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Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are chemically, optically, and physically identical to naturally occurring diamonds and the hardest of all gemstones. We love using lab-created diamonds in engagement rings and tennis bracelets or other jewelry that sees heavy use since they retain their brilliance, fire and scintillation better than other gemstones. Colored gemstones, such as rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, aren’t as hard as diamonds, which are a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. Diamonds can be worn for a lifetime and maintain their brilliance throughout. If you’re looking for a lasting gemstone choice for yourself or a loved one, created diamonds are one of your best options.

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Grown Sustainably

MINED
DIAMONDS
GROWN
DIAMONDS

1000s of acres of soil is moved while mining diamonds

No soil movement

High air pollution

Negligible air pollution

Gallons of water used

Water usage is lower by a factor of 7

High risk work environment

High employee safety standards

The Diamond Advantage


      Socially responsible      
      Environmentally  friendly
      Conflict free
      Sustainability of natural resources
      Larger, high quality diamonds 
      Competitively priced
      Type IIA Quality
      Laser Inscribed with diamond certification
      Guaranteed supply
      White and fancy color diamonds
J. Thomas Jewelers Rochester Hills, MI

High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT)

HPHT diamond growth occurs within enormous pressure cookers called cubic presses, which can exert in excess of 70 metric tons. To grow a diamond in a cubic press, small diamond seeds are carefully placed into the bottom of a growth cell. A layer of additional carbon, in form of graphite, is then delicately placed on top of the diamond seeds. The growth cell is then placed into the center of the cubic press and heated to 1,500 degrees C while being subjected to 1 million psi of pressure, which is approximately 70,000 times the pressure at sea level!

At that temperature and pressure, the graphite in the growth cell is melted into a liquid and then very carefully cooled into our favorite form of carbon, a diamond crystal.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

CVD diamond production is quite different from HPHT growth in two major ways. First, the diamonds are grown in a vacuum instead of under tremendous pressure. Secondly, CVD growth requires large, flat plates of diamond instead of small seeds.To grow a CVD diamond, diamond plates are placed into a vacuum chamber, carefully injected a hydrocarbon gas such as methane, and use high power microwave energy to break down the atomic bonds of the hydrocarbon gas. This separates the carbon atoms from the hydrogen atoms, and the resulting free carbon 'rains' down on the diamond plates, vertically growing the diamond atom by atom, similar to the way snow collects on a table.

Our Process

1SELECT DIAMOND SEED

Choose the best quality diamond seed. The diamond seed is placed on a metal disk.

2GROW THE DIAMOND

The diamond seed is placed into a specialized chamber. The diamond seed starts to grow.

3CUT THE DIAMOND

After 10-12 weeks, a diamond is created. The diamond is then roughly cut using a laser.

4POLISH THE DIAMOND

Diamonds are faceted into desired shapes by skilled diamond cutters using the same tools and techniques that are used for mined diamonds.
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Commonly Asked Questions We get a lot of questions about created diamonds. Here are answers to the most commonly asked questions: J. Thomas Jewelers Rochester Hills, MI

Commonly Asked Questions

We get a lot of questions about created diamonds. Here are answers to the most commonly asked questions:

Yes! Lab-grown gemstones are chemically identical to naturally occurring diamonds. They are graded the same way that natural diamonds are graded, using the 4 C’s (color, cut, clarity, and carat). Gemological labs with high-powered equipment and specially trained gemologists can tell you if you have a created diamond or a naturally occurring one, but to the naked eye and even under standard microscopes, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference.

Not necessarily. Man-made gemstones are still subject to many of the same flaws and inclusions that natural gemstones are, and diamonds are no exception.

There are two main processes for producing diamonds in a lab. Both are quite technical procedures that require a few weeks to produce results. High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) mimics the way diamonds are formed naturally in the earth but speeds up the process exponentially. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) creates these precious diamonds by using a chemical reaction to break carbon molecules apart and reform them into diamonds.

Lab-grown diamonds can go by many different names: engineered diamonds, created diamonds, cultured diamonds, and man-made diamonds all refer to the same process of creating a diamond without mining processes. However, if you see the terms “artificial” or “synthetic” when referring to a gemstone, it might not be a diamond at all. Cubic Zirconia, or CZ, are man-made diamond look-alikes that do not have the same chemical structure as a diamond. Always ask your jeweller for specifics when purchasing fine jewelry to ensure you understand the type of product you’re looking at!

Shop In-Store or Online

J. Thomas Jewelers has an amazing selection of lab-grown diamonds. Find your forever diamond in our online inventory, or come in to our Rochester Hills showroom for one-on-one assistance.

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