…but the world of diamonds is changing, and you now have more choice than ever!
Emma Clegg takes a deep dive into the world of diamonds, with the help of local jeweller Nicholas Wylde. She discovers that natural diamonds have exactly the same chemical qualities as laboratory-grown stones and the difference can only be identified with a specialist, high value machine. So what do those considering a dazzling purchase need to know before they buy?
Around 90 miles below the surface in areas of the Earth’s mantle, temperatures reach 2,000°F. It is here, at these depths and temperatures, where natural diamonds form under extremely high pressure. It is the fast-moving magma from deep-source volcanic eruptions that brings them closer to the surface and allows us to access them via a mining process that involves excavating the earth using heavy machinery and explosives. Once the rough crystal has been mined, usually two diamonds are cut from it into faceted gems. Cutting diamonds requires specialised knowledge, tools and techniques, and often a diamond will be used to cut a diamond.
Due to their rarity, beauty and durability – they have a hardness rating of 10 on the Mohs scale – natural diamonds are highly valued. They have also benefitted from the marketing strategies of diamond companies including De Beers, which in its 1948 campaign adopted the slogan ‘A diamond is forever’, sky-rocketing the attraction of the diamond engagement ring. Ever since that time, diamonds have been endowed with a mystical power and are the most coveted gemstone in the world. Everyone loves to wear these sparkling crystals made up of pure carbon atoms, and the giving of a diamond – especially as an engagement ring – has become a symbol of a love or enduring bond that will live as long as the stone itself.
The formation of natural diamonds is a complex process, but it results in a rare gift from the Earth from which goldsmiths and jewellers like Nicholas can create beautiful jewellery, that will last for generations to come.
The swift growth of laboratory-grown diamonds
Jeweller Nicholas Wylde – an expert in the diamond world and creator of his own unique cut of diamond, the Wylde Flower Diamond® – tells me that things started to shift in the 1950s with a new process entering the market: the development of laboratory-grown diamonds, produced from graphite at temperatures of around 1,400°C and pressures around 1.5 million psi. By the 1980s, the technology had advanced enough for gem-quality stones to be produced, but at that time they formed a small fraction of the market; by 2019, the laboratory-grown diamond market share was around 3%. Since the pandemic, this has risen to around 35%, and experts forecast it to be closer to 40% by the end of 2024.
The astonishing thing about laboratory-grown diamonds, says Nicholas, is that it is impossible with the naked eye to identify the difference between them and natural diamonds. They have the same physical properties, the same durability, and even an expert would find it extremely difficult to tell them apart without specialist equipment that detects the differing fluorescence between the two.
“Everyone loves to wear these sparkling crystals made up of pure carbon atoms, and the giving of a diamond – especially as an engagement ring – has become a symbol of a love or enduring bond that will live as long as the stone itself”
To make a laboratory-grown diamond requires an artificial setting that mimics how diamonds are naturally made. There are two methods: chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT). During the CVD process, a minuscule slice of diamond is placed into an iron chamber, where it is exposed to carbon-rich gas, extremely high temperatures and microwave beams. Over a matter of weeks, the carbon gas ionises and the particles stick to the original diamond slice, before crystallising into a fully formed laboratory-grown diamond crystal, usually in a cube shape. During the HPHT process, pure carbon is pressed within a metal cube in a machine that is roughly the size of a Mini. The carbon is exposed to immense heat and pressure through electric pulses. Eventually, the carbon breaks down and crystallises into a cuboctahedron-shaped laboratory-grown diamond. Both processes result in different-shaped crystals to the octahedron shape of a natural diamond crystal, so at this stage laboratory-grown stones are easily distinguishable.
