Comparing our visitor statistics from 2017 with the recent data analysis we did for 2018's client history, it is quite alerting to think that lab-grown (a.k.a. man-made) diamonds have seemingly permeated parts of the local jewelry trade in at least two distinct market tiers.
Know that our clients do not necessarily have to share with us from which source they acquired their items, likewise we never recommend or discourage any honestly sold or bought diamond from any specific merchant or brand. Our only service offered is the testing of gemstones for identity and grading opinion. We still remain as a third-party with no vested interest in any purchase or sale made between two people. Our laboratory also does not buy, sell or grow diamonds. That being said, while the majority of non-diamond results from our gemological sessions continue to be from stones like cubic zirconia and moissanite, a growing number of appointments seem to arise from the fear of personally owned diamonds being of lab-grown origin..
2019 proves to be continuing the trend we've documented in 2018, save for the fact that now, we have a few clients who seem to be more accepting of lab-grown diamonds. They do not always think of these stones as lesser versions of natural diamonds, despite their current differences in value and pricing history.
We believe that the opinion of each is to be respected, and would like to re-state that lab-grown diamonds are still in fact diamonds. They were merely grown artificially using machines and the ingenuity of people. As far as we know, they are still about 40-60% cheaper than natural diamonds when bought at wholesale (not retail). This of course, is just in our limited observation from pricing information obtained during international diamond fairs (i.e. Hong Kong Gems and Jewelry Fairs - March, September 2018).
A simple search, for CVD or HPHT diamonds will already show you that there are an abundant number of international manufacturing sources for rough material. China is producing both HPHT and CVD lab-grown diamonds at the current time, in large quantities for the jewelry industry and for other industries as well. CVD grown diamonds are very optically pure, and rise from clear sheet 'seeds' into cubes or prismatic towers. Cutters then fashion the traditional diamond faceting styles onto these materials to produce the lab-grown diamonds that some of you are familiar with today.
If you are not certain as to whether your diamond is natural, man-made or an imitation, feel free to contact us for an appointment. For 2019, we are only testing fully-cut / faceted diamonds. We are currently no longer testing raw, rough, uncut, semi-cut or semi-polished gemstones for the time being. If this changes in the future, we will post an announcement. We do hope that everyone has had a good April, especially with the holidays. The last quarter of the month has heavy schedules for us, as several days have already been pre-scheduled. We look forward to the year ahead.
