Learn About Man-made Diamonds - Sell Diamonds and More

Science is an amazing thing. Today it is possible for a real diamond to be made in a matter of days in a laboratory. These cultured or synthetic diamonds have the same chemical structure as a diamond that formed beneath the Earth’s surface millions of years ago.

There are a few differences, however, between synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds. Most man-made stones are one carat or smaller. It is rarer to find a colorless synthetic stone than it is to find them in nature. Likewise, colored diamonds are more common among the man-made diamonds than they are in nature.

The production of synthetic diamonds began in  the 1950s when General Electric Co. created an industrial grade synthetic diamond. Twenty years later GE created a cuttable, gem-quality synthetic stone.

Today’s synthetic diamonds look like natural diamonds, unless you are a trained jeweler looking at them through a loupe. This is because man-made diamonds will have a different growth pattern to their structure than a natural diamond. They will also have no inclusions or flaws. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) won’t grade a synthetic stone with the 4C’s (color, cut, clarity and caret weight). They will however, provide a report listing the diamond as synthetic and give its caret weight, measurements and transparency.

Currently there are two methods for producing synthetic diamonds. One is a high pressure, high temperature model that makes smaller gems. The other technology is chemical vapor disposition (CVD). It uses a lower pressure and can create larger stones at a lower price.

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