My Pink Diamonds

New synthetic diamonds are so closely resemble mined diamonds
that the naked eye cannot tell the difference, often saving
consumers enough money to make a down-payment on a new home or
buy a car. Unfounded diamond jeweler arrogance, pretentiousness,
and snootiness has gone too far!

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 there synthetic
diamond jewelry nobody will know that they are not mined
diamonds unless they tell them!

As the name implies synthetic diamonds look like real diamonds but do not have the same properties as real diamonds.  The ability to determine the differences between chemical compusosition, hardness, weight, and some of the light handling characteristics of real diamonds and synthetic diamonds with the naked eye is extremely difficult.  Man-made diamonds are not considered synthetic diamonds because they do have the same properties as real or mined diamonds.

Cut Glass was probably the first material used to simulate a diamond.  It is readily available, easy to cut and polish and when seen from a distance, looks good.  With all of the information available to today’s consumer trying to pass cut glass off as a diamond rarely works.  Cut glass is still seen in costume jewelry and in the movies today because of its extremely low cost.  The use of cut glass has widely been replaced by the most popular diamond alternative, cubic zirconium.

Since 1976 cubic zirconium has been the most widely used material for synthetic diamonds.  Its low cost, durability and light handling characteristics have made it extremely attractive in producing low cost jewelry.  Cubic zirconium light handling characteristics is so close to that of a diamond that only a trained eye can tell the difference between the two.  The annual global production had reached 50 million carats by 1980.  Cubic zirconium will weigh about 1.7 times more that a diamond.  The hardness rating of cubic zirconium is between 8.5 and 9 whereas diamonds have a hardness rating of 10.

Moissanite or silicon carbide was named after Henri Moissan after he discovered the new mineral in fragments of a meteor found near Diablo Canyon in Arizona 1893.  Henri Moissan is also credited as the first person to have created a man-made diamond in a libratory in 1892.  Moissanite is a naturally occurring mineral that is slightly softer than diamonds with a hardness rating of 9.25 but has almost all of the other properties of a mined diamond.  Charles and Colvard introduced gem-quality moissanite jewelry in 1998.  The thermal conductivity test use to distinguish diamond from other artificial stones was rendered useless because moissanite has almost the same thermal conductivity as a diamond.  It requires highly specialized equipment to determine if a gemstone is moissanite or a diamond.

With the high quality of synthetic diamond on the market the only way you can be sure that you have a genuine diamond is to have it certified and if you are purchasing a new diamond insist on a certification before purchasing.  It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, and its flaws.  If the seller is unwilling to supply a certification with the diamond then he may not be telling the truth and you should find someone who will.  After all when you want to sell the diamond the new owner will want a certification from you.  Here are a few suggestions for testing to see if you are looking at a genuine diamond or a synthetic before you invest in a more conclusive test. 

Using your diamond to cut glass to prove that it is hard enough to do so may prove to yourself that it is a diamond but that type of abuse can damage any stone.  You could ruin a perfectly pretty piece of jewelry.  Another frequently used to test diamonds is called the light test.  Shine a black light through the gemstone in question.  If a blue light shines though it the diamond could be real.

Careful clean any oil and dirt from the surface of the diamond and then gently blow upon the surface of the stone and if your breath shows for a few seconds after, you have a fake. Genuine diamonds clear up breath almost immediately.

