Basically, there are two types of diamonds, Type 1a or Type 2a. 98% of the earth-mined diamonds are Type 1a. Type 2a are much rarer as they are a purer Diamond. Only 2% of earth-mined diamonds fall into this superior, most sought after and prized category. (Type 2a earth-mined diamonds never make it to a jeweller’s shop as they are snatched up by those at the top of the diamond industry for celebrities and royalty due to their rarity and steep price). Lab grown diamonds are ALL Type 2a. This makes our diamonds whiter, brighter, and stronger than most mined diamonds. The purity of lab grown diamonds also means they have high electrical and thermal conductivity, causing a problem for unwary jewellers who might test with a standard diamond tester which will give a false reading. Since earth mined and lab grown diamonds are the same, this makes it almost impossible to separate one from the other. However, we can test them for the different types, and if it is a Type 2a diamond, that allows us to be almost 100% sure it is a Laboratory Grown Diamond. It wouldn’t be sensible to try to sell a Type 2a earth mined as a Type 2a lab grown, and get a lower price, when it could be sold for more.

Diamonds are arranged in different groups, a bit like blood types, they are still diamonds, but have slight differences depending on other impurities present such as nitrogen (which gives a diamond a yellow tint) or boron (which gives a diamond a blue colour). These impurities, or lack of, create different types such as Type 1a, or Type 2a. The purest diamonds, without any other impurities are Type 2a. We can’t tell the difference between an earth mined diamond or a lab grown as they are the same, but we can differentiate between the different types of diamonds. The way we test to see if a diamond is earth mined or lab grown, is by detecting which ‘type’ of diamond it is. If we can identify it is a Type2a, we can virtually guarantee it is a lab grown, as only 2% of all earth mined are Type 2a, and Type 2a earth mined, never make it to market, (they are too valuable and sought after), usually claimed by celebrities and those in the ‘know’. Being electrically conductive, lab grown diamonds are perfect for the 21st century electronic industry, and the high thermal conductivity is perfect for dissipating heat in electrical components.

It might seem strange that common pencil lead is the same mineral as diamond, i.e., carbon, the fourth most common element on earth. Their different characteristics lie in the way the atoms bond together. In pencil lead, the atoms are arranged in a two-dimensional linear pattern, connected in layers with weak bonds between the layers, allowing them to be easily broken. In diamond, the atoms are in a three-dimensional cubic arrangement with strong bonds between the layers. Diamonds are one of the hardest substances on earth but are also brittle and can be quite easily chipped, or cleaved. There is a famous story about a well-known diamantaire who had the job of breaking down one of the largest rough diamonds ever found. He spent weeks examining the rough gemstone, making endless calculations and marks on it, using his experience as to where to cleave the diamond without damaging or quite possibly shattering it. Finally, after making a small groove, he placed a hard steel blade in the groove and hit it with the exact pressure needed, and it cleaved perfectly in two. He promptly fainted with relief from the stress! As diamonds are the hardest substance known, how can they possibly be cut or polished? It is because diamonds are harder in some directions than others. So, by having a polishing blade or wheel with tiny crystals of diamonds embedded in the edge of the wheel, it means there will always be some crystals aligned in such a way that they are harder than the piece being cut. This allows the rough diamond to be shaped. These days, cutters use lasers to cut the crystal, considerably speeding up the process and are cut and polished by automatic machines, so human diamantaires are often not needed.

As Lab grown diamonds are still new to the market and jewellers don’t have the market knowledge on what to pay for them, it can be difficult to sell second-hand Laboratory Grown Diamonds through traditional outlets. At Adamastar we are prepared to purchase any second-hand lab grown diamond with similar provisos as would be in the case of an earth mined purchase. The price offered for the purchase of a lab created diamond would be at a similar discount to what they would receive if selling a second-hand mined diamond. Naturally the diamond would have to be in good condition and not damaged or chipped. We would also insist that the original laser inscribed number is still visible on the girdle as an identification. It is worth noting that both grown & mined diamonds do not increase in value over time, relative to inflation, and should not be considered an investment. Adamastar Diamonds suggests that you view your lab diamond purchase as a luxury, discretionary purchase, not an investment. You should never expect to be able to sell your diamond for more or the same of what you originally paid for it at retail, whether natural or lab grown, relative to inflation. This is because retailers who buy your diamond from you must be able to re-sell that stone for a profit.

Sustainability is a method of managing or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged for future use. Currently geologists have located and noted all the kimberlite pipes on the planet where diamonds can be found. Most of all the ‘low hanging fruit’ have already been mined, meaning in order to keep the market supplied with diamonds, deeper and larger mines in more inaccessible and environmentally damaging regions are having to be operated. As the saying goes, ‘diamonds are forever’, unfortunately diamond mines are not. The cost of extraction will continue to increase as will the use of unfriendly environmental practices which use damaging fossil fuels to maintain the supply of their earth-mined diamonds. The mining of diamonds out of the Earth is by definition not sustainable and is getting less sustainable every year. We are seeing more consumers demanding diamonds that do not ‘Cost the Earth’. Earth mining diamonds requires diesel and dynamite, growing diamonds only requires carbon and electricity. Of all the elements in the universe, Carbon is the fourth most abundant. It is unlikely we will never have enough to fulfil our need of available carbon for diamonds. Because carbon is abundant, and electricity can be sourced from renewable sources, laboratory-grown diamonds are truly sustainable. There has been some pushback by the earth mining industry claiming the energy to create laboratory-grown diamonds is not as eco-friendly as claimed, since much of the electricity required is derived from coal-fired energy producers. This is true, however, where possible the laboratory factories are using renewable sources and have future goals to use more and more renewable energy sources as they become available. The lab-growing industry has at its core the philosophy of being ethical and environmentally friendly. There is little opportunity for the mining industry to migrate to eco-friendly systems.

