I recently had the privilege of spending a week at Sentry Lodge outside of Golden, British Columbia for a backcountry ski trip. We had all kinds of weather: light powder snow, crazy wind, sunshine, cold, warmth and beautiful night skies. All the colours of my trip are represented here, with the Damascus as the wind slab snow. Check out the photo of this!
LAB GROWN DIAMONDS:
Lab-grown diamonds exhibit the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as natural diamonds. Both are created from carbon. Earth grown diamonds take millions of years to form, while lab grown take weeks and does not require mining. Machines mimic the extreme conditions that form diamonds within Earth’s upper mantle: intense pressure (725,000 – 870,000 PSI) and intense heat (2,300–2,900 degrees Fahrenheit). One other method injects methane and hydrogen gas into a chamber and combines with high heat. The electrons separate, forming plasma gas. The freed carbon then rains down on the diamond seed, growing new diamond crystals.
While it is nearly impossible to detect lab-grown diamonds by sight, the growing process leaves behind evidence of any diamond’s origin. Advanced screening and testing equipment is necessary to distinguish between them. The cost of these lab grown diamonds is significantly lower than that of mined diamonds. There is also a huge reduction on the environmental impact of diamond jewellery when choosing lab grown stones.
HEAT TREATED COLOURED DIAMONDS:
Real diamonds, not synthetic – The raw diamonds used for enhancement are naturally near-colorless, and the color is not something added artificially, it is already latently within the diamond itself. It only takes the irradiation and HPHT processes to allow the natural color to shine through.
Unlike most gemstones, diamonds are not color enhanced to hide flaws. Unlike many gemstones which have been treated to hide flaws and imperfections, diamonds are enhanced to create colours that would be prohibitively expensive to most people if the stone were mined. In fact, the enhancement of a diamond will only make any flaws or imperfections more obvious. This means that only diamonds of the finest quality can be used for color treatment.
