From Seed to Sparkle: How a Lab Grown Diamond Is Made
Nature needs immense heat, crushing pressure and billions of years. Modern science recreates the conditions in weeks. The diamonds in our collection are grown in a dedicated CVD growing facility in Surat, India, the city that cuts and polishes most of the world's diamonds.
1. The seed
Every lab grown diamond begins with a thin, flat slice of diamond called a seed plate. It is the template: new carbon atoms will copy its crystal structure exactly.
2. The chamber
In Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), seeds are placed inside a sealed reactor. The chamber is filled with a carefully balanced mix of gases, mainly hydrogen with a small amount of a carbon-rich gas such as methane.
3. The plasma
Microwave energy heats the gas into a glowing plasma. The molecules break apart, and carbon atoms rain down onto the seed, bonding to it layer by layer. Over several weeks, a rough diamond crystal rises from the plate.
4. Cutting and polishing
The rough crystal is then treated exactly like a mined rough diamond. Master cutters plan, cleave and polish it into a round, oval, pear, marquise or emerald shape, revealing the fire hidden inside.
5. Grading
Finished stones are certified by IGI (International Gemological Institute), which assesses cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. Only stones meeting our standard of E–F colour and VVS–VS clarity make it into the collection.
6. Setting in 14K gold
Finally, each diamond is set by hand in solid 14K yellow gold, a karat strong enough to hold stones securely through everyday life.
Why the energy source matters
Growing a diamond takes electricity, so how that electricity is made shapes its footprint. The Surat facility that grows our diamonds is reported to run on solar power from a solar plant in Gujarat. It is a detail worth asking any diamond brand about.
Keep reading: The Honest Guide to Sustainable Diamonds
Our debut lab grown diamond collection, set in solid 14K gold, is coming soon to KlōT͟HiNG. Explore KlōT͟HiNG →