Earth Mined vs lab-grown Diamonds

While the topic of earth mined versus lab-grown diamonds (also called LGD) is a hot subject, there’s a lot to learn about this to make a wise judgement call to see which one is the best for you. Because, you see, there is no ‘best choice’, rather there is the best choice for you—once you’ve looked over all the options.

We think it’s a fascinating topic, and we want to share all we know with you, so you’re in the light about the benefits and features of each stone type. Let’s take an overview of earth mined stones first, and then compare and contrast them with the lab-grown ones. In the end, you’ll know the best choice for yourself and be very proud of your decision!

Here goes!

An Overview of Earth Mined Diamonds

Natural diamonds extracted from the earth are a miracle of nature. Their entire makeup is a single element—and that is carbon. Can you imagine a material so close to the black lead found in our No. 2 pencils is the exact makeup of the world’s most dazzling and precious gemstone? Well that’s exactly what diamonds are constructed of—pure carbon that has been altered by extreme pressure in conditions of very high heat some 125 miles below the surface of the earth. It also takes a long time to make this transition successfully---like a couple of billion years to be more precise.

Because of the unique conditions under which they form, they may have inclusions of other elements from time to time. That’s simply the nature of this miraculous material. Next, let’s consider how they  are recovered from the earth. While there are a variety of ways in which extraction occurs, you’ve most often heard of them being mined. Large holes in the earth are created to access these crystals hidden in the earth. Research tells us that for every 250 tons of earth hauled out from a mine, there is an expectancy of recovering 1 carat of diamonds.

The Rarer the Better

All these details help us to understand the rarity of diamonds and better grasp the difficulties in recovering them from the earth. The main thing to take away is a greater understanding of their rarity and the massive effort in their harvesting. Scientists explain that all gemstones are a single-harvest of precious material. When it’s all mined out, the mining region will be covered back over and returned to normal earth again.

For some collectors, the difficulty in finding diamonds in the earth mirrors their love story—it is exceedingly difficult to find that perfect someone to share one’s life with for ever and ever. Also, the stone’s permanence and their beauty make them a wonderful symbol of true and everlasting love. 

The Backstory of Lab Grown Diamonds

What about LGD as they are popularly called? Do they have any story that draws comparisons to the earth grown stones that look just like them? The fact is, their optical, physical, and chemical properties are identical to those of earth mined crystals. Exactly the same. Now to be clear, no one is trying to pull the wool over someone’s eyes and trick them. There’s simply no need for that.

Lab grown diamonds are a miracle as well - but in this case they’re a miracle of technology and science. Back in the mid-20^th century the synthesis began for the purpose of industrial and military application. They were successful and those early versions became essential to the tech industry and other industries.

What did take a while, however, was growing lab crystals large enough and beautiful enough for applications in the jewelry trade. But imaginative scientists eventually created a laboratory stone in large sizes to facet for use in jewelry. They also worked on these lab stone’s clarity and high color. Today lab grown diamonds appearance rivals that of their highest quality natural earth mined counterparts.

The Choice is Yours

There’s much to consider with both earth mined and lab grown diamonds—but armed with this data, we’re confident you’ll select the best one for you!