Everyone knows that diamonds is the hardest gemstone and women all over the world go crazy to own a diamond jewelry. This beautiful gemstone is renowned for its lustrous beauty, but very few people know of its ability to be used in other fields like electronics, machinery etc.The two aspects of this gem stone are so diverse in association and nature that one does not really connect the two uses with each other.The diamond has certain very unique properties that enable it to be used in these various applications. It is the hardest substance on earth, has an extremely high thermal conductivity, is optically transparent and has high electrical resistance.The hardness property of the diamond makes it amenable to be used as a cutting tool, especially for hard substances like marble, granite and hard wood. It is embedded in mechanical tools to enable the shaping of engine blocks and automotive components.Once the process of developing synthetic diamonds was discovered, these synthetic diamonds were obviously the most preferred option for use in machinery. Apart from the cost, there are many other benefits of using synthetic diamond in tools. synthetic diamond growth can be controlled and monitored to produce desired shape and consistency. This is not the case with respect to natural diamonds where nature determines the shape, size and contours of the diamond based on various random natural events. Since the development of the synthetic diamond takes place in a laboratory, the level of impurities and mineral inclusions can be controlled. Due to these reasons and more the synthetic diamond today is sturdier as compared to the natural ones.Another property that lends itself to use in mechanical work is that of thermal conductivity. The type IIa diamond can conduct up to 5 times more heat than the metal copper. The fact that it can absorb high levels of heat means that it can be used to reduce the friction in many engineering parts. Including the diamond as a ‘heat sink’ helps in extending the life of the machinery since it avoids wear and tear due to friction and heat. ‘Slices’ of synthetic diamonds are also be used for other industrial and surgical tools.Much research is being done to use diamond chips instead of silicon chips in computers and it is being said that such computers would be 1000 times faster than the existing ones.Even though the diamonds were being produced synthetically in the early 1990’s, they had not made their appearance in the jewelry industry. Large synthetic diamonds could be used only by using a lot of energy and ultra-modern technology. Since the engineering and mechanical market needs were yet not being met completely by the synthetic diamond supply, the proliferation of the synthetic diamond in the jewelry industry was abated. Another reason why the synthetic diamonds did not make their way into the studded necklaces was the fact that most of the synthetic diamonds being produced were still yellow or brownish in color.The development and growth process of large diamonds required for the tools industry itself took too long. In 1990, De Beers claimed to have produced the largest synthetic diamond; a yellowish brown piece that was about 14.20 carats. This diamond alone took 500 hours to grow. Three years later they reported having produced a 34.80 carat crystal that took 600 hours to grow. Another few years and De Beers claimed that it was possible to produce 30 carat crystals in lesser time. But now one can find synthetic diamonds in many fancy colours and in white colorless shades too.Even though there were great obstacles in perfecting the art of making gem quality synthetic diamonds, some companies forged ahead and continued to research the process. The challenge that they faced was that they could not avoid the nitrogen from entering the diamond while during the process of production, the gas that gives the diamonds the yellow color. GE was the first company to produce an almost colorless synthetic diamond by eliminating nitrogen from the process. This was done by using a metal flux, a substance that melts and dissolves other material in it. Special compounds were added to the metal flux to keep the nitrogen from entering the process chambers. Even though De Beers had also discovered the art of making synthetic colorless diamonds, neither company released their experiments and the colorless gems that came from them into the market. However, a Thai-Russian joint venture in Thailand distributed lab made colorless diamonds in the market.Since the jewelry market does not require large pieces, these colorless synthetics are faster to grow, produce and sell in the market. Though the synthetic diamonds caters to a larger audience of the gem industry, they increase the possibility of being swindled, fraud and non-disclosure in the trade. As the production process is perfected and better quality colorless synthetics are produced and marketed each year, the challenge for the professionals in the jewelry industry becomes harder.Source: GIA