Relative values
So where does that leave those looking for that special diamond, to last a lifetime and beyond? Nicholas tells me that there is a valid place for both laboratory-grown and natural diamonds. His stores in Bath and Bristol have – through demand – introduced a collection of laboratory-grown diamond jewellery that sells alongside the natural diamond collections. Part of their appeal is that the price of a laboratory-grown diamond will always be significantly lower than a natural diamond of the equivalent size, colour and clarity. The complexities come when laboratory-diamonds are knowingly or unknowingly mis-sold as natural diamonds, and a client can end up with a stone that is worth a fraction of what they paid for it and they were led to believe it was worth. This alone highlights the importance of always buying from a jeweller or a retailer that you know can be trusted, and who makes the necessary checks on all their stones. At Wylde’s, every single diamond that comes into the store is checked for its authenticity using a specialist machine – an expensive investment, but worth it because it provides peace of mind to all clients, Nicholas says.
Sustainability and environmental impact
Natural diamonds are mined from great depths and this can be disruptive to the eco-system, which historically has been a matter of controversy. But Nicholas tells me that the rough diamond trade globally supports 10 million people, and the industry also invests in sustainability and plants three acres of trees for every acre mined. In countries like Botswana, 80% of rough diamond revenue goes back into local communities. While laboratory-grown diamonds are frequently touted as ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’, their creation requires a great amount of energy, which is likely sourced from non-renewable fuels. Their environmental impact varies, depending on local regulations or the producers’ own policies, but this developing market has grown at speed and lacks the governance that is in place for the natural diamond industry. There is much current debate in the diamond industry about these issues.
Advice from Nicholas Wylde
Nicholas explains his thoughts on laboratory grown and natural diamonds: “At Wylde Jewellers, we believe there is a place in the market for both natural and laboratory-grown diamonds. With the annual worldwide excavation of gemstone-quality natural diamonds only being one cubic metre, they are considered rare and have a long-standing sentimental and emotional value, so will still be largely considered the stone of choice for engagement rings and other luxury jewellery items – what gift could be more symbolic than something that was formed in the Earth itself and has been around for longer than any of us can comprehend! The monetary value of natural diamonds has historically been proven to increase over time, therefore they are considered to be a good choice for long-term investment, particularly for something like a piece of jewellery that will become a family heirloom.
“Laboratory-grown diamonds, which have flooded the market since lockdown, do not have this rarity – an infinite number of them can be grown and thus they are not generally considered to be as sentimental or precious. The price of laboratory-grown diamonds fell by 74% between 2016 and 2023; for as long as more laboratory-grown diamonds can be mass-produced, the value will not increase. But they serve a different and very valid purpose: perhaps to the young couple wanting to buy an engagement ring, but are also saving for a house deposit, who could get a beautiful laboratory-grown diamond for a fraction of the price of a natural diamond, with the intention of one day upgrading when finances allow; maybe a client will want a much-less-valuable replica of a very expensive piece of jewellery to be made, so that they can wear it in public with more confidence; a 3ct diamond – something previously unaffordable to most people – can now be yours for a fraction of the cost of a natural diamond, and with laboratory-grown diamonds available in all the colours that you find in natural diamonds, you can even have the opportunity to own a version of the most expensive natural diamond in the world – the pink diamond.
“Responsible jewellers and retailers like us are not shying away from having laboratory-grown stones on the market, but we do all have a responsibility as retailers to test every stone to check if it is natural or laboratory-grown, and to tell the truth about its origins and the processes involved in the creation of the diamonds.
“Regardless of whether they are purchasing natural or laboratory-grown diamonds, all of our customers will benefit from the ‘Wylde experience’ as we call it here when they buy jewellery from us – the emotions, the journey, the story, the Champagne, the trust. The item that they are purchasing is a personal choice; we just want people to understand exactly what they are buying. We sell to our customers with confidence, knowing we are selling the correct diamond, at the best quality, at a competitive price and following the budget that a client wants to spend.
“Natural diamonds are forever – but laboratory-grown diamonds can also be yours right now.”
Nicholas Wylde, 12 Northumberland Place, Bath BA1 5AR
nicholaswylde.com