We have had artificial diamonds or more aptly synthetically produced diamonds for quite sometime now, yet it remains difficult for an average consumer to distinguish these from their natural counterparts.
There are quite a few manufacturers of artificial diamonds that find applications in industry, apart from being used for making jewelry. The customer has a choice of buying jewelry comprising of such diamonds at affordable prices or to go for natural diamonds, which are quite expensive.
Usually, the price of an artificial diamond is considered to be up to 9/10 lower than the price of a natural diamond with the same characteristics ((color, cut, clarity, proportions, and size).
Experts estimate that the market of natural diamonds could have 2-3 percent of artificial diamonds, which eventually are sold to unsuspecting customers, making a perspective buyer to have second thoughts before venturing out to buy diamonds.
Large reputed jewelry stores are least likely to sell fake diamonds, claiming those to be real ones. However, you can’t be too sure of what you are buying from smaller stores, which may sell you artificial diamonds at a price that may be somewhere midway between the price of a natural diamond and an artificial one.
However, there are ways to avoid getting cheated while buying natural diamonds. One is to insist on having a grading report of the diamond you intend buying. It helps keeping the fakes away from getting mixed with the natural ones. The other is to buy from a known and reliable dealer, whether it’s an online dealer or otherwise.
Yet, getting a grading report is imperative. Next, you should approach a diamond appraiser to verify that the grading report matches the diamond. Once it’s confirmed that the report tallies with the diamond, you are assured of the genuineness of the diamond.
Further, artificial diamonds or diamond substitutes such as Cubic Zirconium and Moissanite are often used in making jewelry. There’s nothing wrong with that provided the seller doesn’t claim these to be natural diamonds. There surely is a market for artificial diamonds and people who can’t afford real diamonds are happy buying these diamonds.
So, how does one distinguish between a natural diamond and an artificial one? Now that’s very tricky and an average person can’t know the difference. There is a slight difference in the chemical composition of the two. Special machines using ultra violet rays are needed to confirm the authenticity of diamonds. Such machines are usually available with reputed gemologists.
So, how does a consumer know if he is buying a natural diamond or not? Well, if you are buying from a large reputable store you can be almost certain that you are buying the right stuff. But, if you are on a holiday to a small island, there is no way to ascertain your purchase.
The only way to ensure that you buy the natural stuff is to educate yourself on the subject.
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