April / May 2020 - Lab Grown Magazine

April / May 2020 | LG | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 26 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | April / May 2020 27 Frequently Asked Questions About Lab-Grown Diamonds With the growing demand for lab- grown diamonds comes a growing number of important questions. Daniel Sheppard, co-founder of Lab- Grown Source, the largest lab-grown diamond trading platform, answers some of these FAQs. Q: Why aren’t all lab-grown diamonds flawless? A: The process of growing a diamond in a lab re- creates the same process of growing a diamond in the earth. This is an imperfect process where inclu- sions and color can happen in the diamond. The growers only have limited control of quality. Growers can usually choose the quality within a range, but there are always outliers that grow outside of that quality range. The longer they grow a diamond, the more risk there is for inclusions and damage in the diamond. >> Q: Is there a correct way to refer to lab-grown diamonds? A: Yes. You must disclose to a customer when a stone is lab-grown. The Federal Trade commission (FTC) has directed that you cannot call it a diamond unless it is preceded by a term that makes it clear that it was not mined. The term you use to describe lab-grown diamond has, however, some leeway. The FTC has listed “Laboratory Grown,” “Cultured,” “Grown,” and “Created” as acceptable terms to describe non-mined diamonds. The FTC also removed “Synthetic” from the list and this term should not be used. Q: Which growing process is better, HPHT or CVD? A: This is a hot topic within the industry. The bottom line is that it is not required to disclose to a customer which method of growth was used because, in almost every way, it makes no dif- ference to a customer. The difference between the two processes are on a molecular level and only affect a gemologist studying the stone. However, you should be aware that HPHT stones often incorrectly test as moissonite with a pen tester. This can sometimes be raised when a customer has the diamond tested by a jew- eler who is not aware that pen testers do not work well on lab-grown diamonds. Q: How long does it take to grow a diamond? A: This varies with the size of the diamond. A 1-carat diamond takes about 3 to 6 weeks while a 3-carat diamond needs about 6 to 9 weeks.