A Brief History of Lab Grown Diamonds

  While lab-created diamonds have only recently entered public consciousness, their origins trace back to the middle of the 20th century. This article will provide a high-level overview of the major milestones that catalyzed the genesis of lab diamond production as we know it today.

2ct lab dimaond wholesale

  As far back as the late 19th century, scientists theorized that reproducing the extreme pressures and temperatures found deep underground could crystallize carbon into diamonds in a lab setting. The first commercially viable equipment to generate such conditions arrived in the 1950s. In 1954, General Electric succeeded in creating microscopic diamond crystals using an apparatus that mimicked forces found in nature.

  The next major breakthrough came in 1970 when General Electric research scientists Drs. H. Tracy Hall and Herbert M. Strong refined the process to grow the first ever gem-quality lab diamond. Their achievement demonstrated that lab-created diamonds were optically and physically identical to their mined counterparts. However, the production costs using their belt apparatus were prohibitively high for commercial viability.

  After decades of further R&D, diamond giant De Beers formally unveiled lab-grown diamond jewelry under their GemFair brand in 2018. This marked the first time a major player embraced lab diamonds as a viable consumer product rather than a competitive threat. De Beers' access to raw materials and technical expertise enabled scaling to bring down costs.

  Other prominent companies like WD Lab Grown Diamonds, Pure Grown Diamonds, and Lightbox Jewelry invested heavily in efficient mass production techniques like chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactors. Today, India and China lead in global lab diamond output. The emergence of multiple producers has driven costs down significantly in recent years.

  While still a fraction of the overall diamond jewelry market, wholesale lab grown diamonds are projected to hit 15% market share in terms of carat weight by 2030. Continued improvements in quality, efficiency, and marketing may enable lab-grown diamonds to become the dominant choice for environmentally and ethically-minded consumers going forward.