It seems nearly impossible to watch TV or open a newspaper without seeing something about man-made diamonds. For hundreds of years science has tried to create a perfect synthetic diamond. Finally, 21st-century technology has made that prospect a reality.

There are many reasons to purchase synthetic diamonds instead of the mined variety. The prices charged for mined diamonds are, in the very best verbiage, an illusion. To put it more bluntly, Cecil Adams, in his award-winning newspaper column “The Straight Dope” says: “Diamonds are a con, pure and simple.” Diamond prices are largely controlled by the DeBeers diamond cartel, and they are not a fair reflection of diamond scarcity. Additionally, studies show that one out of three diamonds sold in the US today has been altered to artificially increase its value. Further studies have shown that on average a couple pays 40% too much for their diamond engagement ring.

Shopping Guide

Beyond deceptive pricing, there are the issues of “blood diamonds”, forced child labor, and a myriad of other disturbing diamond facts.

Recently, socially conscious celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Minnie Driver, and Angelina Jolie have made a vocal issue of wearing only synthetic diamonds to the many gala events they attend.

Good synthetic diamonds are virtually indistinguishable from the mined variety, but without the baggage, and additionally, they cost thousands of dollars less. But, which synthetic diamond is the best choice?

There are many types of man-made or synthetic diamonds available. The choices are numerous, but unbiased information is scarce. Here is an overview and comparison of the synthetic diamonds currently unavailable on the market:

Cubic Zirconia

The grandfather of simulated diamonds, Zircons are available widely. In their best examples, CZ’s are actually a fairly decent diamond replica. Unfortunately, the commodity-like availability and vast differences in quality have made the stone synonymous with low-cost fashion jewelry. Perhaps a good choice for cheap bling, but not for fine jewelry. Many sources are available, a decent one is: http://www.czfantasy.com

Russian Diamonds

Including Russian Brilliants, Russian Stars and others, they are in fact nothing but high quality cubic zirconias. This is not mentioned prominently on their web sites and they will only cop to it when pressed, but that is the fact. Russian diamond simulates are priced around 0 per carat.

Russian Diamonds are a fine jewelry selection and are usually mounted in quality precious metal settings.

Russian Brilliants are one of the best and oldest sellers of “Russian Diamonds” available at: http://www.russianbrilliants.net

Moissanite

Moissanite is a lab-created mineral that is a very good diamond simulant. Moissanite has been on the market as a fine jewelry choice since the early 90s and has picked up quite a few fans. Moissanite is a hard mineral that, like diamond, will cut glass. There are a couple of minor downsides to moissanite however. First, it is quite expensive, (though still cheap compared to diamonds) usually priced about 0 per carat for good samples.

Secondly, moissanite does not have the same optical qualities as diamond and there are several indicators that make them easy to spot with the naked eye for an experienced practitioner. It is difficult to produce a pure white moissanite and they often appear slightly green when viewed in natural light. Also, moissanite has significantly higher radiance and brilliance factors then natural diamond, causing them to appear “too sparkly” to some. Overall though, moissanite is a beautiful synthetic diamond choice.

“Moissanite From the Sky” at http://www.fromthesky.com is a good source of fine moissanite jewelry.

Diamond Nexus

Diamond Nexus gemstones are the result of a fairly new scientific advancement in processing technique, and have only recently been available in the United States.

Diamond Nexus gemstones are excellent diamond simulants and come very close to matching the properties of mined diamonds at many different comparison points. They cut glass, being virtually identical to diamond on the Mohs (hardness) scale. They refract perfect “hearts and arrows” and have radiance and brilliance readings extremely close to flawless diamond.

Best of all, they are currently introductory priced for the U.S. market, and are a steal at per caret. Diamond Nexus gemstones are only available in precious metal, solid-gold settings.

Diamond Nexus is only available from Diamond Nexus Labs at: http://www.DiamondNexusLabs.com

White Sapphire

Sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral on the Mohs scale, surpassed only by diamond. They are, unlike the others in this review, a natural stone. Their radiance and brilliance are not up to the standards of diamond however. Nevertheless, quality white sapphires priced at around 0 per carat are a good diamond alternative.

