Diamonds For Everyone: Your Next Jewellery Might Come From A Test Tube
The central government has allocated Rs 242 crore for research on lab-grown diamonds at IIT Madras.
Published : January 5, 2026 at 4:37 PM IST
|Updated : January 5, 2026 at 8:27 PM IST
By S Ravichandran
Chennai: Diamonds are forever. And an IIT Madras research in Lab-grown diamonds may soon make this one of the most expensive items in the world available for everyone. Intensive efforts are underway at the IIT Madras laboratories to create diamonds in laboratory conditions and make them available for public use.
"With the aim of making India a leader in the production of high-quality diamond crystals, we are going to increase our research and development efforts in diamond growth," Professor Ramachandra Rao of the Department of Physics at IIT Madras, told ETV Bharat.
"We at IIT Madras have developed several technologies for the industrial, aerospace, and defence sectors. We will make it available for public use within a year," said the Professor.
In this regard, the Centre has allocated Rs 242 crore for research on lab-grown diamonds (LGD) at IIT Madras. Diamonds can even be used to make semiconductors. Nano diamonds also play a significant role in cancer treatment, said the IIT Professor.
The lab-grown diamonds possess all the properties and chemical components equivalent to natural diamonds. At the same time, researchers state that they are available at a lower price than natural diamonds.
Diamonds have secured an indispensable place in many fields, from healthcare to technology. India is the leading country in diamond polishing and ranks second in lab-grown diamond production.
In this context, to enable India to achieve self-sufficiency in diamond demand and industrial development, the 'Indian Lab-Grown Diamond Centre' was established at IIT Madras in 2023 under a central government scheme and is being operated by distinguished professors.
From ancient times to the present, diamonds have been mined from the earth, cut, and polished to be transformed into jewellery. Its hardness, light dispersion, and brilliance are the main reasons for its widespread use in jewellery and industry.
The role of diamonds has gone beyond jewellery. Cutting and drilling tools enhanced with diamonds become stronger and more durable. They also play an essential role in grinding, drilling, cutting, and polishing.
Many industries, like automotive, mining, and military, use diamond cutting and drilling tools. Furthermore, diamond-tipped scribing tools are used to cut materials like glass to the desired size.
In addition to this, diamonds are used in medicine, sound equipment, luxury vehicles, aircraft engine bearings, and turbine manufacturing. Diamond crystals with centres created by combining nitrogen and vacancies in pure diamond can effectively measure temperature, microscopic magnetic waves, and microscopic sound vibrations.
Professor Arunachalam of the Mechanical Engineering Department at IIT Chennai said, "We are developing the technology for creating diamonds in the laboratory and also developing the technology for the raw materials needed to create diamonds. The Central Finance Ministry has provided funding for this. Given the increasing use and demand for laboratory-grown diamonds, India must achieve self-reliance in this area."
"Generally, in India, we polish and enhance the value of natural diamonds and then export them. However, the funding has been provided with the aim that if diamonds are created in the laboratory, India will achieve self-reliance, and employment opportunities will increase," he said.
There are two types of technology involved: one that creates natural diamonds by applying high pressure and high temperature, and another that creates diamonds in the laboratory using methane and hydrogen gases.
Diamonds also used in semiconductors
Since India does not have the technology to grow diamonds in the laboratory, IIT Madras is designing the necessary machines. Currently, it is creating diamonds using the high-temperature, high-pressure method (MPCVD diamond growth recipe and its key deliverables). IIT will develop the technology to produce diamonds in the laboratory on a commercial scale within a year or two. This will also allow for the establishment of industries.
What is the difference between natural and artificial diamonds?
Due to high pressure and temperature, carbon molecules 150 km below the Earth's surface transform into diamonds. Diamond is a form of carbon molecules. Extracting it naturally is very expensive. Moreover, it causes a lot of environmental damage. Now, since diamonds can be created in the laboratory, this can be used sustainably. This will increase the use of diamonds and also increase the quantity used.
“If produced in large quantities, their value can be reduced compared to natural diamonds. When diamonds are created on demand, they can be designed to suit technologies such as sensors and semiconductors. Even when viewed with the naked eye or under a microscope, it is impossible to distinguish the difference. Natural and lab-grown diamonds are indistinguishable in their properties. Therefore, we will introduce technology to differentiate between lab-grown and natural diamonds, and also establish the necessary regulations as these diamonds become more widely used. He expressed confidence that creating awareness about lab-grown diamonds would lead to increased purchases by the current generation,” said Professor Arunachalam.
The Professor further stated, “The growing demand for diamonds requires dedicated research to realise not only gem-quality diamonds but also numerous electronic applications (5G/6G, magnetism, thermal management, sensors, and quantum technologies). The global diamond market demands large, high-purity lab-grown diamond crystals for commercial and electronic applications. Research and development are needed to optimize the process parameters for growing these diamond crystals and to conduct systematic studies. This will help make India a global leader in lab-grown diamonds.”
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