Everyone knows the saying “diamonds are forever”. Courtesy of a very successful branding slogan created in 1948 to give engagement ring sales a boost following the Great depression, it is one of the most universally known products of an ad campaign of all time. The saying is not just a saying however, and unlike some advertising campaigns, actually speaks a lot of truth. Diamond is one of the strongest substances on earth and bar a very few natural and man-made materials, it is virtually impossible to break. This is why diamonds are the preferred stone for engagement and lab grown diamond wedding rings. For those looking for a romantic angle, diamonds, just like your love for a special person, are able to last many lifetimes.
Lab-grown diamonds are still emerging into the market and are rapidly growing in popularity for many reasons. Not only are they more affordable than mined diamonds but they also offer a more environmentally friendly option for those who are conscious of their impact on the planet. We know that lab-grown diamonds offer the same properties and sparkle to a mined diamond but are they just as strong?
Continue reading to learn about how long lab-grown diamonds last and how strong they are.
Overview:
Toughness and Durability
Diamonds are formed from pure carbon and rank at the top of the Moh’s Scale of hardness, which is a qualitative scale that characterises the scratch resistance of materials. A lab-grown diamond is created in a laboratory from carbon and has the exact same chemical, optical and physical properties as a diamond that you would find in the earth’s crust.
To get a little sciency, a material’s durability does not lie in how it was created but in its molecular structure. The outer shell of each carbon atom has four electrons and in a diamond, those electrons are shared with four other carbon atoms to form very strong chemical bonds and an extremely rigid tetrahedral crystal. In short, it is a diamonds’ chemical makeup that makes it one of the strongest substances on earth.
Whether a diamond is created in a lab or formed naturally in the earth’s crust, they have the same strength, toughness and durability. Hence, the setting in which it was made is entirely insignificant.
Lab-grown Diamonds Are Forever
A huge reason that the 1948 campaign “diamonds are forever” was so successful is that it marketed the value of a legacy. Buyers were enamoured by the idea that they could invest in an item that could be passed down through the generations. If you think about it from the perspective of someone who struggled through the Great Depression, the concept of passing down wealth of some kind was very appealing. Resulting in one overwhelmingly successful diamond campaign.
Lab-grown diamonds offer a conflict-free legacy that you can feel good about passing on. While there is still research to be done about their perceived environmental sustainability, there is some logic behind these thoughts. Natural diamonds are formed deep below the earth’s surface which requires mining and disruption of environmental landscapes to extract. Lab-grown diamonds however are created in a laboratory, consuming considerably less energy than it takes to dig natural diamonds out of the ground. Hence, it is logical and easy to see why lab-grown diamonds are becoming a preferred choice.
A lab-grown diamond is forever, it can be passed down for generations and has the same immense strength of a natural diamond. Invest in diamond jewellery that you can not only feel good about, but also save money for the exact same properties - what is not to love?
If you would like to learn more about the finances associated with lab-grown diamonds, be sure to check out the blogs below:
If you would like to learn more about what a lab-grown diamond is, do not worry! We have some great resources available to you: