Explore our extensive portfolio featuring exquisite lab-grown diamond creations, and discover the stunning range of lab-grown diamonds we can procure for you right here!
Ethically sourced, sustainable, and environmentally friendly are just some of the widely used terms we see when shopping anywhere in today's world. Be it food, clothes, homeware and technology, having peace of mind that our money and ethos are in conjunction has become an integral part of everyday shopping life for so many today.
In this short blog, we will look at the environmental impact of diamond mining and the benefits of buying lab-grown. Reassured by leading brands with certified diamonds and legal legislation that lab-grown diamonds may not be necessary for a sustainable future, let's dig a little deeper into the impacts faced when mining natural diamonds.
There are four significant variations of mining: Open-pit mining, underground mining, alluvial mining, and marine mining, all of which have huge impacts on the environment, both above ground and underground. The type of mining varies from region to region, but all have the same process of drilling deep into the earth's structure using tons of water and removing much of the land's soil bed. While we know these impacts are damaging, we're reassured that legal bodies are overlooking leading mine companies to ensure a standard of land protection is in place. But is it enough?
Another impact is that the social structures of some of these areas in which the mines are created are heavily governed by the amount produced, causing a highly competitive market and immense pressures on the local people. Most of us are familiar with the term 'blood diamonds', but what does that mean in today's market? With modern-day slavery and environmental impact being two significant concerns in the production line, companies really have to reassure their customers of their ethical stance.
Rest assured that at Neil Rayment Goldsmiths, we do everything to source the perfect natural diamond for you, both ethically and for quality. Neil Rayment has been sourcing diamonds for over two decades from the established diamond bourses of the world and associated suppliers. Ethically sourced materials are vital to the company policy. Neil Rayment Goldsmiths uses only GIA or IGI certified stones that adhere to the Kimberley Process.
Consumers are becoming increasingly curious and even more responsible in how they spend their money. So much so that when it comes to a purchase of a lifetime, it's not just the look, size and sentiment behind your sparkly ring but where it came from.
The first question that's always asked about lab-grown diamonds is, "are they real?" The simple and correct answer to this is yes! They're anatomically the same as natural diamonds, except one came from a lab and the other from the ground. Laboratory-grown diamonds are produced in laboratories that mimic the high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) conditions of natural diamond formation.
Considering all this information, there are many benefits associated with lab-grown diamonds. For instance, the environmental damage is astronomically less impactful:
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126 gallons of water per carat compared to 18 gallons per lab-diamond carat.
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538.5 million joules of energy per carat, compared to 250 million joules of renewable energy per lab-diamond carat.
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125 pounds of carbon, compared to 6 pounds of carbon (4.8% of what mined diamonds produce!)
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Mined diamonds produce 30 pounds of sulphur oxide; lab diamonds produce none.
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Air emissions on a single mined carat are 1.5 Billion times higher than lab-grown.
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100 sq feet of land is disturbed, and 5798 pounds of mineral waste are created per mined carat; lab-grown disrupts 0.07 sq feet of land per carat and only 1lb of mineral waste.
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Mined diamonds cause an average of 4.5 environmental incidents per year – events that either breach environmental regulations or significantly impact local human, plant, or animal life.
There is also the human impact. Diamond mining is a hazardous profession. Mined diamonds result in 1 injury for every 1,000 workers annually, while lab-grown diamonds result in zero. The diamond mining industry also sees 80 days of lost work time (per 1,000 employees) annually due to injury. It is also important to mention the human rights violations, child labour, and inhumane treatment of workers this industry has been known for.
Oval Cut Lab-Grown Diamond Ring
This two golds (White and Yellow) lab-grown oval diamond engagement ring was commissioned because of these exact benefits. In addition, as a vegan, the engagement ring had to signify the customer's beliefs of being environmentally ethical and cruelty-free. A lab-grown diamond is far less impactful in both of these areas than a naturally mined diamond.
Then there is the benefit to the consumer. Lab-grown diamonds are in the region of 30% cheaper than natural mined diamonds. This enables you to obtain better colour, quality and clarity diamonds at the same price points. Furthermore, lower-quality diamonds can also be put through the HPHT process to improve colour and clarity, whether natural or laboratory-grown.
In addition to improving colour and clarity, this process can also change the colour of diamonds into pink, blue or yellow. The diamond would then be called a "treated" diamond. As a result, treated diamonds are often much more vibrant in colour than their natural counterpart.
Clover Ring Design With Lab-Grown Diamonds
A customer of ours wanted the best quality and value for money diamonds available that fit within their budget. This gorgeous four-leaf clover design ring features four triangle cut lab-grown diamonds, with round lab-grown diamonds down the shoulders. Lab-grown diamonds enabled the customer to have extremely high-quality diamonds at a fraction of the price point, and quality natural diamonds would have been.
