Let's Shift from Natural to Synthetic Diamonds

About two weeks ago the Rapaport International Diamond Conference 2012 was held in Mumbai, where serious issues concerning Indian diamond market, pricing, new regulatory and compliance requirements that India is going to face soon had been discussed. But now it seems the time for a fest, GemFest if to be precise.

GIA has chosen Hong Kong as a place location for its GemFest at the Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair where they will touch upon such topics as current status of synthetic gem diamonds. GIA's director of research and development Dr. Wuyi Wang is about to speak on September 19 and 22 about latest advancements in Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) methods of producing synthetic diamonds of white color.

There can be various motives that pushed GIA to hold the conference either it could be those undetected synthetic diamonds that made a huge stir this year being sold for natural or the event was planned prior to the occasion due to growing popularity of synthetic gem diamonds but it's evident that synthetic diamonds draw much attention of both diamantaires and mere customers.

Some words about the reporter: Dr. Wuyi Wang has got more than 20-years experience in studying diamond geochemistry and diamond treatment. You can see his publications in many geological and gemological issues.

Whose Diamonds Are They?

When it was claimed that man made diamonds are absolute analogues to natural diamonds, people were and still are reluctant to trust that, however the recent events showed that synthetic diamonds worth to be paid more attention to.

Normally each synthetic diamond should be disclosed for the customer to be aware they are buying man made diamonds but not mined. Yet as it turned out lots of diamonds (namely, more than 600 gems) remained undisclosed but this was International Gemological Institute that revealed this fact and raised the alarm. The buyer of such treasure had not even the slightest idea about the origin of the stones purchased, yet the price paid ensured they were natural. Mistakenly.
According to IGI, they've got the cases of two synthetic gems here, more there that were not disclosed, but they've never dealt with such amount of diamonds. What is more, they even don't know whether this is the whole amount or they'll have to expect for a next portion.

IGI stated all diamonds are of the CVD's origin, mostly of small sizes from 0.30 carats to 0.70 carats, the size that is typical for lab grown diamonds. Polish is either “very good” or “excellent” making them extremely appealing. What is more, they are so good that can't be distinguished from mined stones by using usual gemological tools such as microscopes or loupes. One should either possess De Beer's DiamondView or fetch them into gemological institutions for a proof otherwise it's impossible to distinguish them from natural diamonds.
On the one hand, this news should encourage you to keep an eye open for such types of scams which can result in significant loss of money. However, when asked some diamond dealers confessed they would have bought them without doubt because they look like real diamonds. But on the other, when man made diamonds are so good and indistinguishable from expensive stones of natural origin, then why should you pay more?

Scio Diamond Technology Corporation is Going Full Steam

It wasn't actually very long ago when Apollo Diamonds have sold the assets to Scio Diamond Technology and the newly emerged company show their utter commitment to the business. The company is pleased to announce they have 10 new diamond growing reactors now arrived to the headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina fully ready for the mass production of diamonds. However it will take time to get the whole lab infrastructure ready. They also need to hire and train the lab staff prior to they start mass producing diamonds.

Scio's CEO Joseph D. Lancia claims the whole team is very excited anticipating for the critical time in the history of Scio when they run the production of the world's most solid stones. They still have to check a range of systems including exhaust, piping and conduit to make sure they fit the bill. As soon as everything is checked and tested we expect to come across a fresh press release signifying the the launch production.

Briefly about Scio Diamond: as well as Appollo Diamodns, Scio will grow diamonds applying chemical vapor deposition process (as opposed to HPHT method) allowing to get high-class single crystal stones. While Appollo specialized on white stones mainly, Scio will focus their attention on fancy colored diamonds which are very rare in nature. They will manufacture man made diamonds also known as lab-grown or cultured that should not be mixed up with diamond simulants. Scio team claim to offer only real diamonds of high-quality, high-purity of absolutely the same properties of natural diamonds. The quantity of jewelry diamond will be limited with the bulk part of the grown diamonds aimed for industrial purposes.

Scio Diamond Technology: a New Manufacturer of Man Made Diamonds

Just recently Apollo Diamonds, a leader in producing high-quality laboratory grown diamonds, have sold the assets to Scio Diamond Technology, yet a new name in the field of diamond market. However, if everything goes smoothly according to company's strategy, next summer will be a season of colorless and pink gems.

Before Apollo Diamonds was known for they flawless colorless diamonds and single crystal diamond wafers, which are widely used in optoelectronics and nanotechnology used for industrial needs. Nevertheless, Apollo diamond gems are also perfect to be set in a wedding ring as they are colorless, traditionally a number one choice for a wedding ring. A new owner claims that they are going to keep producing gems for a jewelry market as before, but probably in lesser amount. According to Joseph Lancia, CEO of the company, these are not gemstones that are in the center of their attention as they are not game-changer as opposite to technology side.

A new company is going to be out of marketing perspective. As you know Apollo Diamonds was offering their gems over the internet, so that you could buy it regardless of the place location you are. Currently Scio stake on the technology rather then marketing, meaning that they will work only with major distributors without dispersing their attention to minor clients.

Another novelty the company is going to introduce is a laser inscription on the stones, like that in Gemesis. Now you will find it easier to identify the story and see if it matches the GIA report.

Robert Linares, the founder of Apollo Diamonds, will still be working for the company. It is know he was paid $1 million cash for growing machines and other property and is expecting to get another million till next September.

So a former leader in manufacturing colorless diamonds is leaving the arena giving way for other giants. One the one hand, it may case some problems for lovers of eco-friendly white diamonds, but on the other it may give a nice push to other diamond growing companies to create still popular colorless gems.