Man-made Diamond VS Natural Diamond

Natural diamonds are one of nature's wonders. They can be several billions of years old, made of a single element (carbon), and are formed deep in the earth under high temperature and extreme pressure. 

When it comes to a natural diamond, we are looking at something that is a rarity and a treasure from Earth and is mainly used in the jewelry industry. But man-made diamonds have a place in the market.

Man-made diamonds have been produced for industrial purposes since the 1950s and are used in a wide variety of applications: telecommunications, laser optics, health care, cutting, grinding and drilling, etc. 

Man-made diamonds are produced in two ways:

1. High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT): A man-made diamond is produced in a laboratory or factory by mimicking the high-pressure, high-temperature conditions that form natural diamonds on the Earth.

2. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): A man-made diamond is produced in a laboratory utilizing carbon-rich gas (such as methane) in a vacuum chamber. 

The difference between man-made diamonds and natural diamond

Natural diamonds display differences in their properties from man-made diamonds due to the different growth conditions in which they form.

1. Crystal Shape: The temperatures for natural diamond crystal growth and for diamonds made in the laboratory are similar, but diamonds grow as octahedral (eight equilateral triangular faces) crystals, and man-made diamond crystals grow with both octahedral and cubic (six equivalent square faces) crystals.

2. Inclusions: Natural and man-made diamonds can exhibit various inclusions (fractures, breaks, other crystals, hollow tubes), so they are not always diagnostic tools for gem identification, Shigley says.

3. Clarity: Man-made diamonds can be from low to high clarity.

4. Color: Man-made diamonds are commonly colorless, near-colorless, light to dark yellow, or yellow-brown; they are less commonly blue, pink-red, or green. Man-made diamonds can be subjected to the same color treatments as natural diamonds, so any color is possible.

PDC cutter is a kind of super-hard material that compacts polycrystalline diamond with tungsten carbide substrate. Diamond grit is the key raw material for PDC cutters. Because natural diamonds are difficult to form and take a long time, they are too expensive and costly for industrial application, in this case, man-made diamond has played a great role in the industry. 

ZZbetter has strict control over the raw material of diamond grit. For making the PDC cutter oilfield drilling, we use the imported diamond. We also have to crush and shape it again, making the particle size more uniform. We use the Laser Particle Size Analyzer to analyze the particle size distribution, purity, and size for each batch of diamond powder. 

If you are interested in PDC cutters and want more information and details, you can CONTACT US by phone or mail at the left, or SEND US MAIL at the bottom of the page.