Synthetic diamonds are diamond crystals manufactured in laboratories through a technological process, versus natural diamonds, which are produced deep inside the earth through a geological process.
Synthetic diamonds are not to be confused with fake diamonds as we know it, like diamond-like carbon, which is amorphous hard carbon or diamond stimulants, which are made of other materials such as cubic zirconia or silicon carbide.
Synthetic diamonds are actually real diamonds; only they are produced in labs or are man-made, and depending on the process, can even be superior to natural diamonds.
The procedure of creating a synthetic diamond is relatively easier than mining and processing natural diamonds, which is why these stones are usually used in many industrial applications, such as drilling and cutting tools, as well as in electronics.
The process of producing these cultured diamonds was first discovered by French chemist Henri Moissan in 1892. This process created small diamond fragments by heating charcoal, which is carbon, to an extremely high temperature in a cast iron crucible.
It is then rapidly cooled by immersing the crucible into cold water, causing it to shrink, which then creates enough pressure to crystallize the molten carbon into tiny diamond fragments.
After Moissan’s process, the first commercial application of synthetic diamond production was developed by Tracy Hall for the General Electric Company in 1954.
This production process is known as the HTHP or high-temperature high-pressure, a procedure that has been improved upon and has been used to make industrial-grade diamonds to this day. Another main process being used to create synthetic diamonds is the Chemical Vapor Deposition or CVD method, which was first developed during the 1980s.
The HTHP technique applies a combination of heat and pressure on a diamond seed by using either a four-anvil tetrahedral press or a six-anvil cubic press. This is a process that attempts to replicate the natural conditions of diamonds formation inside the earth. The CVD method on the other hand, adds a vaporized carbon-plasma mixture with hydrogen, activated on the diamond seed using microwave energy, which then allows the gas to substrate.
This makes the diamond seed grow in successive layers.
Both procedures can produce cultured diamonds in a span of just several days. These stones can have the identical hardness, cleavage, light dispersion, refractive properties, specific gravity, and surface luster of a natural diamond, and may even contain small inclusions. Some cultured diamonds are even superior to their natural counterparts.
Just some of the known synthetic diamond manufacturers are Apollo Diamonds, Chatham Gems, Gemesis Cultured Diamonds, and Taurus Created Gems.
These companies create a range of lab diamonds, as they are also called, from colorless grade D diamonds to fancy diamonds.
Most synthetic diamonds will have a slightly yellowish hue because of nitrogen impurities that are present during its manufacturing.
These cultured diamonds can be distinguished from natural diamonds by using any of the following: infrared, ultraviolet, or X-ray spectroscopy. Its UV florescence can also be measured with a Diamond View tester.

Diamond simulants are gemstones (natural or synthetic) that resembles a diamond and is mostly confused for a natural diamond. Diamond simulant is different from synthetic diamond where synthetic diamonds are man made and has almost the same chemical and physical properties of a natural diamond. Diamond simulants differ completely physically and chemically from a natural diamond. They just imitate natural diamond.While some differences between a diamond simulant and a real diamond are easy to identify, there are others that can be challenging. It is important to know some basic facts that will allow you to differentiate and therefore keep yourself from being cheated.Though each diamond simulant has its own physical properties and differs from the diamond in various ways, there are some properties where the differences are common. For example, all diamond simulants are softer than the diamond. Therefore, each of the diamond simulants is likely to have rounded edges and cut. The surface of the simulant is likely to get scratched easily. Even when the simulant is new, it cannot match the clarity and brilliance of the diamond itself. These small differences can easily be observed under a microscope. Sometimes, the naked eye is enough to identify these differences.All diamond simulants have a higher specific gravity than that of the diamond. This means that if we have a diamond and a diamond simulant that is exactly the same in size and shape, the simulant will weigh more.The thermal conductivity of the simulants is lower than that of the diamond. Therefore the diamond is a cooler substance and feels cooler than the simulants on touch. A mechanical tool called the thermal tester, diamond tester or the diamond probe can be used to determine this. The tip of the tester should be touched with the face of the diamond and care should be taken to avoid touching any metal (if the diamond is mounted). The tester heats the stone and assesses whether it is a synthetic diamond or a natural one based on the rate at which the heat is absorbed and transmitted.There are however certain other characteristics of specific diamond simulants that one needs to know about to be able to differentiate between the diamond and its simulant.Glass – This simple and extremely available diamond simulant has been used as a proxy since the 1700’s. This was made possible when the Europeans discovered that they could add lead oxide to glass to increase its dispersive property and brilliance. Even with this treatment, glass has much less brilliance, hardness and dispersion. The dispersion of glass is so low that one can see through a faceted glass stone; something that is not at all possible if a real natural diamond is symmetrically faceted.Doublets – The garnet and glass doublet has been used as a diamond simulant since the 1840’s. A colorless or pale color thin layer of garnet is fused to a glass base to create this effect. The hard garnet provides the lustrous and polished look. The fact that the garnet layer is extremely thin allows the coupled gem to look colorless from the face-up.All that is needed to identify the diamond simulant is a simple rocking of the gem under a light. The difference in luster of the harder garnet and the glass makes it evident that the stone is a doublet and not a genuine diamond.The garnet and glass doublets can be commonly seen in some antiwue jewelry. They are no longer the preferred doublet option for modern jewelers. INstead synthetic spinels or synthetic sapphires crowns and strontium titanate are used nowadays.Colorless synthetics- Sunthetic sapphires and spinels are also used as diamond simulants. They are harder than the previously used simulants and provide better brilliance. However, the luster, brilliance and durability does not even come close to that of the natural diamond. The fact that the spinel is extremely inexpensive to produce makes it a favorite for imitation jewelry.Zircon – Even though natural zircon is not used very commonly as a diamond simulant any more, it was used as one earlier. The natural zircon has more brilliance than glass. However, unlike the natural diamond which is single refractive, zircon gemstone is double refractive. This means that if you look a line through a zircon, you are likely to see two lines on the other side. This feature makes it fairly easy to identify a zircon when it is used as a diamond simulant. The reason why the use of the zircon reduced over the years is because it chips and scratches very easily.Synthetic Rutile – A gem with relatively low hardness, a synthetic rutile has high levels of brilliance. Actually the rain bow colors that it disperses are so intense that they take away from the luster. This rainbow colors are obvious even to amature gemologists. The synthetic rutile is also doubly refractive.Strontium Titanate -Singly refractive and highly dispersive, this diamond stimulant is less hard and not too durable.YAG (Yttrium aluminium garnet) and GGG (Gadolinium Gallium Garnet) – With a high level of hardness and good brilliance, YAG was one of the more popular diamond simulants till better ones appeared on the scene. GGG is more dispersive and is almost as brilliant as the diamond itself. However, its disadvantage lies in its lack of hardness and the fact that it scratches easily.Synthetic Cubic Zirconia – A great simulant of the diamond the synthetic cubic zirconia has comparable brilliance and luster. The durability is also high with a hardness of 8.5-9 on the Mohs scale. The one way in which the simulant can be identified is by checking the specific gravity of the stone which will give away the fact that it is much heavier than the diamond.Synthetic Moissanite – With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, synthetic moissanite is one of the hardest simulants of the diamond. A good balance of brilliance and fire gives this stone a good and attractive appearance. The synthetic moissanite gemstone is a double refractive, but the doubling of back facets effect can only be seen under higher magnification when the gem is tilted. This stone is one exception to the specific gravity rule and the specific gravity of the synthetic moissanite is lower than that of the diamond. It is one simulant that can fool most gemologists easily since it sometimes gives a clearance on the thermal test too. Therefore, if the thermal tester indicates the gemstone as a diamond, other tests should be performed to ascertain whether the stone is not a natural diamond or a synthetic moissanite.The similarities of these simulants with the diamond make them extremely marketable and appealing. The issue however, is whether the trader and sellers disclose the real status of the gem while trading it.

