How are Lab-Grown Diamonds made?
Lab-Grown Diamonds are made in two methods:
1. High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT)
By putting 40–70 diamond seeds in a “Greenhouse” and making sure there are no cracks, lab-grown diamonds are created. Inside the chamber, the plasma ball of hydrogen is generated. Methane is injected in little amounts, and it slowly breaks down into carbon and hydrogen. As a result, the created Carbon is applied to the diamond-seed precursors. A belt press/cubic press/split-sphere (BARS) press applies pressure of approximately 1.5 million pounds per square inch.
Following that, the diamond is heated to a temperature of more than 2,500 degrees Celsius. Due to the severe pressure and temperature conditions created, a tiny diamond then forms around the old diamond seed.
2. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
Diamonds are produced by placing a small slice of diamond seed in a closed chamber and heating it until the internal chamber temperature reaches 1000 degrees celsius approximately. By heating ultra-rich carbon gases like methane in the controlled chamber, the carbon atoms in the gas begin to separate. Upon separation the carbon atoms fall onto the diamond seed, building up layer-by-layer until they form coarse CVD diamonds.
