In this video we are going to be going over the main differences between a mined diamond and a lab grown diamond The visual and chemical properties, price price and methods of telling the two apart. I will also be showing you a side by side comparison of a 2ct lab diamond and a 2ct natural diamond so stay tuned until the end of the video! Hi Guys, welcome to our channel. I’m Juliette from Cullen Jewellery and if you clicked on this video you’re probably looking to learn more about Lab Grown Diamonds.
What are they? How do they compare to mined Diamonds? Are they fake? ect.
So not only will we be covering all of that info in this video, Not only will we be going over all the at info today, we will also be looking at a side by side comparison of a lab diamond and mined diamond of the same quality so you can see the two for yourself. So make sure you watch this video all the way through, I hope you enjoy it and let’s get started! Firstly, What Are Lab Grown Diamonds? As the name suggests, Lab Grown Diamonds are man-made in a Lab. These labs use advanced technology to replicate the High Heat & High Pressure conditions within the earth removing the need for mining.
These Diamonds can have various names such as cultured diamonds
and man made diamonds, but the most commonly used term is
Lab Grown Diamonds. So what are the visual and chemical properties of a Lab
Grown Diamond? Lab Diamonds are chemically, physically and optically
identical to natural diamonds. They are both made up of carbon and have the exact
same characteristics, meaning they’re equally as durable, they sparkle the same and will last a lifetime. The only difference between the two is that one is created
within the earth and one is created in a lab. On a
molecular level, they are completely identical.
When you do see visual differences between the two, it will solely be based on each stone's individual specifications, so colour, clarity and cut. Which is no different to if you were comparing two natural diamonds, as no two stones will be the same, they’re unique. Because of this, Lab and Natural diamonds also go by the exact same grading process. Both receive certificates from official grading labs such as the GIA and IGI as well as indicate that it was created in a lab if applicable. Now let's move onto price. Unlike the physical properties, there is a big difference in the price point when comparing labs to mined diamonds. On average, lab diamonds are ⅓ of the price of natural diamonds. This is mainly due to 3 reasons: 1: Lab grown diamonds touch fewer hands than in the mining process, which result in overall lower production costs. 2: Natural Diamonds are artificially inflated due to industry leaders creating false scarcity.
While diamonds as a natural resource are inherently scarce, the prices are manipulated significantly by large players in the industry, releasing diamonds to the market in a very controlled way to give the appearance of scarcity and keep prices high. 3: Natural diamonds are actually really hard work to mine. They are usually mined very far away from capital cities where it is hard to find workers, not to mention the amount of land and capital required to begin mining. All of this creates a huge barrier to competitors entering the market and reduces competition. Even today there are still only a few companies controlling over 80% of natural diamond supply. Overall, Lab Diamonds provide much more value for money. Because they are so much cheaper than natural diamonds, it means you can get a larger and better quality stone for your budget. Before we move on from price, I did want to quickly touch on resale value as it’s something that always comes up when comparing labs and mined diamonds.
It is widely believed and used as an argument against lab diamonds, that natural diamonds are a
good investment. This is actually not true. As soon as you walk out of the store, much like buying a car, your diamond ring regardless if it’s
natural or lab created will drop in value about 30%-50%, purely due the jewellers markup. Which is the extra percentage a jeweller will charge for setting the ring, their service ect.
Which is the same with absolutely everything you buy. The average natural diamond will resell for 50%-70% of the original price, if you’re lucky. And only the super rare, highest quality diamonds will increase in value over time. The resale for lab diamonds is slightly less. You’re looking at roughly 40-50% of what you originally paid. Either way, you should treat your diamond ring as a beautiful piece of jewellery that can be passed down for generations and not as an investment. And in the long run, you’d be better off buying a lab diamond and investing the money you saved into a high interest savings account or in an index fund.
Let me know down below if you want me to talk about this in more depth, because there’s a lot more to it! Also, If you’re enjoying this video so far, please give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel, we’ll be posting videos every week! Ok moving on, let’s compare two diamonds! These two 2ct stones have the exact same, colour, clarity and cut. This one’s a Lab diamond and this one is a mined. As you can see, even to the trained eye it is impossible to tell them apart with the naked eye. Like I said in the beginning any slight differences between the two is because no two diamonds are exactly the same and not because one is lab and one is natural.
Whichever diamond you choose, you should always prioritize Cut as that is what will always give you the best fire and sparkle. I’ll also diamond test both stones for you guys so you can see that the Lab Diamond will always test positive. As you can see, the lab diamond is positive and this is the mined diamond. So a question you may be thinking – If the two stones look completely identical, how do you tell them apart? The only way to tell the stones apart is with the help of either a microscope or a diamond testing machine. Firstly, under a microscope: When looking at the girdle of a stone under 10x or more magnification, you’ll be able to see this little laser inscription. This number will match the one on your diamond certificate and will also identify if it is lab grown. All diamonds have this inscription, it’s invisible to the naked eye and is actually a key aspect to ensure the authenticity of your stone. The second way, which you may have seen some jewellers use, is one of these machines – this basically uses UV waves to scan the stones for fluorescence and phosphoresence and can therefore identify which stone is which.
Last but not least, sustainability. Lab Diamonds are a lot more eco-friendly than mined diamonds and do not contribute to the environmental devastation caused by mining and the upheaval of natural habitats. On average, miners must sift through 250 tons of ore to retrieve 1.00 carat of diamond. This has a destructive impact on the environment and often involves the use of unethical labour practices. Our lab-created stones are made by highly trained technicians in a state of the art laboratory, free from the health risks of a traditional diamond mine. If this is something you really value, Lab Diamonds are definitely the way to go. Thank you so much for watching, I hope you enjoyed and learnt something new! If you’d like to watch our weekly videos where we cover all things Diamonds, Moissanite and Engagement Rings – Hit that subscribe button! And I’ll see you next time! .