A quality source is: http://www.TheNaturalSapphireCompany.com

Gemisis Cultured Diamond

Gemisis diamonds are beautiful and almost perfect diamond replicas. Unfortunately, they are not available in a clear, white color, so they are not a good choice for traditional diamond settings. However, if a yellow, orange or pink diamond is what you crave, Gemisis offers stunning choices in beautiful precious metal, fine-jewelry settings.

Gemisis Cultured Diamonds are only available at: http://www.gemisis.com

Recap:

Synthetic diamonds offer many advantages over the mined variety. You can buy with confidence, knowing that you are getting exactly what you paid for, and have not been the victim of diamond pricing chicanery. If you are concerned with the world around you, you can have a clear conscience, knowing that your money has not contributed to the support of an unethical and abusive industry.

However, there are many choices of synthetic diamonds, with varying degrees of quality. Take a little time to review the seller’s information to get a clear idea of what the science is behind the gemstones you are buying.

For my money, I believe the best choices are quality Moissanite stones or the new diamond simulant gemstones available from Diamond Nexus Labs.

Man-Made Diamonds; A Buyer’s Guide

pink diamonds, as opposed to 1 carat round colorless diamonds are very rare. In fact, pink is one of the rarest colors. Only Red Diamonds (never seen one) and blue diamonds are rare.

Given the rarity of pink diamonds are not for the faint of wallet, but those can be found at affordable prices. First, you have some knowledge of the rating scale of pink diamonds, which happens to have, at best.

Shopping Guide

Pink Diamond Grading – A Reader's Digest version

Size and clarity are notimportant than color when it comes to diamond prices rose. high-sounding words like, intense, vivid, deep pink in front of the word, they all tend to offer higher class. Light, very light and Faint adjectives prices fixed at the lower end of the scale – and more accessible to mortals, not movie stars. I've seen that seems quite weak when set pink pink pink gold and rose even desirable that I say it is pink. So an operator who knows how to choose a rose andSet a pink diamond is essential to bring out the pink as much as possible and finish with beautiful jewelry.

A Fancy Intense Pink Diamond in a 1 carat size is over $ 100k and up to run and run. A "qualified" in the color of the already determined up or shorten the course of prices. Add a qualifier such as "brown" dramatically in pink, like brownish pink, and the price goes down. And many times, that the qualification is a good thing, because to the naked eye is brown or undetectableunpleasant.

Another qualifier is orange or orange-red or orange. Then there are varieties such as purple with purple pink, purple, pink, purple, pink, purple, and more. And wait, it becomes even more interesting and more random than that.

Precious Pink Diamonds & unusual forms

Often, when presented with a rough pink knife, will cut an unusual shape for the carat weight of raw precious pink. This is because a cutter side to make more money that can makeFrom then on the final product and the carat weight counts toward this goal.

In pink diamonds, I have seen a harp (as the instrument), pear shapes funky, very fat or very skinny and a heart Marquise cleavageless (just see that one). Others are difficult to describe without pictures. I do not usually see around many cloves in large, since the cutting of a round diamond in the rough diamonds waste. Nobody wants the diamond powder pink.

The GIA report – the report only apink diamond

You pay the high price of a pink diamond, you should expect nothing less than a genuine GIA report. You can tell a complete report or a GIA color origin. The evidence already to the natural color. And now the gold standard of reports and the only laboratory that colored diamonds is unknown. And when it comes to the classification of the color you want first class, because small things can make a big difference in price.

A GIA Color Origin Report is an acceptable ratio and reports only on color, carat weightand sizes. Often, a cutter, a source color reports, while trying to avoid is to choose a purity I1 printed in a report. And 'much less important in colored diamonds, but still conscious consumers Cutter request for clarity. I have to sell even crater-cracking intense pink diamonds, which were at least I2, to high prices seen. And I actually have a pretty pink purple I2 was seen. It 's all hand-picked as a retailer well. It is cut with diamond brilliance of any kind.clear that questions would be obvious in a white diamond is often not evident in all colored diamonds.

