Natural Diamonds vs Cultured Diamonds
by Celes
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If you are planning on buying a diamond — whether it is a chocolate diamond ring, a sparkling anniversary necklace, a white or colored diamond — it is a good idea to learn some of the basics about these ever popular gems before you make your purchase. There is a difference natural diamonds and cultured diamonds and since jewelry is one of those items that often has a high markup you want to make sure you know what you are buying and what quality of stone you are getting. After all this is a significant purchase.
Natural Diamonds
Diamonds are made of carbon, just like the graphite in a pencil. Hard to believe they are could be related, but specific conditions can produce a different type of material from carbon atoms.
Natural diamonds were formed deep under the surface of the earth millions of years ago. Intense heat along with intense pressure deep under the earths surface caused the carbon atoms to form a crystalline structure. These crystalline structures are more commonly known to us as diamonds.
While these natural diamonds were formed deep under the earths surface, they were brought closer to the surface through a specific type of volcanic eruption. The lava in these particular eruptions brought these gems close to the surface. The last eruption that brought diamonds to the surface happened over 100 million years ago. But then there is the matter of finding the areas where these eruptions occurred, which is no easy task.
It becomes easier to see why these gems cost so much as they are rare and difficult to find, and jewelry quality natural colored diamonds are even more rare than the classic white ones. Even once they are discovered there are other factors that will affect the quality and price of each diamond.
Only a fraction of mined diamonds are of the right quality to be used for diamond jewelry. The remainder of them are used for industrial purposes.
Cultured Diamonds
If you are looking for a more affordable option you may want to look into man made diamonds, also called cultured diamonds, synthetic diamonds, lab grown diamonds or even manufactured diamonds. The man made diamonds are made using carbon with the same intense heat and pressure that created these gems in the earth; instead it is done in a lab setting.
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A cultured diamond has the same properties and characteristics of a natural diamond but it costs about a third as much. If you are on a budget this can make a significant difference, especially if you are looking for a colored stone like those used in champagne diamond jewelry as they are easier to produce in a lab setting. For instance a rich-colored cultured chocolate diamond will cost much less than an equivalent natural chocolate diamond as they are less common in nature. And if you happen to like brown diamonds you’re in luck because man made champagne diamonds and other shades of brown are pretty easy to find like a beautiful cognac diamond ring.
Because they have the same look and properties it is hard to distinguish between a natural diamond and a cultured diamond. A man made diamond even come with some minor flaws, just like the natural ones. The man made or cultured diamonds are in fact real diamonds that exhibit the same beauty as those that are natural.
Choosing The Best Diamond
Whether you choose a natural or cultured diamond, in order to choose a quality diamond it is important to understand the 4 Cs: color, cut, clarity and carat. These four things will affect the beauty and the value of the diamond.
Judging the color can vary depending on whether you are looking at white or chocolate diamonds. Traditionally we think of diamonds as white but colored diamonds, like the champagne diamond or cognac diamond, have become increasingly popular. With a white diamond the less color it has the more valuable it is, but with a colored diamond the more intense the color the higher the value. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so preference should outweigh value.
Cut is probably the most important factor after you choose the color. The cut will affect the way light reflects from the diamond. The sparkle, or reflecting light, is what makes a diamond so stunning. Having an ideal cut diamond can make a significant difference in the beauty of either a white or fancy color diamond.
The clearer the gem the more expensive it will be and the larger the carat size the more expensive it will be. But bigger isn’t always better. It is important to consider each of the 4 Cs in order to get the best diamond you can within your budget, whether you are looking at natural diamonds or cultured diamonds. The quality of the cut and the clarity are also very important factors.
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