August 2020 - Lab Grown Magazine

August 2020 | LG | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 18 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | August 2020 19 The world’s largest set cushion-cut LGD at 15.03 carats is in a 14K white fold splint shank and halo setting and now retails for US$132,000, from the Diamond Room in Texas. (Photos: The Diamond Room, left, and KXAN TV, Chelsea Moreno) Advanc ement s such as creating m i c r o s c o p i c diamonds in a second or growing a 155-ct diamond move us towards higher quality, faster, and less expensive LGDs. Advancements,suchas creatingmicroscopic diamonds in a second or growing a 155-carat diamond, move us towards growing higher quality, faster and less expensive LGDs. When heavy investment comes into the lab- grown market and grows year-over-year, you know you’re in the right place. Yet some aren’t waiting for industry advancements to hit the headlines. They are news makers in their own right. Texas and Big: Hand-in-Hand The Diamond Room, a private diamond retailer in Dallas and Austin, Texas holds the majority of its inventory in mined diamonds; Quick to note the growth and attention in the LGD space, however, the retailer has invested in the world’s largest gem-quality LGD that has been set in a piece of jewelry. At 15.32 carats, the near colorless LGD is the largest set LDG in the world today. “We are excited to welcome in this triumphant feat of engineering and science to our showroom,” says Matt O’Desky, CEO of The Diamond Room. “This stone is definitely a showstopper, and after months of waiting for our chance, we are excited to bring the largest lab-grown diamond to Austin,Texas.” According to O’Desky, the growth process occurred in Moscow, Russia through a patented process that starts with a thin, rectangular diamond shaving of sorts, which—from this description— is a form of CVD. This LGD began as a 60-carat seed and took more than three weeks to grow.But that’s not including the unsuccessful trials that logged in at three years in all. O’Desky notes there are limitations to the Russian process. The carbon deposits grow off of a seed, but the growth is up, not out. Also, there are color variations in browns, blues, and even silver hues that seem harder to control with such a large rough. “As the growers get the recipes better and better, it’s a fight for how big they can get,” he says. While not originally intended for sale, the ring now retails for $132,000 set in the split shank halo design. O’Desky states that ►