During her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government’s move to focus on lab-grown diamonds. The finance minister announced that the customs duty on lab-grown diamond seeds (LDG) will be reduced. He also announced grants to IITs to facilitate the development of LDGs in India.
What are lab grown diamonds??
Lab-grown diamonds are diamonds produced using specific technology that mimics the geological processes that grow natural diamonds—they are not diamond stimulants. LDGs are chemically, physically and optically diamond-like, so it is difficult to identify them as “lab grown”.
Although materials like Moissanite, Cubic Zirconia (CZ), White Sapphire, YAG, etc. are ‘diamond stimulants’, they simply try to “look” like a diamond, they lack the brilliance and durability of a diamond and are therefore easily recognized.
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However, differentiating between LTG and earth-mined diamond is difficult and advanced equipment is required for this purpose.
How LDGs are produced?
There are several ways to prepare LDGs. The most common (and cheapest) is the “high pressure, high temperature” (HPHT) method. As the name suggests, this method requires very high pressures that can produce up to 730,000 psi at very high temperatures (minimum 1500 Celsius).
Generally graphite is used as a “diamond seed”. And when it undergoes extreme conditions, a relatively cheap form of carbon can become one of the most expensive forms of carbon.
Other processes include chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and explosive formation of so-called detonation nanodiamonds.
What are LDGs used for?
LDGs have the same basic properties as natural diamonds, including their optical dispersion, which gives them their diamond-like luster. However, since they are developed in a controlled environment, many of their properties can be optimized for various purposes.
For example, LDGs are often used for industrial purposes, in machinery and equipment. Their hardness and extra strength make them ideal for use as cutters. Also, pure synthetic diamond has high thermal conductivity and very low electrical conductivity.
This combination is invaluable for electronics, where such diamonds can be used as heat spreaders for high-power laser diodes, laser arrays, and high-power transistors.
Lastly, LDGs are slowly replacing the precious gemstone in the jewelry industry as the Earth’s natural diamond reserves dwindle. Essentially, just like natural diamonds, LTGs undergo polishing and cutting processes that give diamonds their characteristic luster.
Therefore, growth in production of LDGs is unlikely to affect India’s diamond industry, which undertakes these operations.
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