LAB GROWN DIAMONDS

1. What are lab grown diamonds?

Lab grown diamonds are in fact diamonds. They are not faux/fake diamonds. They are not imitation diamonds. They are not what CZ, white sapphire, zircon or other diamond substitutes are. They are the real McCoy with the same atomic composition, hardness, refractive index, and are identical in nature and substance. So you’re asking, then what exactly is the difference? There are a few which we are going to point out in this tutorial but primarily the difference is merely where they are grown. Over the centuries diamonds have been traded and the typical process for acquisition has been the costly expenses of mining alluvial sites, separating the materials, sorting and selling to cutting houses and distribution through the likely channels whose value has been based primarily on supply and demand. Lab-grown diamonds bypass a very expensive procedure to the traditional way in that the material is grown directly in a laboratory instead of the earth thus removing a lot of the expense that the traditional process incurs.

2. What is the quality of these diamonds?

They come in a variety of qualities just as their earth grown counterparts do. Clarity grades typically range from VVS1 – I1 with colors ranging from D-M. Fancy colored diamonds are also a featured item in vivid yellow as well as pink.

3. What sizes do they come in?

They come in all sizes, from a 1/4 pointer to upwards of 4cts.

4. Who grows the diamonds?

General Electric has been the first company to do so and to date is the only lab who has mastered the process.

5. What grading reports will accompany a lab grown diamond?

GIA has and will grade lab-grown diamonds just as they would any other diamond. At this time January of 2021, GIA will not issue a paper report, only an online digital copy. We see most wholesalers are utilizing IGI for the grading reports.

6. Where can I get lab grown diamonds?

There are a number of resources around the web. We don’t personally recommend any particular website as we are only familiar with our own selection process but if you have come to enjoy the services we provide you might want to consider our cherry-picked inventory of lab-grown diamonds which you can view at this link. Also, what we have here is only a small sampling with access to considerably more. If you would consider this route and have a need simply ask.

7. I’m considering this option. If I do choose this route why should I buy from Good Old Gold?

Very simple. As not all diamonds are cut the same, even within the lab-grown diamonds online we will cherry pick for you only those that meet our QA 30 point inspection. This includes cherry picking those diamonds with optics that fall in the zenith of the AGS Ideal and GIA Ex cut grade for the guaranteed best optical properties in a round brilliant cut.

8. What other shapes/cuts can you acquire in lab grown diamonds?

The variety includes…

• The standard 57 faceted round brilliant cuts.
• Princess Cuts
• Emerald Cuts
• Asscher Cuts
• Radiant Cuts
• Cushion Cuts
• Ovals Cuts
• Pears Cuts
• Even Heart Shaped 

To date we have inspected all of the available cuts on the market and have performed all of our extensive optical examinations and scans. Just like mined diamonds we see that the cut of the lab grown diamond, regardless of the shape, is paramount in how the diamond performs optically. Using our extensive knowledge of different diamonds cuts we can find the best performing lab grown diamonds on the market.

9. Why would someone consider a lab grown diamond instead of an earth grown diamond?

A number of reasons. Two of the primary reasons we find are …

• • Those who are eco-conscious are drawn to the idea of lab-grown diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds do not require the mining and destruction of earth it takes with traditional open pit mining. While the issue of conflict-free diamonds has subsided to a very small fraction of diamonds in the world, lab-grown diamonds are the last you’d ever have to worry about since they are grown by a team of dedicated scientists who have mastered the manufacturing process and is the cleanest most environmentally friends diamonds in the world.
  • Generally when a client is on an extremely tight budget and they have unrealistic expectations for size/quality for the money there is generally one of two routes to take to get a size/quality that fits their budget or not. These 2 are …
    • i. One way is going the route of a “clarity enhanced diamond”. Clarity enhanced diamonds (or fracture filled diamonds) are diamonds that are I1, I2 or I3 clarity grades and have their imperfections filled with a glass-like substance to make the inclusions invisible. In essence, you are paying for the Imperfect clarity grade and getting a better-looking diamond.
    • ii. The other route is lab grown. With a lab-grown diamond, you aren’t purchasing an enhanced Imperfect clarity diamond. You are getting a genuine diamond with the only exception that it has been grown in the lab instead of the earth. If the accompanying lab Report for a lab-grown diamond states a quality of say “G” color, “SI1” clarity we in our lab perform clarity and color testing on all our diamonds and if we find the paperwork to not align with the diamond we will not sell it or back it with our Lifetime Policies. All the diamonds you see published with photography & reports on Goodoldgold.com have all been vested by our company and we stand behind them with the same policies we do on all our diamonds.

10. How are lab grown diamonds identified?

• All lab grown diamonds will be laser inscribed for positive identification and are only sold through vetted diamond distributors. We have also found in our lab that they can be positively identified
• We have invested in a lab grown diamod tester that was created by GIA. In an instant we can test any diamond to see if it is a mined or lab grown diamond.     

11. Are lab grown diamonds synthetic?

• Lab grown diamonds are not synthetic. They are made up of the same material as earth-grown diamonds, only created in a lab environment.
• Companies growing these diamonds avoid the use of the term synthetic as the word is generally associated by the general public to mean counterfeit, mock, phony, fake, faux, etc. as opposed to genuine, real, true, natural etc.
• What many people are unaware of, is that within the jewelry and gemstone industry, the meaning of the word “synthetic” does not fully embrace the traditional definition of the word. For example, lab-grown diamonds are not counterfeit, mock, phony, fake or faux diamonds in the sense that gemstones like cubic zirconia, white sapphire, zircon, and other gemstones are. In the interest of not misleading the public, the manufacturers avoid the use of this term. Here’s the scoop. In the industry, gemstones are sold and traded on a daily basis and in fact, many jewelry items purchased by consumers are “synthetic”. Synthetic rubies are not fake rubies as the red corundum there cut from is not plastic or faux. It is a genuine corundum gemstone except that it was grown in a lab as opposed to the earth.