WD Lab Grown Diamonds
WD Lab Grown Diamonds ("WD") is a market leader in Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamonds, headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area. Founded in 2008, WD produces lab-grown diamonds for distribution under the brands WD Lab Grown Diamonds and Latitude, in addition to creating diamonds for high-tech Advanced Materials applications.

In 2020, WD Lab Grown Diamonds became the second diamond company worldwide to be certified Climate Neutral and achieve the highest-level of third-party Sustainability Rating through SCS Global Services, Inc.' SCS-007 Jewelry Sustainability Standard – Sustainability Rated Diamonds. (WD followed Diamond Foundry, which had been certified carbon neutral four year earlier. https://diamondfoundry.com/blogs/the-foundry-journal/we-are-now-the-worlds-first-certified-100-carbon-neutral-diamond-producer)
Diamond production

WD Lab Grown Diamonds employs a proprietary and patented chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to create laboratory-grown diamonds. WD is the exclusive licensee of a portfolio of patents covering single crystal CVD diamond growth technology, originally developed by the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.[1]
WD Lab Grown Diamonds announced its first commercially available diamonds on September 18, 2012.[1] The company has gradually been producing larger and better quality diamonds. WD Lab Grown Diamonds first 5 carat round brilliant diamond was graded by International Gemological Institute (IGI) on June 1, 2016.[2] On May 22, 2018, WD Lab Grown Diamonds announced that they had produced at 9.04 carat gem-quality diamond (graded as I color VS2 clarity IDEAL cut), shattering their previous record of 6 carats (January 2018) and setting a new record for the gem quality lab grown diamond industry. [3]
WD Lab Grown Diamonds is focused on the gemstone market, but also services the technology sector through their Advanced Materials division.[4][5] WD Lab Grown Diamonds announced in February 2018 that one of its scientific quality 6mm diamond anvils set a record when it was able to withstand 600,000 atmospheres of pressure in a lab study at Oak Ridge National Library. [6]
History and personnel
WD Lab Grown Diamonds was founded in 2008 by Clive Hill, a successful jeweler from the United Kingdom.[7] In January 2019, leading middle-market private equity firm Huron Capital completed an equity investment in WD Lab Grown Diamonds. In September 2019, WD Lab Grown Diamonds appointed Sue Rechner as CEO as part of a planned leadership transition. WD is jointly owned by Huron Capital, WD Management, members of its board of directors and the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
References
- Paulina Wozniak (September 18, 2012). "Washington Diamonds Announces World's First Commercially Available US Made Lab-Grown Diamonds" (PDF). Washington Diamonds. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- "IGI LABORATORY GROWN DIAMOND GRADING REPORT" (PDF). IGI. June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- Diamonds, WD Lab Grown. "World Record: 9.04-Carat Diamond Grown in the USA by WD Lab Grown Diamonds". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
- Rob Bates (August 29, 2013). "Lab-Grown Diamond Company "Making Progress"". JCK Magazine. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- Rob Bates (September 18, 2012). "New Company Producing Colorless Synthetic Diamonds". JCK Magazine. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- Diamonds, WD Lab Grown. "Lab Grown Diamonds Enabling New Scientific Breakthroughs". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
- "ABOUT US". Washington Diamonds. Retrieved October 24, 2012.