No matter if it’s for yourself or another, when purchasing a diamond, it is important to know you are getting an authentic stone. There are various methods to distinguish between lab grown and mined diamonds.
Grown diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically identical to natural diamonds; however, they’re created in a laboratory instead of being mined deep within the earth. Available in an assortment of shapes and sizes, grown diamonds make an affordable alternative option when considering mined diamonds for any budget.
Color
Mined or lab diamonds vary in color depending on whether there are certain “impurities,” including nitrogen and boron, present within their crystal structures.
White diamonds obtain their color from nitrogen impurities within carbon crystals, while yellow and brown stones are affected by boron impurities. On the GIA color scale D-Z represents these differences – with D being colorless and Z being yellow or brown in hue.
Laboratory grown diamonds derive their color from voids in their crystal structures created through high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) diamond growing processes.
Lab diamonds may also exhibit fluorescent properties that cause them to glow under ultraviolet radiation. This glow can alter how a diamond appears during daylight hours and make it seem darker or lighter than it normally would be.
Clarity
Clarity is one of the four Cs of Diamond Quality and can be defined by size, nature, position, color relief or quantity of inclusions and blemishes on a diamond surface. Gemologists use advanced magnification equipment and lighting conditions when assigning grades using this grading system.
Diamonds naturally contain inclusions and blemishes due to both internal and external forces during their creation deep underground. These factors could include internal tensions as well as changes to pressure within the earth that cause inclusions to form during formation of these precious gems.
The lab-grown diamonds, on the other hand, are produced through mimicking nature in a controlled laboratory environment and typically produce clearer diamonds with less inclusions than mined ones.
Identification of mined or lab diamonds for clarity evaluation can be an intricate process that requires using specialized instruments like jeweler’s loupes (an eyeglass-like magnifying device) in order to examine them under 10x magnification. Such equipment must be utilized accurately.
Inclusions
Diamond inclusions are natural imperfections that result from events occurring during diamond formation, often invisible to the naked eye but detectable upon close inspection by gemologists.
Mined or lab diamonds with inclusions can affect their appearance and value in various ways, ranging in terms of size and number.
Flawless (FL) diamonds are defined as diamonds without internal inclusions visible under 10x magnification, including small extra facets on pavilion near girdle near edge and small naturals confined within its outline that do not extend into other sections of girdle outline.
Diamond inclusions range from microscopic pinpoints to large crystal clusters known as cavities, often not visible to the naked eye but detectable through use of a jeweler’s loupe under ideal conditions.
Weight
Mined or lab diamond weight plays an essential role in establishing their value. Diamonds priced based on carat weight are graded against four criteria – color, clarity, cut and carat size.
Electronic scales offer the most accurate method for weighing a diamond. When an unset stone is placed on one, its weight can be instantly read off digitally and recorded.
Once you have your stone in hand, use a conversion table to determine its carat weight. These are especially helpful for princess-cut and Asscher-cut diamonds.
Round-cut diamonds are the standard in jewelry industry, although other shapes like cushion, oval, and pear cuts also exist. An ideal cut has an ideal length-to-width ratio between 1.0 and 1.3 and an optimal table percentage between 53-65% as stated on its certificate – these measurements should provide a beautiful balance of brilliance and fire in its appearance.
