Lab Created Diamonds
Lab grown diamonds have become increasingly desirable because they are eco-friendly and great value when compared to natural diamonds. Many clients still have questions about the difference between lab grown and natural diamonds.
To help you understand more about lab created diamonds, below are answers to the 6 most frequently asked questions:
Are lab grown diamonds real diamonds?
Yes, Lab Grown diamonds are identical to natural diamonds in chemical makeup, hardness, and brilliance.
An interesting way to describe the difference between lab created and naturally mined diamonds is to compare a piece of ice retrieved from a frozen lake with an ice cube retrieved from your freezer.
The ice from the lake was formed naturally whereas the ice from your freezer is a result of man’s ingenuity and engineering. Both are ice with the same characteristics, simply different sources.
Are lab created diamonds certified?
Yes… Diamond laboratories use the identical techniques, instruments, and definitions to describe lab grown diamonds as they do for natural stones.
Lab grown diamonds are laser inscribed ‘Lab Grown’ and certified primarily by the GIA, IGI and GCAL laboratories.
Is purchasing a lab grown diamond a good investment?
This is a question asked by virtually every customer.
What we can tell you with confidence is that after falling for several years, Lab Grown diamond prices appear to have stabilized and reached a level where there appears to be little room for prices to drop any lower.
It is extremely costly and difficult to create ‘gem quality’ Lab Grown diamonds. The science and production techniques have been developed over decades and at considerable cost.
A single Lab Grown incubator [machine] today costing around $150,000, is capable of growing no more than 16 diamonds in one cycle and each machine needs to be monitored by highly qualified individuals, in a completely sterile environment.
Lab grown machines duplicate mother nature by creating an extremely high pressure, high temperature environment, while feeding 16 wafer-thin natural diamond seeds with the same gasses mother nature used to produce natural diamonds.
It takes one diamond incubator operating 24 hours a day at optimal efficiency, 2 weeks to grow 10 or 11 ‘gem quality’ 1.00 carat diamonds [polished weight]. The slightest contamination during the growing process results in a failed cycle with zero gem quality crystals.
Even after a perfectly executed growing cycle no more than 11 of the 16 diamond wafers in the incubator will grown into gem quality diamond crystals. The remaining 5 stones are sold to industry for cutting tools and computers.
Why choose a lab grown diamond over a natural diamond?
Clearly, the difference in cost between natural and lab-grown is striking and unless one is particularly drawn to the history and charm of a natural diamond, it is difficult to rationalize paying more for a diamond with the same brilliance and hardness.
To illustrate the point, compare 2 gorgeous Oval cut diamonds currently in Ascot inventory – One is natural and the other lab created.
1. Natural: EGLUSA certified 3.73 carat Round: Color H, Clarity VS1 = $69,230.
2. Lab Created: GIA certified 3.71 carat Round: Color H, Clarity VS2 = $5,050.
Almost exactly the same carat weight, both H color: The lab grown diamond clearly costs drastically less.
Are Lab created diamonds all equal in brilliance and value?
Only the finest Lab Grown diamonds [+- 15% of production] are exceptional and cannot be distinguished from natural diamonds. The majority of Lab-grown diamonds have excessive graining, face up brown or display a distinct blue glow.
Be sure to work with a discerning, knowledgeable diamond company whose lab grown inventory represents only the ‘best of the best.’
We invite you to visit Ascot Diamonds.
How do you tell if a diamond is lab created?
Most jewelers and gemologists would not be able to tell a natural diamond from the best Lab Grown diamonds without the appropriate testing equipment.
A knowledgeable individual would be able to identify the lesser quality lab grown by identifying excessive graining, brown tint or blue glow.
The instrument used to determine if a diamond is natural or lab grown subjects the stones to deep UV irradiation and measures the UV light absorption. The slight difference in UV absorption tells us if the diamond is lab grown or natural.
At Ascot Diamonds we educate clients and work to create a positive, memorable experience.
Call 404-844-0800 to learn more or Schedule a time to consult with us.
You will be glad you did.