DIAMOND CREATIONS
BY CYNTHIA UNNINAYAR
COMING OF AGE LAB-GROWN DIAMONDS
Proposal Ready Halo Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Ring. Starting at $2,495.
Proposal Ready 3 Stone Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold, 1.25ct Total Weight. $3,195
Lab Grown Diamond Tennis Necklace in 14K White Gold, 11ct Total Weight. $11,900
Proposal Ready Modern Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold, 1.33ct Total Weight. $3,495
C enturies ago, when alchemists dreamed of transforming lead into gold, there were also those who tried tirelessly to convert common coal into diamond. While the former can only be done at a steep cost, creating lab-grown diamonds has become a fairly refined process that is comparatively affordable. Starting in the late 1700s, scientists tried unsuccessfully to create diamonds in the lab. That changed nearly two centuries later, with the work conducted by H. Tracy Hall, a chemist working on General Electric’s Project Superpressure. After several failed attempts, he succeeded in 1954, creating
the first man-made diamond. Interestingly, in those days, lab-grown diamonds cost twice as much as mined diamonds. Today, lab-grown diamonds (LGD) have come of age. A surge of LGD manufacturers and jewelry designers are now creating collections featuring not only colorless gems but also a variety of colored diamonds in affordable prices. Star power has helped to get the LGD message out. Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio have endorsed them, while natural diamond producer De Beers has moved into the lab-grown category with its sub-brand
Lightbox Diamonds. This is seen by many as a reason to believe that the mined (natural) diamond sector can happily co-exist with the LGD sector, perhaps with each staking out its own territory. Proponents cite two major advantages of lab-grown diamonds: they are priced lower than natural diamonds and there are claims that they are more eco-friendly than mined diamonds. There is also an argument that LGDs are conflict-free. Whatever the reason for purchasing them, one thing is clear: lab-grown diamonds offer the same characteristics and beauty as mined diamonds. They have indeed come of age.
Lab Grown Diamond Tennis Bracelet in 14K White Gold, 5ct Total Weight. $5,995
Lab Grown Diamond Bolo Bracelet in 14K White Gold, 2.30ct Total Weight. $3,695
44 DAVIS JEWELERS
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