Identifying Synthetic Diamonds

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Step 5: Advanced Gem Information

Lesson 2

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synthetic diamonds - CVD
Apollo Diamond Inc. (acquired by Scio Diamond) created synthetic diamonds such as this one through a customized CVD process. “Diamond Age” by Steve Jurvetson. Licensed under CC By 2.0.

Synthetic diamonds aren’t new. General Electric (GE) has been making them for over half a century. Most of the diamond abrasives we use are GE synthetics. However, creating gem-grade diamonds costs more than mining them. Thus, few are produced.

In 2003, we saw the introduction of new types of synthetic diamonds. Most manufacturers reliably make their disclosures. However, some resellers don’t, since they know most small diamonds never go to a lab. In this article, we’ll cover how to identify CVD, HPHT, and NPD synthetic diamonds.

To learn more about identifying natural diamonds, read about their inclusions.

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