LAB DIAMONDS VS MINED DIAMONDS – THE STORY CONTINUES

Back in April 2018 Vandenbergs Fine Jewellery made the decision to offer our clients both Earth mined diamonds and as an alternate Lab Grown Diamonds.  It was a decision we will never regret. 

Today, many Jewellers are still adamant they do not want to offer their clients a grown diamond, rejecting not only the technology but also poo pooing the product as an actual diamond.  Welcome to the future!  We have smart homes, smart cars, smart everything. Why not embrace this new technology as well? 

What is an Earth Mined Diamond?

These are diamonds that have formed for billions of years deep within the Earth’s crust dating back as far as 3 billion years.  With the help of volcanic activity, they are brought closer to the surface in rock formations known as kimberlite pipes.   

Did you know? Fewer than 5% of kimberlite pipes carry enough diamond to make them economically feasible to mine. 

What is a Lab Grown Diamond?

Lab grown diamonds are produced in a laboratory greenhouse environment by mimicking the same high pressure, high temperature conditions that form natural diamonds in the Earth. This process uses diamond “seeds” to produce a distinctively shaped diamond crystal.  These diamonds share the same chemical, optical composition as well as hardness as earth mined diamonds. 

The Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) had to build all new equipment to distinguish between the two.  These grown diamonds are 100% diamond!

Lab Grown Diamond Popularity

People are not as “turned off” the lab grown concept as marketing polls once predicted.  It was then thought millennials would become the main purchasers of lab diamonds which is proving this idea wrong yet again.  People of all ages are embracing this new technology for many reasons.  Sustainability and price are two major reasons. 

DeBeers on Board with Lab Grown Diamonds??

Yes!  DeBeers, the name synonymous with Earth mined diamonds, has back tracked from their original distain of the lab grown concept so much so they will be opening their own Laboratory in Oregon 2020.

Lab grown diamonds are here to stay Winnipeg!  You can trust the staff at Vandenbergs are Earth and Lab diamond experts.  Is your jeweller?