Education

Learn more about laboratory grown diamonds, their benefits, and the environmental impacts they can help avoid

Shape Divider - Style triangle_asymmetrical

The 4C's

The 4C's are used to classify and describe diamonds. The 4C's represent the basic characteristics that define the quality of a diamond, wheter it is extracted from the Earth or grown in a laboratory, and it is very important to take them into account in order to make a choice that suits you.

Carat (weight)

The carat (Ct) is the unit used to measure the weight of diamonds. One carat is equivalent to 0.2 grams and can also be expressed in "points". A carat is equal to 100 points, so a 50 points diamond, for example, is the equivalent of a 0.5 carat diamond. Although carat is not used to measure the size of a diamond, it still gives an idea.

Color

The quality of a diamond is also determined by its color. The color scale goes from D to Z where D represents a totally colorless diamond. The higher the quality of a diamond, the more transparent it will be. Of lower quality, the color of a diamond can go more towards yellow. There are also fancy color diamonds such as blue or pink that are valued differently from typical diamonds.

Clarity

The clarity of a diamond is determined according the the presence of impurities such as inclusions and spots. Inclusions indicate the presence of impurities or imperfections inside the diamond while spots indicate the presence of imperfections on the outer part of the diamond. The clarity evaluation scale takes into account the size, number, location, and the nature of the imperfections present. The fewer imperfections there are, the better the quality of a diamond. The clarity evaluation scale ranges from FL (Flawless) to I (Imperfect).

FL-IF

Flawless - Internally flawless

VVS1-VVS2

Very very slightly included

VS1-VS2

Very slightly included

SI1-SI2

Slightly included

I1-I2-I3

Inluded

Cut

The cut of a diamond represents its proportions and angles which are determined in the way it has been cut and polished. These proportions will determine whether a diamond will be very sparkling or rather dull, because if the proportions are not ideal, light will escape on the sides of the diamond instead of being reflected on each facet and then emerge through the diamond table producing its sparkling effect.

Certificate of authenticity​

All our lab grown diamonds above a certain weight are evaluated and certified in accordance with the highest industry standards by the International Gemological Institute (IGI) which is the largest organization of its kind¹ or by GCAL.  The certificate of authenticity that comes with a diamond indicates the caracteristics of the diamond as well as the identification number that is laser inscribed on the girdle.

Vertical Divider

 

Diamond Vs imitation

Laboratory grown diamonds must not be confused with imitations of diamonds. Here is a table showing the characteristics of natural diamonds and laboratory grown diamonds compared to some diamond imitations.

 

​Natural diamonds can be beautiful, but are they really worth it? The extraction of these diamonds can cause many environmental harms while lab grown diamonds can avoid or significantly reduce these negative impacts.

Co2 emissions

The extraction of natural diamonds produces Co₂ in abundance, which can contribute to global climate change. These Co₂ emissions are caused, amongst others, by the use of polluting heavy machinery to move rock and soil to reach the diamonds in the ground. According to a Stanford Alumni study, the amount of  Co₂ produced to obtain a natural diamond of 1 carat is 143 pounds while a laboratory grown diamond produces only 26 pounds of Co₂². This is a major reduction in the production of Co₂ which helps to reduce the negative impacts caused by this greenhouse gas.

Soil and rock excavation

One of the particularly striking impacts of natural diamond mining is the huge amount of rock and soil that must be moved to find and recover diamonds from the ground. According to a USGS survey, Africa's richest mines produce an average of 1 part diamond for every 40 million parts of waste from the ground³. In addition, since not all diamonds are of a sufficient quality to be used in jewellery, a diamond used for an engagement ring produces on average between 200 million and 400 million times its volume in waste from the ground⁴.

Acid rock drainage

The storage of rock waste created during the extraction of natural diamonds can result in a chemical reaction that produces acidic water. This acidic water can contaminate other surrounding water sources and surrounding flora and fauna⁵. Mines managed under stricter environmental rules or with a concern for the environment can avoid this devastating problem, but this is not the case for all mines and acid rock drainage is still a serious problem caused by diamond mining.

​Water usage

The extraction of natural diamonds requires a large amount of water⁶ ​ and efforts to reduce this use are not always implemented. In addition, water is often scarce in Africa, where there are many diamond mines, and poor management of a mine and its waste can deplete or contaminate surrounding water sources and affect humans and animals who normally use this water.

Energy usage

The amount of energy used to extract and process natural diamonds is very high⁷. This is due in part to the huge amount of rock and soil that must be extracted and moved using heavy machinery to obtain a diamond. Although the production of diamonds in laboratory also consumes a certain amount of energy, the sources of this energy are often less harmful to the environnement. For example, through the use of renewable energy as opposed to the use of heavy machinery consuming diesel.​

Destruction of natural habitats and ecosystems

Many of the impacts mentioned above can have harmful effects on ecosystems. For example, the excavation of rock and soil can directly destroys animal and plant habitats, while the depletion of water sources can cause drought and cause animals and plants to die. As for water contamination by acid rock drainage, it can introduce contamination into the food chain and affect many animals and plants⁸.

---

Sources

¹ http://igiworldwide.com/about_igi.html
² https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=30353
³ https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gemstones/environment.html
​⁴ https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gemstones/environment.html
⁵ https://enviroliteracy.org/land-use/mineral-resources/diamond-mining/
⁶ https://betterdiamondinitiative.org/environmental-cost-of-mined-diamonds-is-alarming/
​⁷ https://betterdiamondinitiative.org/environmental-cost-of-mined-diamonds-is-alarming/
⁸ ​http://thegreenerdiamond.org/conflict-diamonds-2/environmental-impact/