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Lab grown diamonds or LGD as some call them, have taken the jewelry world by storm over these last few years. And for a very good reason. These stunning created jewels often surpass the exquisite beauty found in earth mined diamonds.
While natural diamonds are rare of course, they are often produced with many blemishes—some of which are challenging to eliminate. But lab grown diamonds are specifically created to display the very best of diamond’s traits. For instance, they can be produced in high colors, close to D-E-F which are so rare and pricey that many shoppers cannot afford them in natural diamonds. Additionally lab grown stones can be specifically crafted in the clarity grades we covet.
What You’re Dreaming About
Nowadays, technology has advanced to such a degree that lab grown diamonds or LGD are produced in ever increasing size crystals. That means, a shopper can buy almost any large size stone their heart desires—because lab grown stones can fulfill this wish. It also allows consumers to get any LGD shape they can dream of---all good news for the shopper.
With such spectacular clarity, the LGD stone can sparkle across an entire room. And isn’t that why we adore diamonds in the first place? But with these tremendous traits, shoppers must wonder, can anyone tell the difference between a natural earth mined diamond and its lab grown alternative?
First of all, highly reputable sellers of LGDs always disclose if their diamonds are created. It’s a point of pride actually. They want customers to know what they are getting. The price for an LGD is so much more attractive, and a customer’s budget goes far beyond what they could ever imagine.
Let’s Define Lab Grown Diamonds
Simply stated, lab grown diamonds are as genuine a diamond as you’ll find anywhere. Yet it was created in a controlled environment in the lab rather than recovered from the earth. The technology behind this milestone takes its cue from nature itself. In other words, while a natural diamond is pure carbon, it took billions of years underground in just the right conditions to transform the dense black carbon into a crystal clear diamond. Time, pressure and immense heat contributed to the transformation of lowly carbon into a gorgeous transparent jewel.
These man-made gems (or LGD) are identical to their natural crystal counterparts in every respect, namely in their physical, chemical, and optical properties. The same crystal structure, extreme hardness (measuring 10 on the Mohs scale) and light performance as their mined counterparts makes them nearly impossible to distinguish from the earth mined diamond variety.
Lab Grown Diamond’s Fan-base
While some consumers remain enamored with earth mined diamonds, other modern shoppers marvel at the remarkable technology that produce up-to-date created diamonds. It’s a bonus that the pricing for these exquisite stones is so appealing.
Truth be told, many jewelers today have a difficult (or impossible) time making the separation between LGD and natural diamonds. The only thing that may trigger more testing after a visual inspection under the microscope would be the high color grade and splendid clarity.
Since the global demand for lab grown diamonds has soared, the diamond trade has developed more methods of testing stones to be able to separate lab grown diamonds from its natural counterpart.
Conventional Diamond Testers Cannot Separate LGD
The trade has many diamond testers on the market which give jewelers the tools they need to know what they are examining. The instruments test for how a stone conducts heat with the application of a probe placed on the stone to be tested. Natural diamonds uniquely handle heat in a way that sets them apart from lookalikes like CZ, white sapphire, or even Moissanite. A diamond tester successfully detects these subtle differences to allow for a positive identification.
However, heres’ something to take note of-- both natural and lab grown diamonds may pass the diamond tester’s exam with flying colors. So the diamond industry has had to come up with more sophisticated testing methods so that consumers and the jewelry trade can make a positive separation between lab grown and natural diamonds.
Advanced LGD Identification Methods
Consumers need to know, and jewelry sellers need to know what they have. Vendors must ascertain what they are buying so the industry can stay robust and reliable.
The development of sophisticated tools to make this separation with complete accuracy helps the diamond trade maintain the trust that consumers place in the trade.
Now, gemologists and major diamond / gemstone grading laboratories employ a variety of high-tech instruments designed to detect key subtleties between natural and lab-grown diamonds.
Tools for the Task
Here’s just a few of the most used tools for this task:
A proprietary instrument developed by De Beers is the DiamondView, employing short-wave UV light to expose fluorescence patterns in the diamonds being examined. In the case of lab grown diamonds, many times its distinctive growth patterns will display differently from those occurring in natural diamonds.
Other technologically advanced tools similar to DiamondView, including the DiamondProof tool also facilitate the separation of lab created diamonds from earth mined diamonds by merit of their distinct fluorescence and growth lines. Professionals are able to quickly identify each type of diamond today after proficient usage of these important instruments.
Laser identification. This technique analyzes light being emitted by a diamond or an LGD when it comes in contact by a laser. The technique looks for trace elements and defects that are emblematic of certain crystal growth processes.
FTIR Spectroscopy is used to identify specific impurities like nitrogen in a diamond crystal like example. This is a failsafe method of indicating whether a diamond is natural, or lab grown.
X-ray Inspection for topography. This fascinating modern imaging technique is used to reveal internal structures and growth patterns that are unique to lab-grown diamonds. A natural diamond will not display these traits.
With such advancements, we’re sure to learn what new technology will be developed for lab grown diamond -v- natural diamond ID in the near future.
Things like Raman spectroscopy which analyzes how light scatters throughout a crystal provides vital information about the crystal structure itself and any impurities within.
Something called an SIMS was developed to be highly sensitive in detection of trace elements even at extremely low concentrations. Since the trace elements are different in LGD and natural diamonds, this clear cut method helps differentiate natural crystals from lab grown diamonds.
Definite Proof
Additionally to the above mentioned instruments, some LGD companies have developed their own proprietary systems. They may even combine several detection methods for added assurance. By combining instrument types, the conclusion can be reached faster and with absolute assurance.
Most jewelers and retailers don’t normally have this level of sophisticated technology on hand. It’s both very expensive and requires an allocation of dedicated space.
Still these advanced techniques are highly effective so reputable lab grown diamond dealers and retailers can assure their customers that the stones have gone through this identification process in a specialized gemological lab.
These methods safeguard the public and increase confidence in the consumer who is clearly in love with lab grown diamonds, the modern diamond choice.
