Man Made Diamonds Are An Environmentally Friendly Choice

While most people still think of diamonds as being created over millions of years deep in the earth's crust, increasing concern over the environmental degradation that often results from diamond mining is causing more and more people to reconsider the purchase of mined gems. Many are choosing more reasonably priced man made diamonds instead.

Diamonds have been a token of love and commitment for many years. Their sparkle, fire and brilliance invite delight, but their beauty does not reflect their often ugly origins. It can require the removal of as much as a ton or rock and earth to recover a single one-carat stone. This open pit mining leaves a tragic and ugly scar upon a once beautiful landscape.

But that is only the beginning. This method of mining damages the local ecosystem greatly and pollutes the surrounding streams and rivers with huge amounts of cyanide and mercury (the products used to free gems from their rock casings). This adversely affects humans and animals alike. Luckily, recent developments in man made diamonds provide an excellent, environmentally responsible option.

Created stones are produced in the controlled environment of a lab. A diamond seed is placed in a carbon environment, heated and pressurized, and allowed to grow "molecule by molecule" just as it would deep down in the Earth's crust. The only resource used in lab creation is a small amount of electricity. No harmful products like cyanide or mercury are involved, no tearing apart the earth is required, and no local residents have to suffer, as occurs in some of the diamond mines. Up to four percent of the total mined supply of these gems is composed of conflict or "blood" diamonds, which are sold to fund acts of war and terrorism.

Canadian diamonds escape the problems of war and terrorism, but mining still can have an adverse effect on the environment. However, Canada has stringent laws that require careful monitoring of all mines to protect the environment as much as possible. Most Canadian stones of size can be identified by a microscopic, laser inscribed polar bear or maple leaf. This is a help in identifying the most eco-friendly of natural stones, but man made gems still offer the least environmental impact possible.

Fortunately, lab grown gems are the real thing. They are identical physically, chemically and optically to mined diamonds, featuring the same brilliance and sparkle. They are even recognized and graded as diamonds by leading gemological laboratories. Also, "fancy," or colored, diamonds are rare in nature and extremely expensive... but lab created gems in vibrant shades like pink, green, blue, yellow, and red cost about two thirds of what similar mined stones do.

Gem-quality lab produced diamonds are such a recent development that most jewelry stores don't yet offer them. However, these stunning gems are available for purchase online through reputable companies. Man-made gems are the perfect choice for you or your socially and environmentally conscious loved one.