If you have just started your long and hard search to find the ideal ring for your spouse, it is now impossible to avoid the question: “Lab-grown or natural diamonds?”
Although man-made diamonds have technically been around since the 1950s, it was only until the 1980s that lab-grown diamonds started to become much more accessible and popular. Lab-grown diamonds are considered real diamonds too, so there is no need to think that they are any less legitimate than diamonds from the earth.
But if you are ever curious about how exactly we find out if a diamond is lab grown, then stick around because this article is going to show you how.
In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the most common ways people are able to tell the origin of a diamond. We will go over:
- Using UV Radiation and Spectroscopy Testing
- Looking for tiny inscriptions
- Using a Neodymium magnet
What are Lab-Grown Diamonds?
Lab-grown diamonds, also known as synthetic diamonds or man-made diamonds are diamonds that are produced artificially in a laboratory. These diamonds are chemically identical to regular diamonds that are mined from the earth.
There are a few methods in which laboratory diamonds are made, and it would be very technical if we were to get into the specifics, but all you need to know is that the two main methods are:
- HPHT – High-Pressure High Temperature. One of the first methods involves machines that use high pressure and temperature to create diamonds
- CVD – Chemical Vapour Deposition – Focuses on using gases to create diamonds.
It is basically impossible to be able to spot the difference between a lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond with your own eyes. Mostly, you are relying on the seller to state that the diamond is in fact synthetic.
However, because lab-grown diamonds are created in such a shorter time than natural diamonds, they cost less.
Tests That Can Be Performed
Even with magnification, it is extremely difficult to be able to distinguish the two apart. Some synthetic diamonds have laser inscriptions that help you determine the stone’s origin.
If a gemologist is approached by someone who wants to know if their diamonds are natural or lab-made, they will often look for a laser inscription first.
UV Radiation + Photoluminescence Spectroscopy Testing
These types of tests are one of the most absolute ways that you can tell what kind of diamond you have. In fact, they have around 100% accuracy in doing so. What you would have to do is send your diamond over to a gem laboratory that conducts special testing.
The machines that get used are immensely complicated and powerful. Basically, non-ionizing radiation gets shot out from the machines at the diamond. (Non-ionizing radiation just means that the radiation is not harmful to humans). The machines then see what the diamond returns after getting hit with the radiation.
Then, with the spectroscopic analysis, we can see what sort of wavelengths appear. Spectroscopy is basically just a scientific test that gives a readout based on what electromagnetic radiation behaves like.
Natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds will show up differently on these types of tests, with giveaways in the spikes displayed on the test.
If you happen to have a CVD diamond, then certain machines can be used by professionals to actually see the lines and layers of growth of the diamond, which is another dead giveaway.
Looking for Inscriptions
As mentioned earlier before, one of the most surefire ways to tell if your diamond has been created in a lab is by using a magnifier to check if there is some sort of inscription on the stone.
The inscription is usually around the “girdle” of the diamond. The girdle is basically the outer edge of the diamond, where the top (crown) meets the bottom (pavilion). Trying to find the inscription without a magnifier is virtually impossible. You will need some heavy magnification, particularly around the 20x mark. Sometimes, 30x is required.
If the girdle of the diamond is small, the inscription will be smaller, and vice versa for a larger diamond. If there is an inscription, you’ve found yourself a lab-grown diamond. However, if there is no inscription there then that doesn’t necessarily mean that the diamond is natural either.
Using a Magnet
If a diamond was created using the High-Pressure High-Temperature Method, then there is a chance that there are very tiny amounts of Nickel and Iron that come with it. You may be able to find extremely small trace amounts of “inclusions” in clusters around the diamond.
If this just so happens to be the case, a magnet can be used to attract the diamond to it. The thing is, you can’t just use your everyday run-of-the-mill magnet. You will need a strong magnet like a Neodymium magnet in order to be able to have anything noticeable happen.
In order to test the magnetic attraction, there are a couple of ways that you can go about doing it. The first way that you can use a magnet to check if a diamond is lab-made is by getting a little pool of water and putting the diamond in it. Bring your strong magnet very close to the diamond and see if there is any attraction.
This is a good way to check for slight amounts of magnetism. If you haven’t noticed anything major, try gently tapping the magnet against the diamond and pulling it away, and check if it follows the diamond. If so, this can be an indicator that the diamond is lab-grown.
The second way is by getting your strong magnet and trying to gently lift it off the surface by hovering your magnet around. You would want to be quite careful with this, and not too harsh – you need to be slow to make sure it lifts off and is attracted to the magnet properly.
The Nickel and Iron may be inside different areas of your diamond so make sure you scan your magnet around everywhere.
The thing is though, that not all of these High-Pressure High-Temperature diamonds are “magnetic”. If the diamond is smaller than .5 carats then you are much less likely to see anything magnetic happen.
Chemical Vapour Deposition diamonds are very different from HPHT diamonds, as they are made in different ways. This means that if you hope to use a magnet to check if a CVD diamond is natural or not, it will be impossible.
Conclusion
While natural diamonds and man-made diamonds are still considered to be the same, people like to know what exactly they have in their hands. When purchasing a diamond, every jeweller usually just declares whether the diamond is synthetic or naturally formed within the earth.
If someone passes down a diamond ring to you, the tests we mentioned should be able to reveal how the diamond came to be. For a recap:
- The UV radiation method uses machines that emit radiation to a diamond that then utilises machines that display and allow analysis based on the wavelengths outputted.
- You can look for inscriptions by using high-powered magnification to see if there has been anything inscribed stating whether it is lab-made.
- And finally, in a more informal manner, you can use a strong magnet to determine whether a diamond has been created using the HPHT method based on the magnetic attraction it displays.
Visit us in-store or browse our website and see if you can tell the difference on our lab grown diamond range first-hand.
by Australian Diamond Brokers : August 22nd 2022 Come visit our store or browse our website to find out more.