The popularity and appeal of diamonds led to a situation where people wanted to create diamond look-alikes in the laboratory. Many experiments were done to perfect a laboratory process that could create diamonds that were close to the real thing. It was only after a lot of research that the process of developing a diamond in a laboratory was finalized. These lab diamonds are called synthetic diamonds and are far cheaper than real diamonds. However, a proliferation of diamonds in the market necessitated that people trading in the diamond industry be aware of the methods by which synthetic diamonds can be differentiated from real natural diamonds.Synthetic diamonds are different from natural ones in various ways and these properties can help in segregating them. Since the synthetic diamonds are produced in a laboratory, they do not have the same level of inclusions as the natural ones. They do not have other crystals like garnet, diopside and other diamonds in them. However, synthetic diamonds do contain remnants of the metallic flux that is used in the process of creation of synthetic diamonds.The other differentiation lies in the structure, graining and color zoning of the diamonds. The high temperature at which a synthetic diamond is produced is yet lower than the temperature at which natural diamonds are created. Natural diamonds grow evenly in all directions from a basic core. The process that produces synthetic diamonds creates different shapes that look like octahedral and cubic faces since the diamond grows only upwards and outwards from a core. The typical shape of a synthetic diamond is like a broad diamond tapering pyramid that ends in a flat face. This difference in growth patterns and shapes forms the most reliable source of differentiating between synthetic diamonds and natural ones.There are various ways in which one can tell synthetic diamonds from real ones.-A fiber optic light can be used to determine whether the inclusions observed with the naked eye are reflective or metallic in nature. A simple confirmation of the remnants of metallic flux in the diamonds is proof enough that the diamonds in question are synthetic.-In case where some synthetic diamonds do not have any inclusions, whatsoever, the differentiating process needs to be different. The shape of the crystals in a real diamond is different from that of a synthetic one. It should be noted that expert cutters can remove the top cover of the crystal during the cutting process while aspects like graining and color zoning cannot be changed.-The graining pattern of synthetic diamonds and natural ones is also different due to the difference in growth patterns. When viewed through the pavilion of the synthetic diamond, the hour glass graining can be seen under magnification.-The color zoning in synthetic diamonds also showa the hour glass shape; something that is obviously and most definitely absent in natural ones.-If there are no differences that can be observed in crystals structures, graining and color zoning, the test to adopt is the UV radiation test. Most natural diamonds fluorescence a blue tint under UV long wave and a yellowish fluorescence under shortwave UV. Synthetic diamonds, on the other hand fluoresce between yellow to greenish yellow under long and shortwave.-Most synthetic diamonds are phosphorescent and that means that after the UV light is switched off, the light emitted from the diamond remains for some time. And since the natural diamond is not phosphorescent, this quality can be used to pick synthetic diamonds from a parcel of diamonds.-Another innovative method of differentiating the synthetic from the original is to use magnets. This method can be used since there are likely to be metallic inclusions in the synthetic diamond but not in a natural one. If a diamond is kept free and a strong magnet moved closer, the synthetic diamond will tend to incline more towards the magnets. This is another infallible method of differentiating synthetics from real diamonds because natural diamonds have never known to have metallic inclusions so far.With these various techniques that can be used to detect synthetics, there should be no doubt that separating the two types should be easy. However, when you are dealing with other professionals it is still important and ethical to mention certain facts.In case you are buying diamonds and are not too sure about the authenticity of the source, you could send the diamonds to a gemological laboratory for testing.De Beers, one of the leading organizations in diamond trade has developed two diamond verification instruments in the mid 1990’s. These were called the DiamondSure and DiamondView.The DiamondSure is a simple instrument that divides the diamond into real or synthetic based on the manner in which the piece absorbs light. And the testing can be done for mounted as well as un-mounted diamonds. Further testing has to be done in case the DiamondSure cannot unequivocally identify a synthetic diamond from a real one. DiamondView, the more complex of the instruments can definitely identify all synthetic diamonds.Whether by using an instrument or by sending the diamonds to the gemological laboratory, there is not doubt today that the sophistication of making the synthetic diamond process has made it necessary for people to check their real diamonds in case they have even a teeny-weeny doubt about the authenticity.

