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SEE HOW A LAB-GROWN DIAMOND IS MADE

By Allie Caren
, 
Rachel Lerman
, 
Lucy Naland
and 
Audrey Valbuena
November 27, 2024 at 6:05 a.m. EST
6 min
231
Sorry, a summary is not available for this article at this time. Please try
again later.

It takes intense pressure and temperatures north of 2,000 degrees for a diamond
to form deep within the Earth. But these days, there’s another way to create a
diamond: in a lab, where a diamond can go from seed to jewelry in a matter of
weeks.


Loose lab-grown diamonds are displayed in Toronto. (Allie Caren/The Washington
Post)

While lab-grown diamonds have been around since the 1950s, they have increased
in popularity in the past five years and now make up an estimated nearly 20
percent of the global diamond jewelry market by value sold, according to diamond
industry analyst Paul Zimnisky.

They’re typically much cheaper than natural stones, according to data from
jewelry analytics company Tenoris, and consumers are attracted to those lower
price tags. They also offer an alternative to mined diamonds, which have come
under ethical scrutiny.

Mined diamonds versus lab diamonds

Lab-grown

diamonds cost

significantly less

than natural ones

37,124

19,750

5,934

3,780

2,657

$1,040

0

1 carat

diamond

2 carat

3 carat

Source: Tenoris data of average September retail prices sold by more than 2,000
U.S. retailers

Lab-grown diamonds

cost significantly less

than natural ones

37,124

19,750

5,934

3,780

2,657

$1,040

0

1 carat

diamond

2 carat

3 carat

Source: Tenoris data of average September retail prices sold by more than 2,000
U.S. retailers

Lab-grown diamonds cost significantly less than natural ones

0

$1,040

1 carat

diamond

5,934

2,657

2 carat

19,750

3,780

3 carat

37,124

Source: Tenoris data of average September retail prices sold by more than 2,000
U.S. retailers

Lab-grown diamonds cost significantly less than natural ones

0

$1,040

1 carat

diamond

5,934

2,657

2 carat

19,750

3,780

3 carat

37,124

Source: Tenoris data of average September retail prices sold by more than 2,000
U.S. retailers

The surge of consumer interest has created “a lot more competition” in the
lab-grown-diamond field, said Anna-Mieke Anderson, founder of lab-grown-diamond
company MiaDonna. The gems so closely mimic natural stones that the Federal
Trade Commission changed its jewelry guide in 2018 to strike the word “natural”
from its diamond definition. It takes special equipment to spot the difference.


CAN YOU SPOT THE DIFFERENCE?

CHOOSE WHICH OF THESE TWO PHOTOS SHOWS A LAB-GROWN DIAMOND.






S0 how exactly are lab-grown diamonds made? The Washington Post visited
Austin-based Clarity Diamond, one of the few companies to make lab diamonds in
the United States.

Story continues below advertisement
Advertisement



A DIAMOND IS BORN


(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

Lab-grown diamonds are not entirely man-made. In the early days, they often
started with small slivers — or “seeds” — made from natural diamonds, said
Clarity CEO Bob Basnett. Nowadays, Clarity uses seeds made from other lab-grown
diamonds.


(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

These seeds are inspected for quality, trimmed to a precise size with a laser
and cleaned — first in an oven, then in an ultrasonic bath.

Once the seeds are squeaky clean, up to 50 of them are mounted on a holder.


(Allie Caren/Washington Post Live)
AUSTIN, Texas — AUGUST 13: Lab diamond seeds at the Clarity facility on Aug. 13,
2024 in Austin. (Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post) (Danielle Villasana
for The Washington Post)

(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

Next, the seeds are put into a reactor to begin the growing process.

Diamonds are collections of carbon atoms that have typically been exposed to
high pressure and high temperatures, causing them to bond and form a crystalline
structure. In nature, the Earth does this under its surface. In the lab, the
reactor helps get carbon atoms to collect on the seeds. The method Clarity
employs uses much lower pressure.

Clarity uses a “chemical vapor deposition” (CVD) process to do this, one of two
main ways lab diamonds are grown. In the CVD method, a vacuum system pumps all
the air out of the reactor’s chamber for a few minutes to create the ideal
growing conditions.

Next, hydrogen and methane are added to the chamber and broken apart. This
process releases carbon fragments, which fall on the seeds.


(Plasmability LLC)

(Plasmability LLC)

Plasma heats the seeds so the carbon fragments bond to their surfaces.

“The plasma ball is kind of like the sun, and it’s creating the atmospheric
nutrients that are going to rain down on the seeds in the garden and make it
grow,” said MiaDonna’s Anderson.

Over about 50 days, the crystal structures grow, and rough diamonds are formed.

AUSTIN, Texas — AUGUST 13: Lab diamonds are grown at the Clarity facility on
Aug. 13, 2024 in Austin. (Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post) (Danielle
Villasana for The Washington Post)
AUSTIN, Texas — AUGUST 13: Lab diamond roughs shown at the Clarity facility on
Aug. 13, 2024 in Austin. (Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post) (Danielle
Villasana for The Washington Post)

When the rough diamonds emerge from the reactors, they look more like rocks than
sparkling jewels, said Clarity President Bill Holber. “The rough is sort of like
a raw stone with edges. It doesn’t look like a gem.”

After being weighed and catalogued, they are sent to a cutting and polishing
facility at Clarity’s partner, HRA Group in Toronto.

Story continues below advertisement
Advertisement



A DIAMOND FROM THE ROUGH


(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

In Toronto, the rough diamonds are analyzed by hand and computer to determine
the best way to cut them. Depending on their size and shape, each diamond could
become one gem or multiple stones.

