Lab grown diamonds have almost taken over the engagement rings and other jewelry items.
The reason for this is of course, due to their affordability and brilliant shine.
It is impossible to tell the two diamond types apart with our naked eye. So, will lab made diamonds pass the diamond tester?
Since the unveiling of a lab created diamond in 1955 by General Electronics, the diamond industry has never been the same.
Now increasing in demand and supply, these crystals have revolutionized the engagement ring.
Based on their brilliant glow it gives and the affordable price tag, this is the future of the diamond crystal.
So let me ANSWER your first question.
Will Lab Made Diamonds Pass Diamond Tester?
Yes, they will test positive because they are made from crystalized carbon meaning this will be detected by the tester which seeks to confirm if a stone contains pure carbon components.
These created diamonds have similar thermal and electrical conductivity that real diamonds have so they will record a positive result.
Unlike the simulation crystals like Cubic zirconia that will immediately be flagged down as fake diamonds, the lab-created ones are undetectable.
This is no reason to panic as contrary to what you may believe, lab-created diamonds also have a resale value just like real diamonds do.
What Is Lab Made Diamonds?
These are diamonds grown and developed behind the door of a scientist. They are chemically, optically and physically identical to naturally occurring diamonds. Which means they look, feel and reflect just as natural diamonds but only with a cheaper price tag.
Other familiar names that refer to lab made diamonds are such like, cultured, synthetic, lab grown, lab created and simply, created diamonds.
To identify them, a tiny laser inscription is done on the girdle denoting them as being lab made.
Another alternative used by the manufacturers is to label the girdle with a lab report number. This number is a reference for your diamond.
By visiting the manufacturers website and searching the report number, you should be able to get detailed info on your diamond’s quality, origin and more.
What are HPTP Diamonds?
HPTP stands for High Pressure/High Temperature. It is a scientific process designed in the 1950s to try and boost sales in the diamond industry.
Cheaper and flawed diamonds are gathered and put through the HPHT process to clean them and make them more desirable by clarifying their colorless brilliance or by turning them into colors of pink, yellow or blue.
Diamonds are created by heating carbon elements at high temperatures and exerting force on them to push the matter together into a compact stone. This happens inside the earth’s crust.
Now, manufacturers replicate this process using a machine lab in order to create a diamond. This is the oldest and most expensive method in the book because it takes up too much energy.
Imitating the heat levels in the earth’s crust, the temperature is raised to 2,600 degrees Celsius. Regardless of the cost in energy and heavy machinery, in less than two weeks, your clear diamonds will be ready.
Pros and Cons of HPTP Diamonds
Pros
- They are stronger than untreated diamonds because the process recreates the original process that caused the diamond to form. Taking the gem through this again will help it minimize internal strains which results in a perfect crystal.
- A purer crystal is that of HPHT because the process improves the diamonds atomic construction which stimulates the color producing bonds that produce a D or E high grade diamond crystal.
- These diamonds have affordable prices considering the process they undergo. Most especially because they are impure in color when picked from the surface. Even after they have been turned into class D or E diamonds, they can only still be valued at half price.
Cons
- HTHP colorless diamonds could betray slight hints of blue, brown or yellow colors. This may be visible when looking at the gem from the side and up close.
- Flux which happens spontaneously as the stone develops, could show up affecting the clarity and supremacy of your diamond.
- Diamonds processed through HTHP tend to lose their initial weight.
- Magnetic force fields used in their creation cause these diamonds to be magnetically charged with most of them being very responsive to a magnetic force.
- When considering which inferior diamonds to process through HTHP, be careful to pick only those with high clarity between VVS1 and flawless stones. This is because any lower grade diamonds will explode mid process.
What are CVD Diamonds?
CVD means Chemical Vapor Deposition which has been in existence since 1980s. These synthetic diamonds are grown in a vacuum chamber infused with methane gas.
The process follows a technician who puts the diamond seed in a high temperature chamber at about 800 degrees Celsius and locks it. Then a mixture of methane and hydrogen gas is pumped into the chamber.
Next, a laser beam is shone into the chamber to ionize the gas which releases carbon atoms on the diamond seeds. As the carbon builds up, it bonds with the seed diamond which then proceed to crystalize into the large sized crystals we are accustomed to.
Once the crystallization process is done, the technician removes the diamond covered in black matter. He will then cut away the black coating which reveals the clear white crystal underneath.
This process is not as fast as the HPHT method which creates a diamond in two weeks. The CVD formula is slow and interestingly the smaller the intended crystal size, the longer the process. It takes generally about a month to create 1ct CVD diamond.
CVD diamonds, may not be flawless because the process occurs naturally which results to random sightings of imperfection brought about by the violent development.
Owing to the fact that it is created in a controlled environment, the CVD diamond is far superior in quality than the real diamond.
CVDs still do possess all properties and characteristics of a natural diamond and they are subject to the GIA certificate of quality which when granted, allows them to be traded for profit.
Their price will be 20 to 30 percent lower than that of real diamonds which gives you an opportunity to budget for a higher carat crystal.
Pros and Cons of CVD Diamonds
Pros
- CVD diamonds greatly reduce the cost of production, fixed and overhead costs that a diamond manufacturer faces when he mines and processes the diamonds to the last minute.
- Even more than the physical benefits of CVD, some ecological and ethical issues are addressed with this lab created diamond. Mining presents long term and debilitating impacts to the people and the land in which it takes place. Creating them in a lab will alleviate these concerns.
- Environmentally speaking, 100 square feet of land is polluted and 6000 pounds of mineral debris is created. Since these CVD diamonds require no mining, this will help protect and preserve the integrity of our planet and people.
- Costs 30 or 40 percent less than the real diamond crystal and even with a higher grade.
Cons
- Similar to HPHT diamonds, the CVD crystals also could betray slight tints of random colors that will dull the clarity and quality of your diamond.
- Also because of the natural process of crystallization, these diamonds have a grained pattern that can be seen by the naked eye.
Conclusion
There is no difference between the lab created diamonds and the real diamonds in terms of characteristics and personality.
CVD and HPHT diamonds are considered treated and this makes their molecular structure stringer than the real diamond.
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Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.