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    Start with a Diamond
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    Jul 22

    DiamondThe most obvious difference between genuine diamonds and fake diamonds (also called synthetic diamonds, simulated diamonds or diamond enhancements) is that real diamonds form naturally inside the earth. Fake diamonds are created in a laboratory or factory and are manufactured rather than mined. Simulated diamonds are designed to look like real diamonds and many companies that manufacture these products are quick to announce that their product cannot be distinguished from the genuine article.Because of the many gemological as well as industrial uses of diamonds, there has been a large demand for rough stones. In years past, the demand for industrial diamonds (the ugly type of diamond, used for construction purposes) has been satisfied with synthetic diamonds. If you look at the record books, synthetic diamonds have actually been in marketing existence since the mid 20th century. It’s only contemporary society that refers to these synthetic diamonds as “fake”, when in actuality synthetic diamonds actually can serve a purpose. However, marketing large synthetic diamonds it is a relatively new trend, as technology has allowed these artificial recreations to become bigger in size.

    Learning More About Synthetic Diamonds

    Most synthetic diamonds that are commercially sold are yellow in color and made from a process known as High Pressure High Temperature. The yellow color is produced by nitrogen impurities, and yellow is not the only color that might be present. Other synthetic stones may produce shades of blue, green or pink that result from additions such as boron or because of irradiation.

    Can you guess what most people prefer, real or simulated? If you guessed the real thing you’re right–in fact, the total production of natural diamonds, about 120 million carats worth, out powers the production of simulated diamonds, which is only a few thousand carats in comparison. Are there ways to tell real diamonds from these simulated impostors? Yes, and one of the most telling facts will be in the size of the diamond. Statistically speaking, there is only one fancy colored diamond for every 10,000 colorless ones. Thus, the synthetic market naturally calls for fancy diamonds and most simulated diamonds produced are of large, fancy design styles. Thus, if you happen to find a fancy colored diamond, you’ve either uncovered a natural rarity worth a lot of money or have found a simulated version of a large fancy diamond on the Internet.

    Telling Real From Fake

    Trained gemologists have more experience in analyzing stones and can more effectively differentiate synthetic diamonds from genuine ones. Admittedly, the process can be difficult and if the intent of buying a fake fancy diamond is to fool an unsuspecting loved one (or a loved one who doesn’t really care about authenticity or price) then it can be done. Companies count on skilled craftsman to simulate real fancy diamonds so that they are practically indistinguishable from real diamonds.

    One popular conception is that simulated diamonds are too perfect to be real. This is partially true, though it should be noted that gemologists can find flaws in both real and fake diamonds; the different flaws will in fact identify a diamond’s true origin. For example, fakes that have been produced by chemical vapor deposition can often be identified by an orange fluorescence appearance. Additionally, diamonds can be identified by their color through use of gemologist’s tools such as a Swiss Gemological Organization’s Diamond Spotter, or a DiamondSure UV/visible spectrometer.

    Elaborating on the reasoning that a fake diamond is just too perfect, a gemologist will tell you that most natural diamonds have minor imperfections and flaws–and not just from chippings or dents. Rather, natural diamonds may have inclusions of foreign material. Naturally, synthetic diamonds are made to impersonate a real diamond without these foreign inclusions. Thus, a perfect diamond is either exceptionally rare or manufactured to look perfect.

    Interestingly, the too-perfect rule has a flaw in itself. If you were to compare a 100% perfect diamond with a 100% perfect simulated diamond, even if you were a trained gemologist, you would not be able to tell the difference. This is because a truly perfect diamond is rare. Natural diamonds always have flaws and manufacturers always make mistakes. Therefore, the too-perfect rule is not always a failsafe.

    The Future of Simulated Diamonds

    It should come as no surprise that the simulated diamond market is growing, thanks to the popularity of such simulant materials as cubic zirconia and moissanite. However, some diamond experts feel that mass production of large, synthetic diamonds threatens the business of legitimate commercial diamonds. Some customers may feel content to buy simulated diamonds, knowing that they could never afford a near flawless diamond. Others though, insist upon buying only genuine diamonds, as these are a more natural treasure and very rare, especially when compared to laboratory-produced items.

    To find out for sure whether a diamond is real or simulated contact an experienced gemologist!

    8 Responses to “The Difference Between Real and Synthetic Diamonds”

    1. krishna p. Says:

      Wonderful. Your knowledge is parexcellance . We would like to know the manufacturers of synthetic diamonds. Kindly provide addresses please. Thanks.warm greetings.

    2. Steven F. Says:

      Great article. I like the fake diamonds since it is an ethical alternative to blood diamonds.

    3. Steven F. Says:

      Krishna- Here are a few websites.

    4. Bob F Says:

      This article is pretty biased, and confuses the issue as well.

      Fake diamonds have been around for a long time — cubic zirconium, etc. They are not dimaonds, but fakes.

      More recently, we now have real diamonds that are produced in a laboratory. They are just as real as mined diamonds — same material, same hardness, same brilliance. The difference is, one was made in a laboratory and one through geological processes. “Synthetic” is a better word for it, because it’s not at all fake.

      The world will embrace synthetic diamonds because of their beauty and affordability. Of course a trained gemologist can tell the difference — most are intentionally made that way. But who cares? At least we won’t have to destroy the planet through mining, nor do synthetic diamonds involve the violence and bloodshed that have become associated with natural diamonds.

    5. Norah Says:

      You fool, lab grown diamonds are NOT FAKE. They have same hardness, same refractory index (same brilliance) and so on.Lab diamonds are composed of C just as natural diamond are.
      SIMULATED diamonds are FAKE, they are different materials

    6. Johann Says:

      Lab grown diamonds are also real diamonds. They are not fake or synthetic. In fact, they are better than the real ones because, like others have said, they are not blood diamonds… and they are a testament to human achievement.

    7. saptanshu Says:

      its important to notice that X-Rays can pass through natural diamond but NOT through Synthetic diamonds.

    8. saptanshu Says:

      an extremely good, informative article…….thanx admin

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