When it comes to hunting for your perfect diamond, there are a lot of variables to keep in mind. From the cut, to the carat, to the clarity and the colour, and now another decision when it comes to picking your forever stone: Mined Diamonds or Lab Grown Diamonds?

So what’s the difference between Mined Diamonds & Lab Grown Diamonds?

The key difference between Mined Diamonds and Lab Grown Diamonds can be traced back to where it’s from.

Mined Diamonds are formed over a long period of time, 3 billion years to be exact, naturally and deep within the Earth’s crust under very strict conditions such as high temperatures and immense pressure. This causes the carbon atoms to crystallise which then forms the much beloved with extreme hardness, unmatched brilliance and full of sentimental value – Diamonds.

Mined Diamonds are incredibly hard to get, as they’re buried deeply below the surface of the Earth. It’s only thanks to rare volcanic eruptions that bring these precious stones to the surface. Once the volcanic magma hardens, miners mine them and search for gem-quality diamonds.

How are Lab Grown Diamonds Made?

Lab Grown Diamonds also known as synthetic diamonds, or man-made diamonds are formed differently. Lab Grown Diamonds imitate the process a mined diamond goes through deep beneath the Earth’s crust with High – Pressure Temperature (HPHT) or a Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) process. Both methods require the use of a real diamond seed.

The HPHT method is the original method developed in the 50s to create lab grown diamonds, this method also is used to enhance the colour of mined diamonds to make them colourless.

The CVD method is newer and developed in the 80s. This method imitates how diamonds are formed in interstellar gas clouds. It uses less pressure and smaller machines to form a diamond.

At ZCOVA, we source for only Diamond Type IIa, also known as a Diamond Type 2a for our Ch’ya Lab Grown Diamonds. There are four diamond classifications and only 1-2% are Type IIa. Unlike other lab grown diamonds, these diamonds are made purely of carbon which makes them pure and valuable compared to other lab grown diamonds. Type IIa diamonds have zero or few nitrogen atoms within the crystal lattice structure which means there’s no unnatural metallic finish or a blueish, brownish or even an off colour hue.

Can Mined Diamonds be told apart from Lab Grown Diamonds?

To the naked eye, these diamonds look exactly the same! There is no physical difference in the composition between a Lab Grown Diamond and a Mined Diamond. They both have the same hardness level, beauty and are graded to the same standards. However, a certified jeweller is able to distinguish these two diamonds apart.

Aside from that, each diamond comes with a unique certificate number laser inscribed on it’s girdle. At ZCOVA, we differentiate both Ch’ya Lab Grown Diamonds and Mined Diamonds with their certificate. Mined Diamonds come with a GIA certificate while Ch’ya Lab Grown Diamonds come with a IGI certificate.

Lab Grown Diamonds should also not be confused with Diamond Simulants. Diamond Simulants are a range of gemstones that appear like Diamonds but are not Diamonds. These Diamond Simulants include White Sapphire, White Topaz, Cubic Zirconia, and Moissanite.

Regardless if you chose a Mined Diamond or a Ch’ya Lab Grown Diamond, at ZCOVA we provide the same great ZCOVA services including:

• Personal Curator to help you pick the diamond of your choice
• Choose any carat, cut, colour, clarity and shape you desire be it princess, pear or heart.
• Free customization of your jewellery piece with our world-class jewellery designers

Feel free to contact us on https://zcova.com/contact for any questions and our curators will be more than happy to help you craft your perfect diamond jewellery.