“We geometrically decide what’s the most appropriate shape to maximize weight
and purity,” said Ophir Stolov, a senior executive at HRA until earlier this
year.

TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: A laser removes the last bit of poly before planning
begins at a lab diamond facility in on Monday, July 29, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo
by Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post) (Chloe Ellingson for The Washington
Post)TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: A laser removes the last bit of poly before
planning begins at a lab diamond facility in on Monday, July 29, 2024 in
Toronto. (Photo by Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post) (Chloe Ellingson for
The Washington Post)

(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

Once the best design is determined, lasers cut off the polycrystal, an outer
layer of hard carbon that forms during the growing process.

Then lasers saw pieces off the rough diamond. The process takes an hour or less.


(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)
TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: A laser cuts lab diamonds at a facility in on Monday,
July 29, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo by Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post)
(Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post)TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: A laser cuts
lab diamonds at a facility in on Monday, July 29, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo by
Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post) (Chloe Ellingson for The Washington
Post)

The gem is then sent to a bruter, which smooths it out and shapes the “girdle,”
or thickest part.

A second machine called a combobruter removes excess material to form the
desired shape. The combobruter uses a ceramic wheel, which is turned to dust as
it cuts and shapes the harder-than-rock diamond.

TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: Lab diamonds undergo automatic bruting and combo
bruting at a facility in on Monday, July 29, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo by Chloe
Ellingson for The Washington Post) (Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post)

(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

Now, the gem is starting to look like a diamond.

It now needs polishing to create the many facets that cause a gem to sparkle.

TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: Lab diamonds are polished at a facility in on Monday,
July 29, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo by Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post)
(Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post)

Creating facets is done with rotating metal wheels coated with diamond powder.

The process is often manual and can take an experienced worker about seven
hours, Stolov said. (For some parts of the process, an automatic machine is
sometimes used.)


(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)
TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: A polisher gives final approval on cut, symmetry, and
clarity at a lab diamond facility in on Monday, July 29, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo
by Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post) (Chloe Ellingson for The Washington
Post)

Once the diamonds are cut, polished and perfected, HRA sends them to the
Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to be graded for clarity, weight, cut and
color. This assessment helps determine the selling price.

Story continues below advertisement
Advertisement



PUT A RING ON IT


(Allie Caren)

To the naked eye, the lab-grown diamond looks identical to a natural stone. GIA,
an education and standards nonprofit founded in 1931, uses the same criteria to
grade both kinds of stones, said chief laboratory and research officer Tom
Moses.

But Moses says he can spot the difference using special equipment: Natural
diamonds often have a different growth structure. They also may have trace
amounts of nitrogen trapped inside.

Once the gems have an inspection certificate, they can be sold to retailers.

TONONTO, CANADA — JULY 29: Lab diamonds at a facility in on Monday, July 29,
2024 in Toronto. (Photo by Chloe Ellingson for The Washington Post) (Chloe
Ellingson for The Washington Post)

In Annapolis, jeweler Constance Polamalu buys Clarity diamonds in part, she
said, because they’re made in the United States and customers like to know gems’
origins.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.-September 03: Goldsmith Kelsey Newell forges a new ring from
start to finish for Bloomstone Jewelers in Annapolis, Maryland on September 03,
2024. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) (Marvin Joseph/The Washington
Post)ANNAPOLIS, Md.-September 03: Goldsmith Kelsey Newell forges a new ring from
start to finish for Bloomstone Jewelers in Annapolis, Maryland on September 03,
2024. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) (Marvin Joseph/The Washington
Post)

(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

(Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

Polamalu’s business, Bloomstone Jewelers, uses only lab-grown diamonds to craft
glittering rings, earrings and necklaces at an affordable price point.

“What I see is people just loving diamonds and loving classic jewelry,” she
said. “With lab, they’re wanting something they can afford that they couldn’t in
natural.”

As the market shifts to accommodate more lab-grown diamonds, Moses said, “I
think there’s a future for both.”


TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

FOR YOUR NEXT DIAMOND PURCHASE, WOULD YOU CONSIDER A LAB-GROWN DIAMOND?

Yes

No

ANNAPOLIS, Md.-September 03: Goldsmith Kelsey Newell forges a new ring from
start to finish for Bloomstone Jewelers in Annapolis, Maryland on September 03,
2024. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) (Marvin Joseph/The Washington
Post)

ABOUT THIS STORY

Videos by Allie Caren. Photography by Danielle Villasana, Chloë Ellingson and
Marvin Joseph. Editing by Karly Domb Sadof. Video production by Nicki DeMarco.
Photo editing by Haley Hamblin. Design and development by Lucy Naland and Audrey
Valbuena. Design editing by Betty Chavarria. Copy editing by Emily Morman.

MORE HOW THINGS GET MADE

PreviousNext
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Vinyl LPs now outsell CDs. See how records get made in 2024.
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231 Comments
Allie CarenAllie Caren shoots, edits and produces video for The Washington Post
about style, pop culture, fashion, the arts, breaking news — and the times they
converge.@alLISTENc
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Rachel LermanRachel Lerman covers the economy and technology for The Washington
Post. She focuses on reporting visually driven stories.@rachelerman
Follow
Lucy NalandLucy Naland designs for The Washington Post's Instagram grid and
works on photo illustration projects across the newsroom.@lucynaland
Follow
Audrey ValbuenaAudrey Valbuena is a news and UX designer who builds engaging
multimedia stories across platforms.
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