Not that you didn’t know this already, but this article details just how cultured diamonds save you money
Jewelry is always a big seller for Valentine's Day, but for many "diamonds" are not in the budget.
Now there is a new 'type' of colored diamond not found in a mine but grown in a lab.
It's got all the brilliance of a 'natural' stone, but costs a whole lot less!If diamonds are a girl's best friend, a discounted diamond could earn them a spot in the family.
So, for those looking for a fancy colored diamond, cultured diamonds may get you more bang for your bling."
A cultured diamond has the same characteristics as a natural diamond. Same hardness, same refractive index, same brilliance."
But cost about two-thirds less. Why?
Gary Kleinhenz, who is the president of Kleinhenz Jewelers in Westlake says, these diamonds don't come from the ground. They are grown in a lab.
"It's created under the same conditions that diamonds are underneath the ground."
The Gemesis cultured diamond making laboratory in Sarasota, Florida are where the diamonds are made. The process starts with a tiny diamond seed that is placed in a growth chamber. The chamber is capable of generating the 850,000 pounds per square inch of pressure and 2,700 degrees of heat necessary to make one diamond every four days.
"It is just crystals that grow upon crystals to create a larger piece of rough. The rough diamond is sent to the cutter to be polished into what you see in finished jewelry." When you put a cultured diamond on a diamond tester- it registers as a diamond. And when we held it under a blue light, you could see the the seed the diamond grew from, right in the center."
The nucleus of a Gemesis diamond is a piece of diamond.
Right now you can only get them in yellow and orange. Other colors will be available soon. Industry leaders don't expect them to replace the white diamonds everybody loves.
"I think most people want the whitest diamond they can find and fancy colored diamonds are almost for a right handed ring or a cocktail ring, moreso than the engagement ring."
The Gemesis diamonds are certified by the Gemological Institute of America. The key here is to know when you are buying one. Make sure you are dealing with a knowledgeable jeweler who offers full-disclosure about where the diamond came from.
