My girlfriend has been parading around town with a magnificent 4-carat Round Brilliant cut synthetic diamond set in a stunning 14K solid gold filigree solitaire ring setting for a year now. She has been to restaurants, work, shopping, night clubs, museums, and parties. Family and friends have scrutinized her ring. She has been stopped repeatedly by others who were dumbfounded by her ring. Hundreds of people have seen her ring, astonished by its majesty, gushing about it. And despite its ostentatious size, no one has asked if it is a fake diamond!
How could this be? The latest breakthrough science in lab-created diamonds has brought them in line with mined diamonds. Long gone is the aurora borealis or "disco ball" effect that was seen in synthetic diamonds of the past decades. New millennium synthetic diamonds-with similar hardness, clarity, fire, and brilliance-are indistinguishable with the naked eye and simply don't look fake. High quality synthetic diamonds even have the coveted hearts-and-arrows effect.
This begs the question: If one were to saunter into a jewelry store with a synthetic diamond, can a jeweler tell the difference? Since all mined diamonds have color disparities (flaws), birthmarks (flaws), and inclusions (flaws), and lab-created diamonds have none of the above, a trained eye can tell the difference. A sneering glance under a loupe or even under discriminating examination with a magnifying glass, a jeweler will often proudly declare a synthetic diamond as a fake. Modern synthetic diamonds are too perfect in the world of jeweler snobbery when pushing over-priced high profit diamonds is the agenda at hand.
With the use of scientific testing equipment, mined diamonds will conduct electricity and synthetic diamonds will not. That is because mined diamonds are a carbon gem material and synthetic diamonds are polycrystalline. A thermal probe will produce different readings, differentiating the two. But does this really matter to a jewelry lover who is interested in aesthetic beauty and saving thousands of dollars? In the year my girlfriend has been showcasing her synthetic diamond on her finger; no one has walked up to her with scientific equipment asking to test her gemstone.
Why do virtually all brick-and-mortar jewelers carry only mined diamonds? Why do jewelers scoff at synthetic diamonds? You need to look no further than your wallet. A 1-carat high quality mined diamond is about $3000, a 2-carat about $18,000, a 3-carat about $40,000, and a 4-carat goes for about $90,000. Respectively, synthetic diamonds run about $79, $158, $237, and $326. It's about the money. Don't kid yourself.
It's also about indoctrination. For over a century, the diamond cartel has spent billions of dollars convincing the public that jewel quality mined diamonds have intrinsic value like gold. Not true. Why? During this time DeBeers has limited production, bought up supplies from others, stockpiled inventory, and imposed its monopoly position on jewelry manufacturers in the successful effort to keep prices inflated. And to make matters worse, the diamond industry as a whole has a checkered past with conflict stones, debt-slave child labor in India used in cutting operations, and shady techniques used to enhance perceived quality to further squeeze out ridiculous prices from beleaguered jewelry lovers.
Smart jewelry shoppers today are considering synthetic diamonds as an alternative to mined diamonds for some very savvy reasons: (1) They can acquire fine jewelry pieces set in solid 14K gold. (2) They will save literally thousands of dollars. (3) There is no need to buy insurance. (4) When wearing their synthetic diamond jewelry nobody will know that they are not mined diamonds unless they tell them!
When you're buying jewelry, you'll see a lot of diamonds at incredible prices. However, there's a good chance that some of them aren't the real thing. While there's nothing wrong with a fake diamond (some couples prefer them), you shouldn't pay real diamond prices for one! There are lots of different ways to fake a diamond. Many of them are beautiful gems in their own right, but if you want a diamond, don't be taken in by them. If you understand the different types of diamond look alikes, you'll learn how to spot them and when you're looking at the real deal. Moissanite - This rare material closely resembles a diamond, but its physical and chemical properties aren't the same. This diamond fake doesn't happen very often, because the material is relatively hard to find and can cost a lot - even more than some natural diamonds. Cubic Zirconia - a common diamond substitute, cubic zirconia are cheaper, look very similar, and are a lot heavier than the real thing. Man Made Diamond - These are real diamonds, and are identical to natural ones both chemically and physically, but they were never in the ground and didn't form under the same unique conditions. Artificial diamonds are often much cheaper than natural ones. Faceted Crystal - These cut glass stones are beautiful, but they're lower in quality and nowhere near as durable as a real diamond. A "stone" that's really crystal could even shatter in your ring. There are four basic characteristics to tell you if a diamond is a good one or a bad one. These are clarity, cut, color and carat, and they'll help you decide if a diamond is real and if a real diamond is of high quality. Educate yourself to get the best deal. Work with jewelers you trust, and who have a good reputation. Make sure that they can answer detailed, educated questions about your diamond, and keep an eye out for the major scams. Take a look at the setting when you're determining whether a diamond is real. These are very expensive gems, and they'll never be set in a cheap setting. If the placement is inferior or insecure, crooked, loose, or otherwise badly made, you're probably not looking at a real diamond. While you're looking, see if there's damage on the stone. A diamond is a hard gem that doesn't scratch or scuff easily. It reflects light in gray or neutral tones - rainbow sparkles are for fakes. Check out transparency, and look at loose diamonds upside down on a printed piece of paper. If it's a real diamond, it'll disperse too much light for the text to be readable. You shouldn't be afraid to take a close look at your diamond, either. Use a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe to see if the stone is well cut and if it has a faceted girdle around the middle. Some high end specialty stones are numbered on the girdle, as well. Use the fog test on suspected fakes, too. Diamonds disperse heat rapidly, meaning that if you fog the diamond with your breath, it vanishes fast. Imitation stones remain fogged for a while.
Both R. Jospeh & Alexis Motored are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
R. Jospeh has sinced written about articles on various topics from Jewelry, Diamonds and Jewelry. Robert Joseph is an expert jeweler and founding partner of To receive a FREE comparison chart on how Diamond Nexus Labs lab-created diamonds. R. Jospeh's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
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