HPHT Treated Diamond

History of HPHT

The history of HPHT treatments dates back to 1955, when the General Electric Company first discovered the process for creating diamonds in the laboratory. This led to the creation of HPHT process, whereby GE first created a press where the required pressure and temperature could be maintained for the process. One thing led to another and HPHT treatment evolved through various presses like the tetrahedral, BARS and finally the cubic press. What began as an experiment for diamond color modification in synthetic diamonds has today evolved into usage for natural diamonds also.

Usage of HPHT Diamond Enhancements

HPHT treatments basically serve two purposes

Creating synthetic diamonds: To obtain synthetic diamonds, carbon is put inside a grapite capsule. A seed is then inserted into this capsule and a catalyst is added. The diamond grows on the seed while the catalyst enables the crystallization to take place.

Color modification: Different type of diamonds react differently when exposed to HPHT treatments and a range of colors are obtained. For example, diamonds containing aggragated nitrogen, when exposed to HPHT can cause it to become single substitution nitrogen. In such cases, diamonds having green, orange and yellow hues can be created. In diamonds where nitrogen is negligible, the process is often used to produce colorless diamonds. Thus brownish diamonds when HPHT processed can obtain a colorless hue. A light pink color may also be obtained in some cases. In case of diamonds with negligible nitrogen and presence of boron, HPHT can alter the color. Thus brownish diamonds will lose the brown tone and boron will make the stone bluish in color.

Popular presses used for treatment

Belt presses: This was the initial form of press used for treatment. Here pressure is created by the usage of two high strength pistons that provide equal pressure in opposing directions on a sample. A series of rings surround the sample in order to contain the pressure.

