Lab Grown Diamonds

Why in news?

• The Indian Prime Minister has presented to the US First Lady a lab-grown 7.5-carat green diamond – on his state visit to the United States.

About Lab Grown Diamonds:

• Lab-grown diamonds are diamonds which are grown inside a lab using cutting-edge technology that replicates the natural diamond growing process and the result is a man-made diamond that is chemically, physically and optically the same as those grown beneath the Earth’s surface.
• Lab-grown diamonds can be created by two processes:
  • 1) High-Pressure High Temperature(HPHT) 
    • This is used in China
  • 2) Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) 
    • This is used in the USA and India.
• It is used in the jewellery industry, computer chips, satellites, and 5G networks as they can be used in extreme environments as it has potential to operate at higher speeds while using less power than silicon-based chips.
• India exports polished Lab Grown diamonds to the USA, Hongkong, UAE, Israel and Belgium. The USA accounts for around 67% of India’s exports followed by Hongkong with a share of 14%.
• Like natural diamonds, India has proved its leadership role in the cutting and polishing of lab-grown diamonds. Currently, India contributes around 15% of the global production of lab-grown diamonds for which it is presently self-sufficient.

LGDs uses:

• LGDs are most often used for industrial purposes, in machines and tools. Their hardness and extra strength make them ideal for use as cutters.
• Pure synthetic diamonds have high thermal conductivity, but negligible electrical conductivity. This combination is invaluable for electronics where such diamonds can be used as a heat spreader for high-power laser diodes, laser arrays and high-power transistors.
• As the Earth’s reserves of natural diamonds are depleted, LGDs are slowly replacing the prized gemstone in the jewellery industry.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements:

1.  India contributes around half of the global production of lab-grown diamonds

2. Lab-grown diamonds have high thermal conductivity, but negligible electrical conductivity.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer