Purchasing an engagement ring is easily among one of the most stressful processes out there. The reason is quite simple, there are so many of them to choose from these days, and you would need to spend a lot of time before you can find the one that suits your preferences, which can be a pretty lengthy process. Therefore, you will need to arm yourself with patience before you go for a search.
The most obvious thing to do is to ask your partner about his preferences when it comes to materials. People usually dream about their engagement rings long before they get engaged. Therefore, they have a pretty good idea about what they want when the time for purchasing a piece comes. So, communication with your partner can come in handy.
If you settle for purchasing a diamond, there are two main choices you can choose from. We are talking about lab grown diamonds, and normal ones, usually known as mined ones. Naturally, you should understand all the major reasons between these two concepts before you can make the best decision.
Lab-Grown Diamond
Lab-grown diamonds look the same as those that are mined, the only difference is that they are grown in a laboratory, as their name says. However, nobody should make the mistake of believing that they are not real. Indeed, they are. They share all the traits with mined ones, including color and clarity.
Besides that, they can be cut in different shapes, which makes it easier for them to be customized. You are not bound to have only one sort, the one you initially get. But that doesn’t mean that they are not as durable and hard as the natural ones. In fact, they are pretty durable, and they can last for a long time.
When it comes to the procedure of creating these, we are talking about a pretty precise scientific process. It involves a variety of different aspects, like temperature conditions, use of gases, high pressures, etc. So, you can see that all the conditions for having a perfectly made diamond are there.
Mined Diamonds
Mined diamonds, as their name is saying, are those that are directly a product of the mining procedure. They are found in one shape, but they can be customized in any other you would like. They share all the most important elements with lab-grown ones. The only difference is that they are significantly heftier.
When you think about it, that makes perfect sense, for a variety of reasons. The mining process is much more durable than making them in a laboratory. With so many different aspects involved in the case, it is obvious that they cost much more than those made in labs. Also, since they are directly dug out of minds, they are preferred by people who have enough money to invest in one of these.
If you take a look at the costs of these and compare them to the other type, you will see that these are heftier between 40% and 60%, Also, certain chemical compounds cannot be found in one of these, but cannot be found in lab ones. The most important one of them is nitrogen.
What are the Main Aspects?
Now, we want to talk about the major aspects of these two sorts and see whether they differ.
1. Clarity
Clarity is a significant thing to take into consideration. Naturally, the clarity, in nature, depends on a variety of different elements. However, it needs to be said that most of them can be produced in a laboratory, which means that they are almost the same since the conditions they are in are almost the same.
However, there is one small difference that we want to talk about. It is the fact that lab-grown diamonds are grown, which means that they will not encompass any of the flaws that are present in those that are mined. These flaws are completely natural, but they can be addressed by cutting them to get a certain shape.
2. The Price
The price is probably the aspect where we can find the most differences between these two. We’ve addressed some of them already, but we want to go into greater detail. The reason why mined ones are significantly pricier than other ones is that they are a rarity. We’ve already talked about the complexity of the whole procedure.
Also, another important thing to have in mind is labor. You will certainly agree that miners are doing a much harder job than people who work in laboratories where these are grown. With that in mind, nobody should be surprised why purchasing a natural one requires a higher price.
Besides that, you can find all of them in the same shops or e-shops. Naturally, the seller is obligated to provide the clients with a clear sign which says what kind of diamonds are looking at. So, you would have an easy time finding the ones you prefer, and understanding what amount of money you would be expected to pay.
3. Durability
Even though both of these are almost the same when it comes to durability, we would need to give a small advantage to lab-grown ones. Why is that? Well, the reason is that they are made of carbon, which is, as you know, one of the hardest materials we can find in the world, and it certainly adds another layer of protection.
For that reason, we believe that they are somewhat more durable. Of course, there are other voices out there who claim otherwise. Still, it needs to be said that the research done on these says that both of them are relatively close when it comes to this aspect. So, discussing it is usually to no avail.
In Conclusion
As you can see, the differences between these two concepts are not that big. Still, it is important to understand both of them before you’re ready to make the purchase. Here, we’ve discussed both of them in greater detail, and we have no doubt you will find them to be useful in your future shopping.
