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Man-Made Diamonds, A Buyer's Guide
by Gary La Court
It seems nearly impossible to watch TV or open a newspaper without seeing something about
man-made diamonds. For hundreds of years science has tried to create a perfect synthetic
diamond. Finally, 21st-century technology has made that prospect a reality.
There are many reasons to purchase synthetic diamonds instead of the mined variety. The
prices charged for mined diamonds are, in the very best verbiage, an illusion. To put it
more bluntly, Cecil Adams, in his award-winning newspaper column "The Straight Dope" says:
"Diamonds are a con, pure and simple." Diamond prices are largely controlled by the DeBeers
diamond cartel, and they are not a fair reflection of diamond scarcity. Additionally,
studies show that one out of three diamonds sold in the US today has been altered to
artificially increase its value. Further studies have shown that on average a couple
pays 40% too much for their diamond engagement ring.
Beyond deceptive pricing, there are the issues of "blood diamonds", forced child labor,
and a myriad of other disturbing diamond facts.
Recently, socially conscious celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Minnie Driver, and
Angelina Jolie have made a vocal issue of wearing only synthetic diamonds to the many
gala events they attend.
Good synthetic diamonds are virtually indistinguishable from the mined variety, but without
the baggage, and additionally, they cost thousands of dollars less. But, which synthetic
diamond is the best choice?
There are many types of man-made or synthetic diamonds available. The choices are numerous,
but unbiased information is scarce. Here is an overview and comparison of the synthetic
diamonds currently unavailable on the market:
Cubic Zirconia
The grandfather of simulated diamonds, Zircons are available widely. In their best examples,
CZ's are actually a fairly decent diamond replica. Unfortunately, the commodity-like
availability and vast differences in quality have made the stone synonymous with low-cost
fashion jewelry. Perhaps a good choice for cheap bling, but not for fine jewelry. Many
sources are available, a decent one is: http://www.czfantasy.com
Russian Diamonds
Including Russian Brilliants, Russian Stars and others, they are in fact nothing but high
quality cubic zirconias. This is not mentioned prominently on their web sites and they will
only cop to it when pressed, but that is the fact. Russian diamond simulates are priced
around $280 per carat.
Russian Diamonds are a fine jewelry selection and are usually mounted in quality precious
metal settings.
Russian Brilliants are one of the best and oldest sellers of "Russian Diamonds" available
at: http://www.russianbrilliants.net
Moissanite
Moissanite is a lab-created mineral that is a very good diamond stimulant. Moissanite has
been on the market as a fine jewelry choice since the early 90s and has picked up quite a
few fans. Moissanite is a hard mineral that, like diamond, will cut glass. There are a
couple of minor downsides to moissanite however. First, it is quite expensive, (though
still cheap compared to diamonds) usually priced about $500 per carat for good samples.
Secondly, moissanite does not have the same optical qualities as diamond and there are
several indicators that make them easy to spot with the naked eye for an experienced
practitioner. It is difficult to produce a pure white moissanite and they often appear
slightly green when viewed in natural light. Also, moissanite has significantly higher
radiance and brilliance factors then natural diamond, causing them to appear "too sparkly"
to some. Overall though, moissanite is a beautiful synthetic diamond choice.
"Moissanite From the Sky" at http://www.fromthesky.com is a good source of fine moissanite
jewelry.
Diamond Nexus
Diamond Nexus gemstones are the result of a fairly new scientific advancement in processing
technique, and have only recently been available in the United States.
Diamond Nexus gemstones are excellent diamond stimulants and come very close to matching
the properties of mined diamonds at many different comparison points. They cut glass, being
virtually identical to diamond on the Mohs (hardness) scale. They refract perfect "hearts
and arrows" and have radiance and brilliance readings extremely close to flawless diamond.
Best of all, they are currently introductory priced for the U.S. market, and are a steal
at $79 per caret. Diamond Nexus gemstones are only available in precious metal, solid-gold
settings.
Diamond Nexus is only available from Diamond Nexus Labs at:
http://www.DiamondNexusLabs.com
White Sapphire
Sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral on the Mohs scale, surpassed only by
diamond. They are, unlike the others in this review, a natural stone. Their radiance
and brilliance are not up to the standards of diamond however. Nevertheless, quality
white sapphires priced at around $220 per carat are a good diamond alternative.
A quality source is: http://www.TheNaturalSapphireCompany.com
Gemisis Cultured Diamond
Gemisis diamonds are beautiful and almost perfect diamond replicas. Unfortunately, they
are not available in a clear, white color, so they are not a good choice for traditional
diamond settings. However, if a yellow, orange or pink diamond is what you crave, Gemisis
offers stunning choices in beautiful precious metal, fine-jewelry settings.
Gemisis Cultured Diamonds are only available at: http://www.gemisis.com
Recap:
Synthetic diamonds offer many advantages over the mined variety. You can buy with
confidence, knowing that you are getting exactly what you paid for, and have not been
the victim of diamond pricing chicanery. If you are concerned with the world around you,
you can have a clear conscience, knowing that your money has not contributed to the
support of an unethical and abusive industry.
However, there are many choices of synthetic diamonds, with varying degrees of quality.
Take a little time to review the seller's information to get a clear idea of what the
science is behind the gemstones you are buying.
For my money, I believe the best choices are quality Moissanite stones or the new diamond
stimulant gemstones available from Diamond Nexus Labs.
About The Author
Gary La Court is a legal consultant and frequent author.
He can be reached at glacourt@gmail.com
http://www.groupsolaris.com
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