Synthetic, or man-made diamonds are now readily available.
Please note: we are not talking about things that look like a diamond, such as Cubic Zirconia or Moissante, but of diamonds that have been grown over a few weeks in a laboratory.
Prins & Prins is one of the few jewellers who employ qualified gemmologists and have the equipment to identify synthetic diamonds. Most jewellers cannot separate natural diamonds from lab-grown.
These so- called lab-grown diamonds sell at about 70% of the price of a natural diamond, but have no rarity or emotional value – their price will continue to decline in future.
In fact, De Beers has announced they will be selling a range of synthetic diamond jewellery called “LIGHTBOX” at $800/ total carat weight, which puts synthetic diamonds where it belongs – suitable only for fashion jewellery.