There’s no doubt that lab-created diamonds can be beautiful. They look, feel, and sparkle just like natural diamonds. In fact, lab created diamonds can be grown in all the same colors as the mined varieties. While the color of light waves hitting a diamond is a good early indicator, a jeweler or expert gemologist will have to use specialized equipment to find the difference.
Lab-created diamonds are artificially produced and contain carbon instead of nitrogen. Nitrogen gives natural diamonds their yellowish hue. It’s rare for a diamond to be internally flawless. A perfect internally flawless diamond is hard to find and extremely expensive.
How to Tell If a Diamond is Lab Created
The GIA has developed a testing machine that can help to identify diamonds that are lab grown. Although the machine doesn’t have a 100% guarantee, it’s a reliable indicator of a lab-created diamond.
Another test to identify a lab-grown diamond is to check for small inclusions. These inclusions are sometimes etched with a synthetic status and report the number lab grown diamonds madison heights. However, the test isn’t accurate if the inclusions are too small to be visible through a microscope.
Most lab-grown diamonds are type IIa, which means they contain very little nitrogen. As the diamond grows, trace chemicals can be trapped inside, resulting in diamonds of all colors. For this reason, a good gemologist will also use a microscope to see these tiny inclusions.
Another way to find out if a diamond is lab-grown is to ask a jeweler to affix a laser inscription to the diamond girdle. This inscription will show whether or not a diamond is natural or man-made. To do this, the jeweler should use a high-powered microscope with a magnification of about 30x.
If a jeweler cannot affix a laser inscription to a diamond girdle, or if the inscription is too tiny to be seen with a standard jeweler’s loupe, the jeweler will have to take the diamond to a gemological research facility. Generally, these labs have specialized equipment that can detect the small differences in inclusions.
Another good way to find out if a diamond or other stone is lab-grown is to look online for information. Jewelers who are reputable will have to declare which types of stones they sell. Some may send their larger diamonds to grading labs to be evaluated. Often, jewelers will have a specialist tester on hand to help identify lab-growns.
Even though lab-created diamonds are a great option for consumers, they are still relatively new and aren’t yet perfected. That’s why, if you’re considering buying one, you’ll want to do your homework. Find out how much a diamond is worth, how it was graded, and whether or not it’s natural or artificial.
Lab-grown diamonds can cost anywhere between $1,000 to $2,000. This depends on the diamond’s size and quality. You can expect to pay a lot more for a lab-created diamond with a perfect clarity and cut. On the other hand, you can expect to pay much less for a natural diamond of similar quality.