An examination by a qualified gemologist GIA GIA graduate of one or something that is not the same as a GIA report. And each of these letters of mixing that is thought to have an official report is wrong. Each report with an estimated value is not a genuine GIA report. You can change the number on the GIA report.

The GIA has established that the natural color.irradiated pink are not as steep on a scale of prices of natural color pink diamonds. Irradiated carnations are often a sort of surreal color and are often diamonds, like the unpleasant message to the sounds of nature, and were then nuked to sell.

Shopping for a pink diamond

A couple of jewelry stores or staff know nothing about pink diamonds. This is because their market is generally people who are buying white diamonds. There are stores that carry more of them.But you will notice that prices in the stratosphere. They are often paying for the address, the atmosphere and maintain light fixtures. When you start to be very well a fabulous product, you pay the Wazoo for it. That's fine if you have that kind of disposable income and you feel in a sleek.

Regardless, you really have to carefully choose your dealer. Choose one with more than two or three colored diamonds. If you have done yourHomework, you can see a seller who knows less than you. If you know more than the seller, go ahead. Select a dealer with a track record and a reputation for carrying colored diamonds. I often see that operators faced with a diamond and not to disclose this fact. I see dealers with the same photo on a diamond for sale. I see the dealers, the "drop shipper" who colored diamonds – the dealers who do not look at the diamond, but the numbers from a listGIA report and have never seen.

A colored diamonds, especially a pink diamond, you do not buy sight unseen for a number of reasons. Fancy colors and unusual shapes can not be bought at face value, if you atually want to end with something you like in your search.

The purchase of a pink diamond, death on a budget

Get an expert Pink Diamond

Few sellers know squat about colored diamonds. Even the experts do not. The willingness to check with someone else, the facts of resources. To ask questions before you judge it and discover their methods of evaluation of rare pink.

When he returns evaluated twice, I feel great that you made a great buy. Ask them to adjust the assessment, so that you can not pay the outrageous insurance premiumsensure that a diamond would cost almost the amount that replace the judge. The amount of brazen assessment could make you feel warm and safe until you get an insurance company and see what it costs.

Natural Pink Diamonds – Your Shopping Guide for these Rare Diamonds

pink diamonds, as opposed to 1 carat round colorless diamonds are very rare. In fact, pink is one of the rarest colors. Only Red Diamonds (never seen one) and blue diamonds are rare.

Given the rarity of pink diamonds are not for the faint of wallet, but those can be found at affordable prices. First, you have some knowledge of the rating scale of pink diamonds, which happens to have, at best.

Shopping Guide

Pink Diamond Grading – A Reader's Digest version

Size and clarity are notimportant than color when it comes to diamond prices rose. high-sounding words like, intense, vivid, deep pink in front of the word, they all tend to offer higher class. Light, very light and Faint adjectives prices fixed at the lower end of the scale – and more accessible to mortals, not movie stars. I've seen that seems quite weak when set pink pink pink gold and rose even desirable that I say it is pink. So an operator who knows how to choose a rose andSet a pink diamond is essential to bring out the pink as much as possible and finish with beautiful jewelry.

A Fancy Intense Pink Diamond in a 1 carat size is over $ 100k and up to run and run. A "qualified" in the color of the already determined up or shorten the course of prices. Add a qualifier such as "brown" dramatically in pink, like brownish pink, and the price goes down. And many times, that the qualification is a good thing, because to the naked eye is brown or undetectableunpleasant.

Another qualifier is orange or orange-red or orange. Then there are varieties such as purple with purple pink, purple, pink, purple, pink, purple, and more. And wait, it becomes even more interesting and more random than that.

Precious Pink Diamonds & unusual forms

Often, when presented with a rough pink knife, will cut an unusual shape for the carat weight of raw precious pink. This is because a cutter side to make more money that can makeFrom then on the final product and the carat weight counts toward this goal.

In pink diamonds, I have seen a harp (as the instrument), pear shapes funky, very fat or very skinny and a heart Marquise cleavageless (just see that one). Others are difficult to describe without pictures. I do not usually see around many cloves in large, since the cutting of a round diamond in the rough diamonds waste. Nobody wants the diamond powder pink.

