Diamonds That Are Man Made

Man made diamonds are a popular choice for those wanting to avoid the high price tag associated with natural mined diamonds. However, many consumers may not be sure how to tell the difference between a lab grown diamond and a natural one.

There are two main ways to create jewelry-quality lab-grown diamonds. These include High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).

Origin

Diamonds that are man made, also known as laboratory-grown diamonds or synthetic diamonds, have the same chemical and physical properties as mined diamonds. They are created in laboratories that replicate the extremely high temperatures, pressures and energy that traditional mined diamonds require to be formed, which means they share the same crystalline structure and chemical composition as natural diamonds.

Throughout the 19th century, many scientists attempted to create artificial diamonds using a variety of methods. However, it wasn’t until 1953 that a consistent and reproducible method of creating diamonds emerged.

In the process of making lab-grown diamonds, pure carbon is manipulated and then shaped to form a crystalline structure similar to a natural diamond. The most common ways to make diamonds in a laboratory are through high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

It’s important to note that while man-made diamonds look very similar to natural diamonds, they do have some differences. For example, they are typically lighter in weight and can come in a range of colors, including pink, yellow, blue, green and brown.

There are several benefits to buying a man-made diamond over a natural stone, such as being environmentally friendly and having the option to choose from a wider variety of shapes, sizes, cuts and carats. But, like anything, there are still some personal choices that should be taken into consideration when choosing to buy a man-made diamond over a naturally-occurring one.

For those who want to buy a man-made diamond and still feel comfortable with their purchase, brands like Clean Origin offer a wide selection of designs in an ethically and environmentally conscious way. The brand has a dedicated lab to grow its diamonds and uses recycled gold to make their jewellery. It also plants a tree for every item it sells.

Clarity

Man made diamonds have been used in a variety of applications since the 1950s, including telecommunications, laser optics, and healthcare. Today, both colorless and colored gem-quality man made diamonds are available for use in jewelry.

The clarity of diamonds is based on the number and location of internal imperfections, called inclusions, and surface defects, called blemishes. In general, experts look at a diamond face-up under 10x magnification to determine the clarity grade. They then note the number, size, nature, location, and relief of any inclusions on the diamond.

GIA’s clarity grading system considers all of these factors when assigning a clarity grade. The higher the clarity, the clearer the diamond will appear to the eye.

Most diamonds, whether natural or man made, have inclusions and blemishes that affect how clear they are. These include:

Graining: This type of inclusion creates irregular crystal growth that gives a diamond a hazy appearance. It can also cause the stone to appear cloudy and opaque if the inclusion is large enough.

Feather: A feather is a tiny crack that’s found within a diamond. It can catch and reflect light to give the diamond a white appearance, depending on the angle of view.

These types of inclusions are difficult to spot with a jeweler’s loupe. But a gemological microscope can easily identify these imperfections.

These imperfections can range from very small, such as a VVS1 size inclusion, to much larger, such as a VS2 size inclusion. Because these tiny imperfections can only be seen under a powerful microscope, they are usually not visible to the naked eye. But when the image is focused on a different layer of depth, such as this IF 1.25 Carat diamond from James Allen, you can see that there is a small speck on the bottom left of the table that would render a VVS2 clarity grade if it were an inclusion inside the diamond.

Size

There is a growing market for man made diamonds, which are created in laboratories to mimic what happens in the earth when natural diamonds are formed. These lab-grown diamonds are graded and certified just like mined diamonds, and can be found in all the same shapes and sizes as natural diamonds.

They are also commonly referred to as synthetic diamonds, engineered diamonds, or cultured diamonds. These diamonds are created by isolating carbon atoms and layering them together into a crystal formation.

The process that produces man made diamonds can vary but generally mimics the high-pressure, high-temperature conditions that occur in the earth when natural diamonds are formed. They can be produced using a variety of different processes, including High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).

GIA has conducted research for decades on how to identify synthetic diamonds, and many published papers exist on the topic. Those publications have helped jewelers and retailers to understand how to identify these gems.

These lab-grown diamonds are typically cut into a round brilliant, though any shape is possible. They are commonly colorless, but they can be colored by treatments similar to those that color natural diamonds.

Size: Most man-made diamonds are less than 2 carats, but larger ones can be produced. Melee-size diamonds are often used for stud earrings or small accent stones in jewelry.

Clarity: Most man-made diamonds are low to high in clarity, and can have various inclusions (fractures, breaks, other crystals, hollow tubes) that can be difficult to identify without a microscope. The more inclusions, the lower the clarity rating of a man-made diamond.

GIA has been conducting research for years on how to identify synthetic diamonds, and has helped jewelers and retailers to understand how to recognize these gems. These lab-grown diamonds are typically cut a round brilliant, but they can be colored by treatments similar the those that color natural diamonds.

Weight

One of the most important aspects of diamonds is their weight, which varies depending on size and shape. This can make the difference between a large, expensive diamond and a smaller, more affordable piece of jewellery.

When buying a diamond, consumers attach a high value to it because of its rarity, beauty and emotional significance. This is why they tend to pay premium prices for natural diamonds, which take up to 3.3 billion years to form in the earth.

These rare, all-natural diamonds are also extremely durable and don’t scratch easily. They also have exceptional clarity, which makes them highly sought after by buyers looking for an investment or a gift.

However, these same qualities can mean they are very expensive and difficult to source. This is why some jewellers are now using man made diamonds to fill the gap in the market for those looking for a diamond without the high price tag of a natural stone.

Despite the fact that the process for creating lab-grown diamonds is still relatively new, the technology is improving all the time and their quality is increasing as well. This is helping to drive down the cost of synthetic diamonds and create a more diverse range of products on the market.

A lot of lab-grown diamonds come with grading reports from the International Gemological Institute (IGI) and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). These reports are designed to help you determine the quality and worth of a diamond.

The GIA says that the cost of making man-made diamonds is comparable to that of mined stones, and they are becoming more popular. This is because of consumer education, which has helped build confidence in the product.

Price

Man made diamonds, also known as lab-grown or synthetic diamonds, are a relatively new form of jewelry. They are produced in a laboratory or factory, and they are typically 50-70% less expensive than mined diamonds of the same quality.

In fact, they are so much cheaper that they are starting to replace natural diamonds in some rings and jewelry pieces. They have become a trend among some major jewelers, and Signet, the world’s largest jewelry company (which owns Zales and Kay Jewelers), has called it a fast-growing category in its portfolio.

The price difference between diamonds that are man made and those that are natural is mostly based on the supply and demand of each. The mined diamond industry is a long value chain, with miners and producers mining rough diamonds, merchants buying the stones, cutters and polishers creating the stones, manufacturers selling them to jewelry stores and consumers purchasing them.

This lengthy supply chain has made the prices of mined diamonds high. The prices of mined diamonds are also influenced by economic trends. If the economy is sluggish, this may put pressure on mined diamond prices.

Fortunately, the price of lab-grown diamonds has significantly come down in recent years. The price of a 1 carat investment-grade manmade diamond that was only slightly less expensive than a natural one six or so years ago can now be purchased for around $1360, while a 1 carat mined diamond would cost $4,850 in 2017.

In addition to saving money, lab-grown diamonds are ethical and environmentally friendly. They are manufactured without the use of toxic chemicals, so they are better for the environment and the world at large. They are also more durable than natural diamonds.

Diamonds That Are Man Made