Beautiful, clear, full of sparkle and the quickest way to the heart of your beloved. Or so DeBeers (once the largest diamond company in the world) used to tell us all. Diamonds have a long and complicated history which involved colonialism, conflict, exploitation, syndicates, crime, royalty, market manipulation and intrigue. This is all after the diamond was formed, as all naturally found diamonds are millions upon millions of years old, submitted to immense pressures, temperatures and time. All to create a beautiful piece of luxury that will last forever as, “a diamond is forever”*.
DeBeers played a huge part in bringing diamonds from the aristocracy and the super wealthy to the middles classes, so much so, that they even determined how much you should spend! The infamous line was. “how else could two months’ salary last forever?*” I mean, the cheek of it!
No matter my thoughts on the topic and the controversy that has surrounded and that can still sometimes surround natural diamonds, there is one thing that cannot be denied. They are BEAUTIFUL. So we understand the demand and desire to have them.
As covered in previous articles we shared how to assess diamonds and what characteristics make a desirable stone or to at least allow it to shine its’ brightest.
Today we will have a look at an alternative, and no, not the one that you find in costume jewellery the infamous Cubic Zirconia (ZrO2).
Lab-grown diamonds are a genuine alternative to natural diamonds, chemically identical to natural diamonds, the only real difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds, is exactly that. One is grown and the other is found. In order to grow a diamond you have to start with a ‘seed’, which normally constitutes a tiny diamond, be it natural or lab-grown, which is then sliced into tiny slithers and these slithers are exposed to extreme heat and pressure in a plasma reactor. It can get as hot as the Sun in one of these reactors!
In a matter of weeks rather than millions and millions of years, a rough diamond is formed and looks like a dirty, rough crystal. Much like what natural diamonds look like when found in mines and riverbanks.
These rough stones are then treated identically to the natural diamonds, in that they are cut and polished in exactly the same way. The end result is just as stunning and in most cases, even more stunning than the natural product. Remember one of the 4Cs for diamond classification is Clarity, well, lab-grown diamonds are almost always IF (internally flawless or flawless) grade. In other words the clearest they can be. With this in mind and the price point at which these lab-grown diamonds are available at, it is far more accessible and actually better value than their naturally found counterparts.
The Future of Diamonds
It really is an alternative to the naturally found diamonds and it is reflected in the market, just a decade ago around 10% of consumers were aware that lab-grown diamonds were an alternative, now, today over 50% of consumers are aware of lab-grown alternatives. Even large jewellery manufacturers are swapping out natural diamonds for lab-grown diamonds, one such example is Pandora. This in part will have something to do with the cost of these lab-grown diamonds as well as their transparent supply chain in comparison to naturally found diamonds.
Next time you fancy a sparkly diamond set or encrusted treat, take a look at both sides and see what takes your fancy. In all forms, diamonds are beautiful stones and as such choice is always a good thing!
We have a lovely selection of lab-grown diamonds in the boutique that will definitely give you and/or your loved one the wow-factor.