What are lab-created diamonds really?
Lab-created diamonds are actual diamonds produced byscientists using technology that recreates the conditions under which diamonds form deep in the earth. (They’re also called man-made diamonds or lab-grown diamonds.) A lab-created diamond is chemically, physically, and optically identical to diamonds that formed naturally deep in the earth. The only thing that makes them different from a mined diamond is where they form (and fortunately for us all, how much they cost.)
But they're not really real, right?
It’s diamond, just grown in a lab not the earth. Think about ice made in your freezer vs ice that forms on a pond. Is it less real?
How can you tell the difference between a lab-created diamond and a diamond extract?
It’s virtually impossible to differentiate a lab-created
diamond from a mined diamond simply by looking at it. Even a trained gemologist will find it challenging to positively identify a lab-created diamond. New advanced testing machines can identify most lab-created diamonds but sometimes it’s necessary to send a diamond in question to a grading lab equipped with sophisticated instruments for positive identification.
Is the quality of a lab-created diamond inferior to that of a mined diamond?
Because the atomic structure and characteristics of lab created diamonds are identical to mined diamonds, the quality is the same too. Because CVD diamonds are so pure, you can upgrade to excellent color, clarity and cut and a larger carat weight for the same budget.
But what about resale value? Lab created diamonds are they worth anything?
Like a Chanel jacket or a Birkin bag, you can wear your
lab-created diamond jewelry every day and it never goes out of style. And it also never wears out, so its beauty doesn’t decrease over time. Rather than hoping to get some money back when you sell it someday, you save about half the price up front, so you can keep your jewelry and continue to enjoy it instead.
Why do lab created diamonds cost so much more than imitation diamonds?
Imitations like moissanite and cubic zirconia can be created in a lab, but they are not diamonds. They are completely different materials that look just a little similar. Diamond crystals have unique properties that are a result of the extreme heat and pressure that have taken decades of innovation to reproduce in the laboratory. You can tell the difference just by looking at knockoffs because the optical properties are different. Diamonds have a beauty
unmatched and an enduring force. Imitations don't.