The GIA report – the report only apink diamond

You pay the high price of a pink diamond, you should expect nothing less than a genuine GIA report. You can tell a complete report or a GIA color origin. The evidence already to the natural color. And now the gold standard of reports and the only laboratory that colored diamonds is unknown. And when it comes to the classification of the color you want first class, because small things can make a big difference in price.

A GIA Color Origin Report is an acceptable ratio and reports only on color, carat weightand sizes. Often, a cutter, a source color reports, while trying to avoid is to choose a purity I1 printed in a report. And 'much less important in colored diamonds, but still conscious consumers Cutter request for clarity. I have to sell even crater-cracking intense pink diamonds, which were at least I2, to high prices seen. And I actually have a pretty pink purple I2 was seen. It 's all hand-picked as a retailer well. It is cut with diamond brilliance of any kind.clear that questions would be obvious in a white diamond is often not evident in all colored diamonds.

An examination by a qualified gemologist GIA GIA graduate of one or something that is not the same as a GIA report. And each of these letters of mixing that is thought to have an official report is wrong. Each report with an estimated value is not a genuine GIA report. You can change the number on the GIA report.

The GIA has established that the natural color.irradiated pink are not as steep on a scale of prices of natural color pink diamonds. Irradiated carnations are often a sort of surreal color and are often diamonds, like the unpleasant message to the sounds of nature, and were then nuked to sell.

Shopping for a pink diamond

A couple of jewelry stores or staff know nothing about pink diamonds. This is because their market is generally people who are buying white diamonds. There are stores that carry more of them.But you will notice that prices in the stratosphere. They are often paying for the address, the atmosphere and maintain light fixtures. When you start to be very well a fabulous product, you pay the Wazoo for it. That's fine if you have that kind of disposable income and you feel in a sleek.

Regardless, you really have to carefully choose your dealer. Choose one with more than two or three colored diamonds. If you have done yourHomework, you can see a seller who knows less than you. If you know more than the seller, go ahead. Select a dealer with a track record and a reputation for carrying colored diamonds. I often see that operators faced with a diamond and not to disclose this fact. I see dealers with the same photo on a diamond for sale. I see the dealers, the "drop shipper" who colored diamonds – the dealers who do not look at the diamond, but the numbers from a listGIA report and have never seen.

A colored diamonds, especially a pink diamond, you do not buy sight unseen for a number of reasons. Fancy colors and unusual shapes can not be bought at face value, if you atually want to end with something you like in your search.

The purchase of a pink diamond, death on a budget

Get an expert Pink Diamond

Few sellers know squat about colored diamonds. Even the experts do not. The willingness to check with someone else, the facts of resources. To ask questions before you judge it and discover their methods of evaluation of rare pink.

When he returns evaluated twice, I feel great that you made a great buy. Ask them to adjust the assessment, so that you can not pay the outrageous insurance premiumsensure that a diamond would cost almost the amount that replace the judge. The amount of brazen assessment could make you feel warm and safe until you get an insurance company and see what it costs.

Natural Pink Diamonds – Your Shopping Guide for these Rare Diamonds

pink diamonds, as opposed to 1 carat round colorless diamonds are very rare. In fact, pink is one of the rarest colors. Only Red Diamonds (never seen one) and blue diamonds are rare.

Given the rarity of pink diamonds are not for the faint of wallet, but those can be found at affordable prices. First, you have some knowledge of the rating scale of pink diamonds, which happens to have, at best.

Shopping Guide

Pink Diamond Grading – A Reader's Digest version

Size and clarity are notimportant than color when it comes to diamond prices rose. high-sounding words like, intense, vivid, deep pink in front of the word, they all tend to offer higher class. Light, very light and Faint adjectives prices fixed at the lower end of the scale – and more accessible to mortals, not movie stars. I've seen that seems quite weak when set pink pink pink gold and rose even desirable that I say it is pink. So an operator who knows how to choose a rose andSet a pink diamond is essential to bring out the pink as much as possible and finish with beautiful jewelry.

