Lab-Grown Diamonds

Context:

Finance Minister  highlighted the government’s emphasis on lab-grown diamonds during her Budget speech. She announced a reduction in customs duty on seeds used in the production of lab-grown diamonds and the provision of a grant to Indian Institutes of Technology to promote the development of lab-grown diamonds in India.

Relevance:

GS III: Science and Technology

Dimensions of the Article:

1. What are lab grown diamonds?
2. How are LDGs produced?
3. What are Lab-Grown Diamonds (LDGs) used for?

What are lab grown diamonds?

• Lab grown diamonds are diamonds that are produced using specific technology which mimics the geological processes that grow natural diamonds.
• They are not the same as “diamond simulants” – LDGs are chemically, physically and optically diamond and thus are difficult to identify as “lab grown.”
• While materials such as Moissanite, Cubic Zirconia (CZ), White Sapphire, YAG, etc. are “diamond simulants” that simply attempt to “look” like a diamond, they lack the sparkle and durability of a diamond and are thus easily identifiable.
• However, differentiating between an LDG and an Earth Mined Diamond is hard, with advanced equipment required for the purpose.

How are LDGs produced?

• The most common (and cheapest) is the “High pressure, high temperature” (HPHT) method.
• As the name suggests, this method requires extremely heavy presses that can produce up to 730,000 psi of pressure under extremely high temperatures (at least 1500 celsius).
• Usually graphite is used as the “diamond seed” and when subjected to these extreme conditions, the relatively inexpensive form of carbon turns into one of the most expensive carbon forms.
• Other processes include “Chemical Vapor Deposition” (CVD) and explosive formation that creates what are known as “detonation nanodiamonds”.

What are Lab-Grown Diamonds (LDGs) used for?

• LDGs have properties similar to natural diamonds, including their optical dispersion which gives them the diamond sheen.
• They are often used for industrial purposes in machines and tools due to their hardness and extra strength.
• LDGs have high thermal conductivity but negligible electrical conductivity which makes them valuable for electronics.
• With the depletion of natural diamonds, LDGs are becoming a replacement for the precious gemstone in the jewelry industry.
• The growth in production of LDGs does not affect India’s established diamond industry that involves polishing and cutting of diamonds.

-Source: Indian express