lab grown diamond is nowadays created using two methods – CVD and HPHT. The complete creation usually takes less than a month. On the other hand, a natural diamond creation beneath the Earth’s crust takes billions of years.
The HPHT method uses one of these three manufacturing processes – the belt press, the cubic press and the split-sphere press. These three processes can create high pressure and temperature environment in which the diamond can develop. It begins with a diamond seed which is places into carbon. The diamond is then exposed to 1500° Celsius and pressurized to 1.5 pounds per square inch. Finally, the carbon melts and a lab diamond is created.
CVD uses a thin piece of diamond seed, usually created using the HPHT method. The diamond is placed in a chamber heated to about 800°C which is filled with carbon-rich gas, such as Methane. The gases then ionize into plasma. The pure carbon from the gases adheres to the diamond and crystallized.