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Lab-grown diamonds are gaining prominence as an alternative to mined diamonds due to concerns over environmental damage, declining natural diamond reserves and ethical issues associated with mining. India is also promoting indigenous LGD technology and production.

What are Lab-Grown Diamonds?

LGDs are synthetic diamonds produced in controlled laboratory conditions. They have the same crystalline carbon structure and are chemically, physically and optically similar to natural diamonds.

They are primarily produced through two methods:

• HPHT (High Pressure, High Temperature): Replicates the high-pressure and high-temperature conditions under which natural diamonds form deep inside the Earth.
• CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition): Uses a diamond seed placed in a chamber containing carbon-rich gases. Ionised gases release carbon, which deposits layer by layer on the seed to form a diamond.

Beyond jewellery, LGDs have applications in industrial cutting and drilling, semiconductors, protective coatings and advanced technologies, owing to their hardness and thermal conductivity.

Why are LGDs Important?

• Natural diamond mining can involve deforestation, soil erosion, water consumption and ecological disruption. LGDs can reduce dependence on mining and offer greater supply-chain traceability. However, their environmental advantage depends significantly on the energy source used in production; renewable-powered production can have a substantially lower carbon footprint.
• There are also concerns surrounding mined diamonds, including occupational hazards and conflict diamonds. India, as the 2026 Chair of the Kimberley Process, has an important role in promoting transparency in the global diamond trade.

India’s Push for Indigenous LGD Production

• India is a major global diamond-processing hub, handling around 90% of the world's diamonds. The government has encouraged domestic research in HPHT and CVD technologies.
• The India Centre for Lab-Grown Diamond (InCent-LGD) at IIT Madras, supported through a five-year grant of about ?243 crore, aims to develop indigenous capabilities in LGD manufacturing machinery, refining processes and diamond seeds.
• This can help India move beyond diamond cutting and polishing towards technology-intensive manufacturing, strengthening domestic value addition and self-reliance.

India’s Natural Diamond Resources

India has a long history of diamond production, with important areas including the Panna Diamond Belt, Krishna River gravels, Mahanadi River gravels and Wairagarh Conglomerates. The Majhgawan Diamond Mine in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, operated by NMDC, is currently India's only active mechanised commercial diamond mine.