These are the same conditions that the process of making diamonds in the lab mirrors to ensure high quality.
Natural diamonds are made strong by carbon atoms. Each carbon atom in diamonds gets held together with four other carbon atoms around it. This is what makes a diamond one of the hardest precious metals in the world. It’s because of this that diamonds have so many uses.
But then, there are many more characteristics of diamonds that make them worth investing in. For instance, diamonds do not react with chemicals or any elements. This is why there are various wedding sets on the market because of how long jewelry made of diamonds can last.
The Road From Mined Diamonds to Lab Created Diamonds
Natural diamonds are as old as humans. But the need for an alternative diamond source due to conflict and ethical issues led to the making of the first-ever lab created diamond in 1954. These evolved and high-quality lab created diamonds became commercially available in the 1980s.
You might be looking at natural and lab created diamonds and wondering how different they could be. Well, there are no major differences between lab created and natural diamonds. Their chemical and physical properties are similar to those of natural diamonds.
The only way to differentiate natural and lab created diamonds is by conducting tests. You can conduct various experiments to know if diamonds are natural or created in the lab. But then, you’ll need highly sophisticated tools and techniques to separate them.
What to Buy Between Lab Created and Natural Diamonds
This article has looked at both lab created and natural diamonds. However, our discussion might leave you wondering what to choose between these two. So, it will help to take an in-depth look at what you should buy between lab created and natural diamonds.
Well, you have the luxury of choosing what fits your needs best from natural and lab created diamonds. The fact that there is no significant difference between these two types of diamonds makes the choice easier to make. They all offer the same value and are identical.
There are a few factors that should help you make this difficult choice. They include:
- Availability – Natural diamonds are becoming rarer every day. This makes it difficult to find ready diamonds if you would like to invest urgently. However, lab created diamonds are there in abundance. You can buy them anytime and start your diamond ownership journey.
- Cost – Pricing is another important factor to consider when choosing between these two. The price of natural diamonds can be quite high compared to lab created ones. This makes it vital to consider investing in lab created diamonds if you are working on a budget.
- Use – It will be vital to note that both lab-grown and natural diamonds can hold value. But then, they do not hold the same value after some time. The resale value of lab created diamonds can be lower. This means you might need to buy natural diamonds as an investment.
- Ethical/ conflict-free – You also need to consider the ethical aspect of diamonds before you choose the best. Natural diamonds can sometimes result from conflicts and unethical issues like child abuse. But there are no such issues with lab created diamonds.
So, what’s the best type of diamond to choose?
You can use the factors we have mentioned above to decide whether to buy natural or lab created diamonds. If you are working on a budget, then you will find lab created diamonds better. This also applies to those looking at the accessibility of diamonds.
Quality isn’t a factor to consider because these types of diamonds are of the same quality. This makes lab created diamonds worth picking because you get similar quality to natural diamonds at a lower price. Besides, lab created diamonds offer all the other benefits you need.
Conclusion
You now have everything you need to know about lab created and natural diamonds. The decision on the types of diamonds to invest in will be easier to make now. All you need to do is check your needs and preferences to ensure you choose the best diamond jewelry.
We have also provided insight into what to buy between lab created diamonds and natural ones. It is worth reiterating that there’s no difference between these two types of diamonds. They look alike and even have similar physical and chemical properties, so you can buy any.
