Diamonds part two artificial and fake

The first  artificial diamond was made in a laboratory in 1954, and now diamonds can be made in a special  press  or by chemical vapour decomposition ( which grows large diamonds from tiny seed diamonds)  at relatively low cost. This has done nothing to diminish the price of natural diamonds but  is a hazard for the inexperienced buyer.  Fortunately it is possible to distinguish between synthetic and natural diamonds.  The synthetic diamond will often have far fewer flaws and scratches than the natural diamond and  has a higher density.  The density and types of flaws and inclusions  differ in number and type

Generally speaking an artificial diamond will cost 30% less than a natural diamond and will weigh less than a carat. Many Man Made Diamonds will have  a statement that the diamond is laboratory grown inscribed on the girdle with a laser.  The Grading scale is different from that used for natural diamonds and the  grading report  for natural diamonds looks very different from that used for natural diamonds.

On the positive side De Beers have developed machines that will easily allow jewellers to distinguish between natural and artificial diamonds.

The only case I have heard of where an artificial diamond is preferable to a  natural one is   the “Life Gem” an artificial diamond made from the cremated remains of a loved one or a pet.

The bottom line is that an artificial diamond IS a diamond which is why it is hard to tell natural and cultivated diamonds.   Manufacturers are trying their best to prevent people getting fooled but there are stones coming out of Russia and China that are not properly identified. in the Philippines I heard  fake diamonds referred to as “Russian Diamonds”

Some relatively inexpensive crystals look like diamonds. Cubic Zirconia is an excellent diamond simulant. It has a higher dispersion than diamond, that is it spreads the colours of the spectrum apart more than diamond, and therefore seems to sparkle more. Moissanite is durable and has a similar thermal conductivity to diamond but normally has a slight green colour and is double refracting, which means it will split the image of any object viewed through it into two. Zircon sparkles like diamond and has a similar refractive index. Other substitutes do not make convinsing diamonds except in a dim light.

Any gemstone will cut glass, but a diamond will scratch rubies and sapphires. A thermal conduction measurement will tell you if the gem is neither diamond nor moissanite and a sophisticated conductivity test or checking for double refraction will distinguish moissanite and diamond.

One way to reduce the risk of being duped is to know what you are talking about, not to expert level, but well enough to be able to distinguish an expert from a confidence trickster.  If you are not buying from a recognised and reputable trader – and I can see no reason why you should do that - do not  spend more than you can afford to lose, do not spend until you know the dealer can be trusted, and   evaluate the dealer as well as the goods. I  was once in an oriental supermarket in Manchester England when an Indian man walked in  and took an envelope of what he claimed were diamonds out of his pocket and tried to sell them. This  would have been a high risk transaction. No certificate, I did not know them and I could not tell a diamond from a piece of quartz in the indoor lighting.   If you want to save money on diamonds go to one of the diamond factories insay Amsterdam and buy there. If you want to save more money on diamonds brought over a period of time build up a  friendly relationship with  one factory, or indeed one assistant. If you find them attractive consider that a bonus but don't let that affect your judgment.

This series is not meant to make  you an expert: diamonds are a vast field. It is meant to give you an appreciation of diamonds and enough knowledge to avoid obvious traps

part one of this series  Diamonds part one

Real versus natural diamonds

How diamonds work