Zazz Beauty

In general, most people love diamonds, but are deterred by the cost of owning them. The once popular synthetic cubic zirconia (CZ), an inexpensive option, is heavy and lacks the brilliance that makes diamonds so desirable. In large sizes, CZs don\’t even look real to the naked eye. How, then, can one purchase the fire and sparkle at a reasonable price? Lab-created gems have come of age. They are no longer poor substitutes for the real thing – they are the real thing. In fact, they go one step farther — these stones are flawless.

Cultured, or man-made, stones are the same carbon crystals with the same chemical, optical and physical properties as those stones that nature created in the underground mines throughout the world. Cultured stones offer the same brilliance, sparkle, fire and scintillation. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades the cultured gems by the same standards it uses for the mined ones, although its rating describes the stones as \”laboratory grown.\” In fact, the GIA acknowledges that these ARE diamonds, just man-made.

High quality colored stones are extremely rare in nature, and thus very expensive. These colors result from certain impurities – nitrogen will create yellow, boron will create blue, and so forth. Besides being flawless, lab-created diamonds can easily be produced in several different colors. Prices for these vibrantly colored stones are fairly comparable to colorless gems.

Similar to their natural counterparts, cultured diamonds can be purchased either loose, or already in jewelry settings. Most jewelry and department stores don\’t carry them, however. These stones have only just been introduced to the market, and still comprise only a small portion of the total diamond inventory out there.

Regarding lab produced diamonds, here are some differences you should know about: 1. Typically, cultured stones are 1-2 carats in weight. While larger stones are made, they are less available. 2. Most man-made stones are colored, rather than colorless. This is exactly the opposite of natural diamonds. 3. Only experts can utilize very expensive special equipment in order to detect cultured gems to differentiate them from natural ones. 4. Finding \”matched pairs\” of natural stones for use in jewelry has historically been difficult, and thus, expensive. It is far easier to find matching identical stones in cultured gems.

So, should you be concerned that someone will try to pass off a man-made diamond to you as the \”real thing?\” This is probably not all that likely if you are purchasing from someone reputable. First of all, the manufacturers of the lab-grown diamonds are very proud of the gems they are able to produce. Secondly, these are actually diamonds rather than \”cheap\” imitations. Thirdly, the difference in the stones is detectable. And lastly, jewelers have every incentive to preserve the integrity of the natural diamond market, so a jeweler will readily help you identify what you are getting.

Basically, opting for lab-grown diamonds will allow you to purchase more for less. However, this isn\’t a \”champagne on a beer budget\” scenario. You can expect to pay about one third less for cultured stones than for natural stones. Lab-produced stones can be easily found via the internet, and these sites proudly advertise that their offerings are \”synthetics.\” But, similar to other online purchases, you\’ll want to investigate the vendor carefully prior to making your purchase.