Most of you are probably familiar with the 4 C’s of diamonds: Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat Weight. Now we have a fifth C to consider – Choice.
Choice refers to the choice you have between earth-mined diamonds and lab grown diamonds. There is a lot of misinformation and confusion in the marketplace surrounding Lab Grown Diamonds. Facet Foundry is proud to offer both earth-mined diamonds and lab grown diamonds from, giving you the choice.
Lab Grown Diamonds are diamonds. They have the exact same chemical composition, as well as the same physical and optical properties. All Lab Grown Diamonds are Type IIa diamonds, which means there is a complete absence of nitrogen or any other trace elements in the crystal structure. Only 2% of all earth-mined diamonds are Type IIa. Lab Grown diamonds are graded with the same color, clarity, and cut grades as their earth-mined counterparts.
Lab Grown Diamonds are less expensive than their earth-mined counterparts. Why? You may ask. Simply put, Lab Grown Diamonds are produced in factories. Thousands of carats of diamonds can be produced in a matter of weeks. However, this does not make Lab Grown diamonds cheap. Millions of dollars have gone into research and development, as well as the facilities in which the material is produced. For earth-mined diamonds it is estimated that it takes 1 million tons of host rock to be extracted from the earth to recover a single gem quality 1 carat diamond. The billions of years it takes for earth-mined diamonds to form, rarity, and the mining process itself contribute to the greater cost of earth-mined diamonds.
This year alone, we have seen earth-mined diamond prices increase 4 times on round brilliants and 3 times on fancy shapes. At the same time Lab Grown diamonds have seen a decrease in price. The price disparity between the two is becoming greater. On average, Lab Grown diamonds are selling for 50-60% less than a comparable earth-mined diamond.
Lab Grown Diamonds are thought to be “Eco-Friendly” or “Green”. This unfortunately, is not true, although some Lab Grown Diamond manufactures are still touting this as a benefit. Recent third-party research finds the mining of diamonds produces 3-times less carbon emissions per carat than lab-grown diamonds.
Some say that Lab Grown Diamonds are undetectable. To the naked eye, yes; but this statement is misleading to the consumer. Advanced laboratory equipment is needed to separate earth mined Type IIa diamonds from Lab Grown Diamonds. There are several types of screening devices on the market for small scale use. Facet Foundry Jewelry Studio owns a screening device called the iD-100, which can detect whether a diamond of unknown origin is Type IIa.
At Facet Foundry Jewelry Studio, we offer both earth-mined diamonds and Lab Grown diamonds. Both are beautiful and can last a lifetime. The choice truly is yours.
