
Lab-grown diamonds can be a cheaper, more ethical alternative to the real thing.

The stones are making waves in an industry whose product appeal has been built on carefully controlled supply and artful marketing.

Companies leading the field include Scio Diamond Technology Corporation, WD Lab Grown Diamonds and Pure Grown Diamonds.

Lab-grown diamonds are made from slithers of carbon material known as seeds.

Seeds are heated in a chamber with different gases, including carbon.

They're heated until a plasma forms, such that the gases break down and carbon molecules attach to the slither.

In a few days, it's cracked open to reveal what nature takes billions of years to make.

According to Clive Hill, CEO of WD Lab Grown Diamonds,
these diamonds are chemically the same as the mined variety.
these diamonds are chemically the same as the mined variety.