A Fancy Intense Pink Diamond in a 1 carat size is over $ 100k and up to run and run. A "qualified" in the color of the already determined up or shorten the course of prices. Add a qualifier such as "brown" dramatically in pink, like brownish pink, and the price goes down. And many times, that the qualification is a good thing, because to the naked eye is brown or undetectableunpleasant.

Another qualifier is orange or orange-red or orange. Then there are varieties such as purple with purple pink, purple, pink, purple, pink, purple, and more. And wait, it becomes even more interesting and more random than that.

Precious Pink Diamonds & unusual forms

Often, when presented with a rough pink knife, will cut an unusual shape for the carat weight of raw precious pink. This is because a cutter side to make more money that can makeFrom then on the final product and the carat weight counts toward this goal.

In pink diamonds, I have seen a harp (as the instrument), pear shapes funky, very fat or very skinny and a heart Marquise cleavageless (just see that one). Others are difficult to describe without pictures. I do not usually see around many cloves in large, since the cutting of a round diamond in the rough diamonds waste. Nobody wants the diamond powder pink.

The GIA report – the report only apink diamond

You pay the high price of a pink diamond, you should expect nothing less than a genuine GIA report. You can tell a complete report or a GIA color origin. The evidence already to the natural color. And now the gold standard of reports and the only laboratory that colored diamonds is unknown. And when it comes to the classification of the color you want first class because little things can make a big difference in price.

A GIA Color Origin Report is an acceptable ratio and reports only on color, carat weightand sizes. Often, a cutter, a source color reports, while trying to avoid is to choose a purity I1 printed in a report. And 'much less important in colored diamonds, but still conscious consumers Cutter request for clarity. I have to sell even crater-cracking intense pink diamonds, which were at least I2, to high prices seen. And I actually have a pretty pink purple I2 was seen. It 's all hand-picked as a retailer well. It is cut with diamond brilliance of any kind.clear that questions would be obvious in a white diamond is often not evident in all colored diamonds.

An examination by a qualified gemologist GIA GIA graduate of one or something that is not the same as a GIA report. And each of these letters of mixing that is thought to have an official report is wrong. Each report with an estimated value is not a genuine GIA report. You can change the number on the GIA report.

The GIA has established that the natural color.irradiated pink are not as steep on a scale of prices of natural color pink diamonds. Irradiated carnations are often a sort of surreal color and are often diamonds, like the unpleasant message to the sounds of nature, and were then nuked to sell.

Shopping for a pink diamond

A couple of jewelry stores or staff know nothing about pink diamonds. This is because their market is generally people who are buying white diamonds. There are stores that carry more of them.But you will notice that prices in the stratosphere. They are often paying for the address, the atmosphere and maintain light fixtures. When you start to be very well a fabulous product, you pay the Wazoo for it. That's fine if you have that kind of disposable income and you feel in a sleek.

Regardless, you really have to carefully choose your dealer. Choose one with more than two or three colored diamonds. If you have done yourHomework, you can see a seller who knows less than you. If you know more than the seller, go ahead. Select a dealer with a track record and a reputation for carrying colored diamonds. I often see that operators faced with a diamond and not to disclose this fact. I see dealers with the same photo on a diamond for sale. I see the dealers, the "drop shipper" who colored diamonds – the dealers who do not look at the diamond, but the numbers from a listGIA report and have never seen.

A colored diamonds, especially a pink diamond, you do not buy sight unseen for a number of reasons. Fancy colors and unusual shapes can not be bought at face value, if you atually want to end with something you like in your search.

The purchase of a pink diamond, death on a budget

Get an expert Pink Diamond

Few sellers know squat about colored diamonds. Even the experts do not. The willingness to check with someone else, the facts of resources. To ask questions before you judge it and discover their methods of evaluation of rare pink.

When he returns evaluated twice, I feel great that you made a great buy. Ask them to adjust the assessment, so that you can not pay the outrageous insurance premiumsensure that a diamond would cost almost the amount that replace the judge. The amount of brazen assessment could make you feel warm and safe until you get an insurance company and see what it costs.

Natural Pink Diamonds – Your Shopping Guide for these Rare Diamonds