The International Gemological Institute (IGI) and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) labs have recently examined the largest lab-grown diamonds they have ever seen grown with the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods.
In January, the IGI announced it had seen a record-setting lab-grown blue crystal piece of rough, which weighs 150.42 cts. and measures 28.55 mm x 28.25 mm x 22.53 mm. This is believed to be the largest lab-grown diamond ever produced.
It also saw a second gray crystal weighing 141.58 cts. that measures 28.9 mm x 28.5 mm x 20.75 mm.
“The acceleration of technology in the lab-grown diamond sector is significant,” said IGI senior director of education John Pollard in a statement. “In addition to record-setting weights, they’re type IIb crystals, a semiconducting category associated with diamond-based electronics.”
Both were grown with HPHT by Meylor Global, which had previously set the record for the world’s largest lab-grown diamond, which weighed 115 carats.
At last year’s JCK Las Vegas show, Meylor Global CEO Yuliya Kusher told JCK her company was working on a 200 carat diamond.
“I don’t think CVD can do that,” she said. She added that while most Chinese producers use HPHT, “they are making a lot of melee, [not even] 1 ct.”
Meylor Global is the official distributor of diamonds created by New Diamond Technology, the grower based in Russia known for producing record-setting diamonds.
Meylor is owned by Ukrainian national Timur Mindich, who also grows diamonds in Ukraine through a company known as Alkor-D.
In addition, the GIA recently examined the largest known polished lab-grown diamond it has ever seen produced by CVD.
The 16.41 ct. princess-cut diamond was grown with the CVD method by Shanghai Zhengshi Technology Co., which has been working on CVD technology since 2002.
