Diamond Alternatives and How Do They Compare?

Diamond Alternatives  

There are so many Diamond Alternatives available on the Market today- Lab Created Diamonds are becoming more and more popular with each passing Day, and Moissanites are being mass produced at a booming rate. How do they compare to natural Diamonds? Are they worth the hype?

One of the biggest factors that is driving people to the Lab Created alternatives is the environmental impact. Sustainable and environmentally friendly options are in high demand when shopping now days, and Lab Created Diamonds are really pushing how much better they are for the environment, in comparison to mining Natural Diamonds.

In spite of all the advertising, Lab Created Diamonds require HUGE amounts of electricity to produce a single stone, with most of the manufacturers around the world using coal driven power- actually increasing the carbon footprint per stone! There is no factory in the world that is currently producing these Alternative Stones natural power like Sun, Wind or Wave energy.

In comparison, Natural Diamonds are mined from small, Artisan Mines across the world, or larger Open Cut mines- these mines have had agreements in place for decades to re-vegetate areas and return waterways to natural states. The commitment to sustainability of the environment around them is really emphasised in these Mines.  

Ethically, Natural Diamonds have a tarnished history- Leonardo Decaprio in 2006 could sway a lot of people towards Lab Created Diamonds! However, long before that movie was released there was a worldwide push to shut down the distribution of “blood diamonds.” Trading of such Diamonds was essentially eliminated across the world and today Natural Diamond Mines and cutting floors are run with a consistent code of Ethics.

At Anthonys Fine Jewellery, we take it one step further and have personally visited the cutting floor before working with them, and inspect every single Diamond that passes through for tell-tale markers of Diamonds from suspect Mines.

Due to the overall newness of the Lab Created Diamonds, very little is known about the ethical production and cutting of the Stones, which certainly leaves them open to unethical procedures.

The history of a Natural Diamond is extensive, formed a millennia ago, each stone is different to the next- Natural Diamonds are priced to account for this rarity. In comparison, the Lab Grown Stones are uniform, each one the same, differing just in their size, and the power to takes to create them.

When rarity not an issue, it does beg the question, why are Lab Created Stones still priced per carat?

While there may be a place for Lab Grown Diamonds in the future, until there is a more sustainable way to produce them, with a price that is more indicative of what they truly are. Nothing beats a real diamond!

By Ellie Crawford.