LAB GROWN DIAMONDS ARE HERE, AND YOU MAY BE WEARING ONE

One of these Diamonds is Lab Grown and the others are Earth Grown, can YOU tell the difference? Neither can most jewelers…

Lab Grown Diamonds are SYNTHETIC, meaning chemically identical to the natural, thus the characteristics are the same, to the eye, trained or untrained.

It takes special equipment to identify a Lab Grown Diamond and it has been this author’s experience that many of the tools on the market are not as reliable as desired. In fact, my experience is that many have FAILED WHILE TESTING THEM FOR PURCHASE. If it fails while I am testing it out to use in my store, why on earth would I ever want to buy it?

I am happy to report that after several years of investigation and testing, the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has produced an amazing tool that has worked FLAWLESSLY every time I have tested it. After plopping down Thousands of dollars and learning the proper testing technique, I have integrated this new tool into our appraisal process.

This is where it gets scary. In October of ’16, an article appeared in one of our professional publications stating that 90% of all manufacturing jewelers had sold Lab Grown Diamonds UNAWARE. Large parcels of Earth Grown Diamonds (packages of many carats of gemstones) have been randomly tested by the GIA and have been found to contain Lab Grown Diamonds. It is not clear how or when these Lab Grown Diamonds had infiltrated these parcels, however it has reoccurred at an alarming rate. You may want to read that again. So, are you wearing Lab Grown Diamonds and not know it.?

You may be thinking, “well if it’s chemically identical, who cares”. Not so fast. Remember this is a commodity and it is a supply and demand product. A Lab Grown Diamond can be manufactured in LARGE QUANTITIES, thus lowering their value, then their desirability too. We are seeing wide swings in the cost of these created gemstones and it is recommended that one takes caution before buying. As the market expands through competition and more created gemstones are grown, the natural thing would be to reduce the cost. This is already happening and the main reason why MSG Jewelers will not offer our traditional buy back/upgrade for Lab Grown Diamonds.

So how can you be certain that you are buying an Earth Grown Natural Diamond? Today more than ever, if you don’t know diamonds, know your jeweler. Get a statement in writing on your invoice that guarantees you are purchasing a Natural Earth Grown Diamond. Have your diamond tested, before you buy it, to verify it is not Lab Created. I suggest the GIA id100 testing equipment to assure you accuracy and not a false result.

This equipment is different than all the testers I have examined. The GIA team has used the spectrum of color to identify Earth Grown Natural Diamonds by looking for a specific color range, not visible to the naked eye, but naturally occurring in Earth Grown Diamonds only. Once this color range is identified a “Pass” result is given. No other gemstone will have this specific color range and thus you can be certain of the result.

MSG Jewelers has integrated this diamond tester into its testing process for proper verification. This gives peace of mind to You and ME as your jeweler of choice.

Email your questions on this subject or any other jewelry related topic to info@msgjewelers.com

Posted in News By MIKE GEORGE