Diamonds have fueled civil wars in Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and other African countries. Diamond companies have displaced Indigenous people and others who live near mines. Workers, including children, often face hazardous — and sometimes deadly — conditions.
Extracting diamonds consumes a ton of energy — usually from greenhouse gas-releasing fossil fuels — and pollutes the surrounding soil and water supply.
Diamonds are crystallized carbon. They form deep underground, where a combination of high temperature and pressure causes carbon atoms to bond and form crystals, often over billions of years.
Lab diamond manufacturers create carbon crystals artificially in a matter of weeks, at most. To the untrained eye, they look just like the real thing — but they tend to be significantly cheaper.
The high-pressure, high-temperature process subjects a carbon material (like graphite) to extremely high temperatures and pressures, similar to those under which diamonds form in nature.
In the chemical vapor deposition process, diamonds grow from a carbon-containing gas under moderate temperatures and pressures.
The lab-grown diamond industry has been criticized for poor transparency. The labor practices of its factories remain murky, says Jordan Halter, guest services coordinator at the University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum.
Diamond factories also use a lot of electricity, Halter adds.
Remember the stat we cited earlier — that 353 lbs of greenhouse gases are released per polished carat of mined diamonds? The same report found that 1,126 lbs of greenhouse gases are released per polished carat of lab-grown diamond. (A caveat to keep in mind, though: The report was created on behalf of the Diamond Producers Association, which includes diamond miners.)
Figure out what’s most important to you, Halter says. Do your homework to find a company that upholds those priorities. Perhaps you want your purchase to help fund the education of mining community members, an initiative many companies offer.
Buy from companies that only source diamonds from countries that participate in the Kimberley Process. This global certification system aims to prevent diamonds used to finance armed conflicts (a.k.a., “conflict diamonds” or “blood diamonds”) from entering the market.
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Can Lab-Grown Diamonds Replace the Real Thing?