What are Lab Made Diamonds? Are they as actual as pure diamonds?
What are Lab Made Diamonds? Are they as real as natural diamonds?
Laboratory-made diamonds look exactly like natural diamonds under normal conditions, i.e. normal light and no magnification. So no jeweler or non-gemologist can tell you the difference between a laboratory-made diamond and a natural diamond, unless the hues are large enough to be visible to the naked eye. The fire, the brilliance, the scintillation and the charisma are exactly the same in both.
It’s 10 on the Moh scale, which is the equivalent of a natural diamond (the hardest known substance to us). This means that it will last for the same time as a natural one (forever) and will not get scratched. Both diamonds have the same chemical composition and molecular structure, which means that a laboratory-made diamond will chip in the same way as a natural diamond and require the same level of care.
Inclusions: difference
The most important thing to note is that a lab made diamond has “inclusions” that are “lab made”. You can expect black specs (flux) or carbon inclusions of various sizes and unnatural shapes, while with a natural diamond you can expect natural inclusions such as a feather (small cracked appearance) etc. or normal natural black or dark inclusions.
4 C’s: Few differences
Both have their own system of assessing clarity. An IF (Internally Flawless) created, untreated, colorless diamond over 30 points is almost as rare as its natural counterpart. As the size increases, so does the rate per carat of the stone. The color, cut, and weight of either diamond are judged on the same basis. You would buy either diamond if you kept an eye on these 4Cs.
Treatment: practically the same
Diamonds of all types are treated for two main reasons … to improve color or to remove or hide the inclusions. Color Enhancement: Typically, the diamond is exposed to a controlled high pressure, high temperature (HTHP) environment. It is usually performed on select diamonds that are nearly colorless or slightly brownish in color (usually G to N color) to make them colorless or nearly colorless. This “moves” some of the molecular imbalance in the diamond to “correct” the color. It can only be carried out for selected diamond types. Both lab-made diamonds and some natural diamonds are treated this way. The treatment is permanent and can be detected with gemological tools and sometimes with a magnifying glass. Hiding the Inclusions: This is done to hide or “burn” the inclusions in a diamond. This is usually done by drilling a hole in the diamond with a controlled laser and “burning out” the inclusion. The laser drill hole is a permanent “line” within the diamond and is very legal if stated on the clarity report. Sometimes the borehole or burned-out cavity is filled with a transparent substance (with a high refractive index) in order to make the cavity “lost”. This filling is not permanent and should definitely be declared as stones with filling cannot be properly classified. Many lab-made diamonds are laser-treated as they tend to have large carbon inclusions. This is also how natural diamonds are treated with much less clarity. The laser drilling marks are easy to see under a microscope or a magnifying glass.
Resale Value: Definitely not the same
For a natural diamond, you may not have too many difficulties selling it in any part of the world. However, there is currently a very small market for synthetic diamonds. Please note that the amount of money you spend on a lab made diamond may not be returned for you if you ever decide to sell it again. Find out about the resale, return, exchange, and upgrade policies of the store you are buying from. There is a huge difference in cost between diamonds made with the CVD (Carbon Vapor Deposition) method and the HTHP (High-Temperature High-Pressure) method. This difference may not matter that much when you buy your diamond, but it does matter when you sell it. You should know what the future returns on your money will be. You should therefore follow the guidelines for returns, exchanges and upgrades, even for a laboratory-made diamond. The resale value of a real diamond is definitely much higher than that of a laboratory-made diamond. So make sure where you put your money. You can have your diamonds assessed by the GIA or several other assessment bodies. So be sure to do this when buying a large diamond, whether natural or manufactured.
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