What are Lab-grown diamonds?

Feb. 2, 2023

In a recent Budget speech Union finance Minister announced that the Customs duty on the seeds used in lab-grown diamond manufacturing will be reduced.

About Lab-grown diamonds:

  • Lab-grown diamonds are diamonds that are produced using specific technology which mimics the geological processes that grow natural diamonds.
  • The diamond simulants such as Moissanite, Cubic Zirconia (CZ), White Sapphire, YAG, and others are used to make them look like natural diamonds.

How are LGDs produced?

  • There are multiple ways in which LGDs can be produced.
  • High pressure, high temperature” (HPHT) method
    • It is the most common and cheapest method.
    • In this method, extremely heavy presses that can produce up to 730,000 psi of pressure under extremely high temperatures of at least 1500 celsius are applied.
    • Usually, graphite is used as the “diamond seed” and when subjected to these extreme conditions, the relatively inexpensive form of carbon turns into one of the most expensive carbon forms.
  • Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and explosive formation create what is known as detonation nanodiamonds.

Application of Lab-grown diamonds:

  • Used for industrial purposes, in machines and tools and their hardness and extra strength make them ideal for use as cutters.
  • Pure synthetic diamonds are used in electronics as a heat spreader for high-power laser diodes, laser arrays and high-power transistors.