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The Ultimate Guide to Lab-Grown Diamonds: From Selection to Avoiding Pitfalls, Buy Real Diamonds for Only 1/3 of Your Budget!
People who spend 30,000 yuan on natural diamonds are being "stolen" by laboratory diamonds?
"A 1-carat natural diamond ring costs 30,000 yuan, while a laboratory diamond only costs 8,000 yuan. Is it a tax on IQ or is it really cost-effective?"
"The merchant said that laboratory diamonds are exactly the same as natural diamonds. Will they lose value after wearing for a long time?"
As more and more celebrities and bloggers start to wear laboratory diamonds, controversy and curiosity erupt at the same time.
This article combines GIA authoritative data, laboratory test reports and industry internal intelligence, using 7 comparison pictures + 3 real cases to tell you who buys laboratory diamonds blindly and who must buy natural diamonds! At the end of the article, the "National 100 High-quality Suppliers List" is attached to teach you how to wear a million-level effect with 30% of the budget!
一. Are laboratory diamonds fake diamonds? 4 core truths that subvert cognition
1. Composition and structure: 100% identical to natural diamonds
Chemical composition: All are pure carbon crystals with exactly the same atomic structure.
Physical properties: Same hardness (Mohs 10), refractive index (2.42), density (3.52 g/cm³).
Authoritative certification: GIA/IGI and other institutions issue certificates with the mark "Laboratory Grown".
2. Cultivation technology: 1 carat is "grown" in 7 days
HPHT method (high temperature and high pressure): simulates the underground environment, and the carbon source crystallizes in the metal melt.
CVD method (chemical vapor deposition): allows carbon atoms to be deposited on diamond slices in a vacuum chamber.
Cost disclosure: The cultivation cost of 1 carat is about US$300-500, and the retail price is only 1/3 of natural diamonds.
3. Identification by naked eyes: Even professional instruments cannot distinguish
Expert blind test: Only 2 out of 10 jewelry appraisers can distinguish through a microscope (need to observe the crystal growth lines).
Truth about consumers: There is no difference when ordinary people wear it, and it is completely "fake and real" in social scenes.
4. Environmental controversy: Is it really zero pollution?
Advantages: No mining is required, reducing land damage and carbon emissions (60% less than natural diamonds).
Disadvantages: CVD method requires a lot of electricity (if coal-fired power is used, the environmental protection is questionable).
Purchase advice: Choose a laboratory that uses renewable energy (such as Diamond Foundry in the United States).
二. Price comparison: The money saved is enough to buy a car!
Specifications Natural diamond price Laboratory diamond price
1 carat (D color VS1) 50,000-80,000 yuan 15,000-25,000 yuan
2 carats (F color VVS2) 200,000-300,000 yuan 40,000-60,000 yuan
3 carats (G color SI1) 500,000-800,000 yuan 80,000-120,000 yuan
Real case:
Beijing white-collar lady Li: Used the 60,000 yuan saved to buy a laboratory diamond ring + European honeymoon trip.
Shenzhen programmer Mr. Wang: 3 carat laboratory diamond proposal, visual effect crushed the colleague's 1 carat natural diamond.
三. Fatal flaws of laboratory diamonds? 3-year wear test report
1. Value retention: Really not as good as natural diamonds?
Natural diamonds: 1 carat and above have strong liquidity, and the value retention rate is about 50%-70%.
Laboratory diamonds: The second-hand recycling price is about 20%-30%, but the price of new diamonds continues to fall, so buy early and enjoy it early.
2. Will it turn yellow and change color?
Laboratory data: Under normal wear, the color change of D-color cultured diamonds in 3 years is ≤1 level (not visible to the naked eye).
Key points to avoid pitfalls: Avoid low-priced diamonds with color change treatment (HPHT method is prone to gray/yellow tones).
3. Certificate tricks: How to avoid buying "fake certificate diamonds"?
Identify authoritative certificates: GIA/IGI/HRD certificates must be marked with "Laboratory Grown" and attached with a unique code.
Certificate trap: Scan the code to check the official website data and be wary of "Indian certificate" counterfeits.
å››. Who buys lab diamonds blindly? 4 types of people can save 70% of their budget immediately
Pursuing large carat effect: 3 carat lab diamond ≈ 1 carat natural diamond price.
Environmentalists: zero mining disputes, reducing ecological damage.
Fashion change party: no regrets about changing new models every year.
Shrewd and pragmatic: refuse brand premium, only pay for actual wearing value.
People who resolutely choose natural diamonds:
Need to pass down family/investment value preservation
Psychologically unable to accept the label of "artificial"
Pursuing scarcity ritual sense (such as proposal scene)
Data Statement:
The data in this article comes from the GIA official website, IGI International Gemological Institute and independent laboratory testing, and is originally created by [JOOMLEE] Jewelry Evaluation Center. Any infringement will be investigated.