While diamonds synthesised in the laboratory or factory have been commonplace for decades, gem-quality synthetic diamonds are a relatively recent phenomenon. Thus, while synthetic diamonds have predominantly been used for industrial purposes, such as in the production of cutting tools, they can now also be found in jewellery.
 
Fair trade practices require companies dealing in synthetic diamonds to qualify them as such, with the commonly accepted descriptive terms being “synthetic,” “man-made” or “laboratory created.” Almost all synthetics are Type Ib diamonds, which make up fewer than 2 percent of all natural diamonds. Relatively inexpensive equipment is available to identify Type 1b diamonds. A definitive finding as to whether a diamond is synthetic requires examination in a qualified gem lab.
 
The first successful attempt to synthesise diamonds took place in 1954 when a team of researchers from General Electric created a diamond in a laboratory, by subjecting carbon to extremely high temperatures and pressure, in a process that mimicked the environment in which diamonds were created in nature. Also in the 1950s, another method for creating synthetic diamonds were developed. Called Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), diamonds were grown at very low pressure and relatively low temperatures, by depositing carbon from a carbon-containing gas mixture onto a diamond substrate.