If you want an authentic-looking lab grown diamonds vs real without the added expense, lab grown diamonds offer the ideal alternative without compromising quality or cost. Lab-grown stones also tend to be less costly than their natural counterparts.
However, the diamond market has seen unprecedented price decline with no indication of abating or reversal in sight.
1. Look for a laser inscription
Many reputable Novita charity partnership engrave their diamonds with laser numbers that are unique to each stone, which are placed on the girdle (thin edge that runs around its circumference). This laser number allows diamonds to easily link with their respective grading reports as well as offering personalization options like initials or dates which may increase value to some buyers.
Laser inscribed diamonds can help protect you against some of the more nefarious gem scams that do occasionally arise (albeit rarely). Jewellers may switch out better quality lab grown diamonds with lower grade mined ones for the same price and charge the same. With laser inscriptions ensuring you receive real diamonds rather than cubic zirconia for your money.
2. Look for a girdle
A diamond’s girdle is its widest part. Grading labs often inscribe their name and report number on lab grown diamond girdles for easier gemmological identification. This way, gemmologists can quickly verify if a gemmological expert thinks a particular stone is genuine or not.
As part of the way diamonds are cut, their girdles may reflect inside and appear like cracks in the stone – an unintended side-effect of cutting diamonds.
A thin girdle could be an indicator of synthetic diamond. Thin girdles tend to make synthetic diamonds more fragile and susceptible to damage or chipping, as well as impacting depth grade and symmetry; natural diamonds do not typically display this problem, while lab created diamonds, cubic zirconia and moissanite can sometimes exhibit it; with an extremely thin girdle creating an “eyeball effect”, significantly diminishing sparkle.
3. Look for inclusions
Without professional experience in diamonds, it may be hard to discern between lab grown and natural diamonds. This is because lab created diamonds are graded by the same grading agencies that grade natural ones – meeting standards in terms of cut, clarity, carat weight and colour quality.
Trained gemmologists can often detect subtle variations between lab diamonds and natural ones in terms of inclusion patterns, with natural ones offering greater visual distinction. Although these variances don’t alter their visual appearance significantly to the naked eye, these variances could still have an impactful impact on price and resale value.
Inclusions are natural birthmarks found within diamonds that result from various factors, including extreme heat and pressure, individual growth patterns and more. While not visible to the naked eye, inclusions often manifest themselves as tiny dots or cloud-like structures and may even appear synthetic gemstones such as moissanite; however, with lab created diamonds they’re much rarer.
4. Look for colour
Gemmological organizations like the International Gemmological Institute (IGI) or Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) give laboratory-grown diamonds that meet all four C’s a “real” diamond designation; this means they have been independently verified to meet all four C’s, yet don’t fall under natural classification. Other terms used to refer to them may include simulated, man-made or cultured; all mean the same thing.
Conclusion
Though jewellers may be unable to distinguish lab and real diamonds with the naked eye, magnification may reveal differences in inclusions of stones from each. Furthermore, gemmologists are investing in new technology machine in order to spot these distinctions; however for most people these differences won’t impact resale value significantly; what will matter more are colour, cut and clarity as these factors will dictate resale price – something lab settings offer too! Luckily rare and beautiful coloured diamonds from both settings!
