How to Determine the Quality of Lab Grown Diamonds

If you’re shopping for a diamond engagement ring, it’s essential to know the quality of the stone. This is especially important if you’re considering purchasing a lab grown diamond.

The GIA diamond grading system uses four Cs to assess a diamond’s value: color, clarity, cut and carat. These are all crucial aspects of a diamond’s quality, and you should understand how they affect the price of your stone.

Color

Color is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a lab grown diamond. The more vibrant and saturated the color, the more valuable it is. This is especially true for fancy colored diamonds, which are rarer and more expensive than colorless stones.

A diamond’s color is a combination of its chemistry, structure, and the environment it was created in. In the case of a lab grown diamond, it is created using carbon-rich gases at low pressure and high temperature. The end result is a diamond with the same qualities as a natural diamond, but without the environmental and human cost.

While lab diamonds are made under controlled conditions, they still contain imperfections that can affect their clarity and color. These imperfections are known as inclusions, and can be found on the surface of a diamond or in the internal structure.

Inclusions can also cause a diamond to look darker than it really is. This is because the inclusions can absorb light, making it appear more dark than it actually is.

Another factor that can influence a diamond’s color is the way it is mounted. If the stone is set in a white metal, then it will appear whiter than it truly is. On the other hand, if the stone is set in yellow gold, then it will appear less white than it truly is.

A diamond’s color can also be affected by the light it emits when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. This is called fluorescence.

When a lab diamond is viewed under UV light, blacklight, or sunlight, it can emit a glow that is visible to the naked eye. The diamond will re-emit this glow as it is viewed again, which can make it appear darker or lighter than it would have without fluorescence.

In some cases, lab diamonds can have a bluish tint instead of a classic yellowish one. This is because some lab diamonds contain boron, which adds a bluish tone to the diamond. These bluish tints can range from soft to intense, and are only noticeable in high colorless grades such as G or higher.

Clarity

Clarity is one of the most important factors in the quality of lab grown diamonds. This is because a diamond’s clarity affects the sparkle it offers and the number of flaws or inclusions it contains, which can influence the stone’s overall appearance and value.

Unlike natural diamonds, which are created by the process of crystallizing carbon from the earth’s crust, lab grown diamonds are made from a chemical solution and often have a variety of metal inclusions that impact their clarity. Although these metal inclusions are usually hard to see with the naked eye, a skilled gemologist can determine their type and grade.

Some of the most common lab-grown diamond inclusions include metal, non-diamond carbon, and black spots. These are mainly caused by the processes used to grow the diamond.

These inclusions can be found anywhere on the diamond, and can change a stone’s clarity grade from very clear (FL) to very slightly included (VS). While most are very difficult to spot with the naked eye, they can sometimes be seen through a specialized magnifying glass or loupe.

In addition, lab-grown diamonds can also contain other types of flaws that aren’t associated with the growth process, like boron or manganese. These flaws can make the diamond look cloudy and can negatively impact its clarity and color.

The GIA clarity grading system is used to evaluate the clarity of all diamonds, whether they’re natural or lab-grown. The system covers any imperfections that affect the free flow of light through the stone.

While the GIA clarity grading system is widely accepted, some people believe it’s not fair to compare lab-grown diamonds with natural ones. This is because the growth process for natural diamonds can vary based on the environment they’re grown in, and can cause some inclusions that aren’t found in lab-grown diamonds.

This is why it’s important to shop around before you buy a lab-grown diamond. It’s a good idea to ask your jeweler what the best choice for you would be, and to check with online retailers that can offer unbiased reviews and recommendations from trusted buyers.

Carat

When it comes to quality, the carat of a lab grown diamond is one of the most important things to consider. Because they are man-made, lab diamonds don’t have the same physical properties as natural diamonds, so it’s important to understand their differences before purchasing a ring.

There are two main methods of creating synthetic diamonds: Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT). CVD uses a “seed crystal” placed in a chamber that is filled with gases at the right temperature to create layers of carbon on it. HPHT uses extreme pressure and temperatures to mimic the environment that naturally produces diamonds.

Both processes are very efficient and produce a variety of shapes and sizes. However, you should note that certain factors can affect the quality of a lab diamond, such as temperature and humidity levels.

For example, a diamond that is exposed to excessive heat can cause the stone to crack. This is why it’s important to ensure that you buy a diamond with a certified GIA grading report.

Another way to identify a diamond is by looking at its clarity. Generally, the higher the clarity grade, the better. If you are unsure of the clarity grade of your diamond, it is best to seek the help of a gemologist or professional jeweler.

The quality of a lab diamond can also be determined by the color. A lab created diamond can be a different color than a naturally mined diamond because it was not grown in nature. It may have a blue tint to it, for instance, which is caused by trace amounts of the mineral boron.

Occasionally, a laboratory grown diamond will glow with phosphorescence when exposed to UV light. This is usually a sign that the lab created diamond was treated with HPHT to add color. This is a good indicator of lab grown diamond quality, but it’s not always listed by the GIA or IGI on their grading reports.

The resale value of a lab grown diamond can be much lower than that of a natural diamond. This is due to the fact that lab grown diamonds are new to the market and aren’t yet as well known. That being said, they have been growing in popularity and have become more common.

Cut

A diamond’s cut is a key factor in how it sparkles and looks. This is why it’s so important to choose the right cut for your ring, as well as the setting style that you want.

Lab grown diamonds are a type of synthetic diamond that is made in a lab environment rather than under the pressure of the earth’s crust like natural mined diamonds. This process cuts down on the time it takes for the stone to grow and also the cost of producing it.

While a high quality lab grown diamond will look as stunning as a natural diamond, there are some things you should keep in mind when shopping for one.

First, a lab grown diamond will have a different cut grade than a natural diamond of the same carat weight. This is because they’re created under different circumstances and can have more or less inclusions.

The same grading laboratories that evaluate natural diamonds also grade lab grown diamonds. These include GIA and IGI, which is the premier grading institute for lab grown diamonds.

In addition to a grading report, these labs also use reflective tools to analyze the light performance of a diamond. These reflectors (like ASET and Ideal-Scope) are endorsed by the science community and give you a color-coded map of how the diamond handles light.

This will help you determine if the stone will sparkle and shine brightly when you wear it or view it in the mirror. The more light that’s reflected back into the eye, the more sparkly it will be.

If a lab grown diamond is not cut properly, the majority of light will be lost and the stone will appear dull and lifeless. This is why it’s essential to select a diamond with an excellent or very good cut grade.

The GIA & IGI are the two most recognized and well-known grading labs for round diamonds, so choosing a cut with these grades will ensure you have a beautiful and sparkly engagement ring. However, there are some cut grading differences between these two reputable diamond grading organizations, so it’s best to use these as a guide but also do your own evaluation and ask an expert.

How to Determine the Quality of Lab Grown Diamonds