Torid press: In this method, the two pistons apply pressure in a single vertical direction.

Cubic press: This uses many pistons that provide pressure from different directions. It is also known as a tetrahedral press.

Procedure of HPHT

If a customer intends to give diamonds for this treatment, the following procedure is used,

Pricing of treatments: Cost for these treatments varies with the size of the diamond. Also the total number of stones given and additional services like repolishing are charged extra. While these treatments are expensive,

Organizations and HPHT

Because HPHT is controversial, different bodies follow different guidelines for HPHT. As per the Federal Trade commission, HPHT treated diamonds must be disclosed to the user. General Electric follows this norm and all diamonds that are HPHT treated are laser inscribed with the terms ‘HPHT PROCESSED’, IRRADIATED. If GIA notes diamonds to be HPHT treated, it also specifies them as ‘HPHT ANNEALED’ or ‘Artificially Irradiated’. Such details are displayed prominently on the grading report under ‘origin’ in the ‘color’ section of the report.

Pros and cons

The HPHT treatment of diamonds is a controversial issue because it has both advantages and disadvantages. These are further discussed as under.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Disclosure

As HPHT has become more commercially available, today there are various methods available to detect if your stone has been HPHT processed or not. At the basic level diamonds over 0.5 carat can only be HPHT treated. A trained gemologist may use equipment like the SSEF spotter and crossed polarization filter to detect the same. DiamondSure is also used to separate cape diamonds from the rest. At the next level FTIR and UVVIS spectroscopes are used and synthetic and PT treated diamonds can easily be identified ere. Besides this, renowned laboratories have many other proprietary procedures that they use to identify such diamonds.

With all sophisticated equipment it continues to be difficult to detect HPHT processed diamonds at many instances. It is thus important that you purchase diamonds from a trusted vendor online or offline. Diamonds accompanied with a certificate from a reputed laboratory like GIA also ensure that diamonds are completely natural. You could also choose signature or top of the line branded diamonds to protect yourself. Finally, if you cannot afford GIA stones, make sure to opt for a diamond that is accompanied by a certificate from a renowned laboratory.

“Cultured” diamonds is one type of artificial diamond. They have been small and limited to industrial uses, while synthetic diamonds have been produced for decades. Cultured diamonds, then again, can be up to 2 carats and come in a selection of colors such as pink, orange, yellow, and the most common transparent diamonds, making them appropriate for jewelry accessories. Cultured diamonds are shaped using a recently invented production system that grows the crystals from a seed under high temperature and pressure. Natural loose diamonds always have structural indiscretion or chemical impurities. Because of this, imperfections must be added to simulate the look of natural diamonds. While colored diamonds (for instance, Jennifer Lopez’s pink diamond engagement ring) are enormously uncommon in nature, they are cheaper to produce because they take only a few days to cultivate as compared to several weeks for transparent diamonds. The period for producing cultured diamonds may be shortened as the manufacturing methods are perfected.Unlike cultured diamonds, cubic zirconia (shortened CZ) is made up of a different substance than natural diamonds. CZ consists mostly of zirconium dioxide. Consequently, its chemical properties are close to, but are unlike those of diamonds. While CZ is heavier, it does not have the ‘fire’ or light dispersion that diamonds have. In normal conditions, cultured diamonds and diamonds are considered 500 times harder than cubic zirconia.There are a number of claims which states that cubic zirconia cannot be easily differentiated from a natural diamond when seen by the unaided eye. This may be true for people who are not in the jewelry business. However, simple lab tests can easily differentiate them because they are made of different materials. On the other hand, there is no way to differentiate between a cultured diamond and a natural diamond. This information causes huge dismay to the diamond commerce, which is racing to expand differentiating processes. In order to prevent confusion, the companies that are manufacturing these cultured diamonds are taking procedures to mark their diamonds. For instance, they may laser engrave them or put in trace impurities. If this is not done, diamond buyers would not be able to know if the diamond they are buying came from a machine or from a natural mine. A natural diamond might command a high value due to the expense of mining and its apparent rarity. An unprincipled seller might pass off a far less luxurious cultured diamond as a real diamond.