Diamond is one of the most fascinating substances in existence. Its chemical composition — pure carbon in a crystalline lattice — has been known since the 18th century. Yet it took until the 1950s for humankind to successfully reproduce its formation.
In 1953, Swedish researcher Erik Lundblad, working for the company Asea, made a historic breakthrough: he created the very first synthetic diamond. This discovery triggered a wave of research across the world.
The following year, in 1954, researchers Tracy Hall and Robert Wentorf at General Electric developed the HPHT (High Pressure, High Temperature) method, which replicates the natural conditions under which diamonds form beneath the Earth's crust. It was a revolution.
For several decades, lab-grown diamonds were used primarily for industrial purposes — cutting, drilling, abrading — thanks to their incomparable hardness. The idea of using them in jewellery was still distant.
In the 1980s, a new method emerged: Chemical Vapour Deposition, or CVD. This technique allows diamonds to grow layer by layer, opening the way to larger stones of exceptional purity.
By the early 2000s, after more than fifty years of research, lab-grown diamonds finally reached the gem quality required to enter the world of fine jewellery. Today, they represent less than 5% of the global diamond market — a modest share, but one that is steadily growing.
At Origine Paris, we chose lab-grown diamonds from the very founding of the house. Not as a compromise, but as a conviction: that of a high-quality, traceable, ethical jewellery turned towards the future.
The HPHT Method
The HPHT method reproduces the natural conditions found beneath the Earth's crust, inside large-scale machines. A diamond seed is placed in a cylindrical chamber with pure carbon. Subjected to extreme pressure and temperature, the carbon melts and a diamond forms around the seed. The longer the process runs, the larger the stone — but the risk of failure increases accordingly. This is why large diamonds remain difficult to produce.
The CVD Method
The CVD method reproduces conditions found in the cosmos — many diamonds have been discovered in meteorites. A diamond seed is placed in a chamber filled with a carbon-rich gas such as methane, subjected to high temperatures. The gas ionises, and pure carbon molecules attach to the seed, layer by layer, until a diamond is formed.
This more recent and better-controlled method is the one we favour at Origine Paris to guarantee the purity and consistency of our stones.