Artificial diamonds might look like natural diamonds on the outside, but they’re not the same. Though they possess the same chemical makeup as mined diamonds, artificial diamonds are actually the product of lab work done by scientists. In recent years, more money has been poured into the artificial production of these valuable gems. Though more people are doing it and more of these extremely feasible diamonds are popping up, there is much concern over what effect artificial diamonds might have on the international diamond market.

Artificial diamonds are very different from fake stones such as the cubic zirconia or quartz. In terms of pure measurables, such as cut, clarity, and color, there are no noticeable differences between the laboratory grown diamonds and their naturally harvested counterparts. This is one reason why many people are worried that artificial diamonds are a major threat to the booming diamond industry. As these gems become more prevalent, there is a much greater chance that diamond consumers can be fooled by jewelers or swindlers who market artificial diamonds as the real thing.

Artificial diamonds are no new thing. For many years, engineers have been able to produce small shreds of diamond-like substance for industrial use. Since diamonds are the hardest surface on the planet and can cut through metal with no difficulty, there has always been a great deal of demand for industrial diamonds. A couple of years ago, engineers outdid themselves with their artificial diamonds, though. Instead of only producing diamonds for use on things like engraving machines and saws, they started making diamonds that were large enough for use in common jewelry items like rings, earrings, and diamonds.

There are a couple of different ways to produce an artificial diamond. With one method, engineers begin with a small seed of a diamond, then put enormous pressure and temperature on the diamond until it realizes its crystallized structure and grows larger. Another method, which involves chemical vapor deposition, makes tiny pieces of diamond combine together to produce a full sized stone.

Artificial diamonds and naturally mined diamonds are virtually impossible to tell apart with the human eye. Even highly trained gemologists say that they cannot tell the difference between the two, making it highly possible that a large concentration of the artificial diamonds could potentially be dumped into the diamond supply in order to pacify demand. Jewelry experts are somewhat torn on what impact these artificial diamonds could potentially have. Even though having artificial diamonds introduced into the market would greatly reduce the price of diamond jewelry, most believe that consumers would rather have the real thing.

Artificial diamond jewelry is not a prevalent thing in the jewelry world today. Since there are only a handful of engineers who have the ability to produce artificial diamonds, the market has not yet been saturated with the idea of these cheaper stones. If that day does happen to come, there’s a good chance that it will have a negative impact on the jewelry market, as consumers struggle to find the difference between real and fake stones.