Diamonds were first created in a lab at General Electric in the 1950’s. However they weren’t gem quality diamonds that could be used in jewelry. The process has been used ever since to produce industrial diamond for abrasives and manufacturing. Over the past few decades, methods have been perfected, but only in the last few years has it been possible to produce large white gem-quality diamonds that meet or surpass natural diamonds in terms of desirability and beauty. So while lab-grown diamonds aren’t a new phenomenon, they have become viable for fine jewelry only recently.

LabGems diamonds are created by replicating certain favorable conditions growing crystal carbon. A sliver of an existing Type IIA diamond, otherwise known as a “seed”, is placed in an environment that contains a specific recipe of carbon compounds. The seed is then subjected to a process called Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), wherein the crystals are formed from hot plasma in layers, like semiconductors. What results is a real created rough diamond with all the natural properties of a mined diamond.

The most famous and brilliant natural diamonds in the world are IIA! The Koh-I-Noor, The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond (Krupp), The Regent Diamond and The Star of The South are all famous Type IIA diamonds. Only the best 1 to 2% of mined diamonds can be called Type IIA. They are the purest and most thermally conductive of all diamonds. As natural diamonds rise toward the surface of the earth from the depths, they are usually deformed or form imperfectly taking on certain impurities. Type IIA stones are almost entirely devoid of these imperfections and deformations. All LabGems created diamonds are Type IIA.