The Gemological Institute of America treats the grading of Lab Grown Diamonds exactly the same as Earth Mined using their 4Cs, grading scale as the basis for grading, a standard of evaluation created by GIA and implemented all over the world. When any diamond is submitted to any of the many worldwide GIA laboratories, it is first examined to determine if it is earth mined or laboratory grown. GIA diamond graders will examine it with the same intense scrutiny as earth mined diamonds. They then produce a GIA ‘Laboratory Grown Diamond Report’ that provides detailed colour, clarity and cut specifications. The report will also include a plot of the stone’s clarity characteristics. Using advanced testing methods, GIA graders can determine how a diamond was grown, either through the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) method, or the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. This information is then included in the report. In addition to stating what method was used to grow the diamond. The Report also states whether there is evidence of any post-growth treatments. All diamonds, whether laboratory grown, or earth mined, can be treated using several methods to improve the colour of a ‘colourless’ diamond, usually heat treated, or other methods to acquire a better fancy colour, such as, blue, green, pink, or yellow. The GIA’s LGDR lets consumers know whether their diamonds have been treated. It is important to note that any treatment carried out on diamonds are permanent and industry accepted. As another added precaution to identify the diamond and protect consumers, GIA also laser-inscribes the report number on the diamond’s girdle supplies a statement that identifies the diamond as laboratory-grown.

Adamastar was conceived by two gemmologists, Bill Palmer & Ron Park who have been appraisers for many years running a successful appraisal laboratory in Auckland. Both are Graduate Gemmologists from the Gemological Institute of America, the premier college and whose grading nomenclature is accepted as the universal standard by most of the world’s gemmologists. It has been less than 5-6 years that lab grown diamonds have entered the diamond market after many years of development to achieve a man-made, gem quality diamond. Previously the process could not achieve the required level of colour, and clarity needed to compete with earth mined diamonds. Once this milestone was reached, a seismic shift has occurred in the diamond industry. The traditional earth mined industry has tried to denigrate what is a real threat to their dominance by trying to say earth mined is better and more ‘natural’ than lab grown diamonds. Both claims are wrong because lab grown diamonds are exactly the same and as for being ‘natural’, the FTC in America, (America’s equivalent to our Commerce Commission), has said that earth mined diamond sellers cannot use the term ‘natural’ to differentiate them from lab grown diamonds as they are essentially the same thing so one can’t be termed more ‘natural’ than the other. Adamastar believe lab grown diamonds are the future as they tick all the boxes, being more sustainable, more ethical, more environmentally friendly to the planet in their manufacture, and best of all up to 50% less to buy.

At Adamastar, we sell laboratory grown diamonds to clients and set them in their own bespoke jewellery designs. We understand that buying a diamond is a special stage in their relationship, so we like to take our clients on their own journey of discovery. Our clients learn everything, not just about the diamond and the setting, but they have the advantage of our vast knowledge and know-how. By working with our talented designers, jewellers, and setters, we create the perfect piece of jewellery, so the client’s experience is always better than expected. We make sure that the design is right, and the client is fully happy before we progress to the actual making of it. Since we do not carry the diamonds in stock, we may initially quote on a particular diamond, at a particular size and grades, but when we come to purchase it, due to perhaps delays in deciding, that diamond may no longer be available. In such cases we always go up a grade or a slight weight increase at the same price as quoted. So, it is always more and not less than promised. After we gain an idea of what the client is wanting, we discuss and advise the options usually by email, before giving a quote. At any time, we can meet in our relaxed and beautiful downtown office where we meet and can show off our beautiful, perfect diamonds. Once seen, always impressed. The excellent cut of the lab grown diamonds makes them stunning and their brilliance must be seen to believe.

Adamastar; know diamonds and are passionate about them. We have spent a lifetime looking at diamonds and understanding them. We want our clients to be fully informed about all aspects of diamonds and our knowledge can help cut through the technical maze of information. There is no other consumer product in the market that has the level of detailed scrutiny that diamonds are subjected to, including minute detailed grading, and measuring that a diamond is expected to meet to conform to market expectations. We are qualified Graduate Gemmologists with decades of experience in grading and valuing diamonds to GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) high grading standards and we are ideally placed to make sure that the reports which come with the Lab Grown Diamonds we sell are accurate and do match GIA grading criteria. That coupled with our desire to make our clients happy, leaving no detail too small to satisfy our client with their requests for a dream ring. We never accept second best. Our craftsmen are the best around and we guarantee all workmanship. By matching quality mounts with lab grown diamonds we have the best jewellery available as there is nothing to compare with the high standards of lab grown diamonds which are the future on so many levels from price to environmentally sustainable and ethics, no chance of blood diamonds.

Earth mined diamonds are a gift from nature, but lab grown diamonds are a brilliant testament to human technology and intelligence. If you were fortunate enough to be wondering through a clear shallow stream somewhere, you might just stumble upon an unremarkable, irregular shaped pebble and if you knew what you were looking at you might realise it was a rough diamond you had just found. It would be a very lucky find. From that point on, the rough crystal begins a journey from there to the cutter whose job it is to bring out the hidden fire within the rough crystal. It has taken diamantaires generations of jealously guarded secret knowledge, of how to bring out the best optical characteristics of such an ‘unremarkable’ pebble and release the brilliance and fire of a polished, round brilliant cut diamond. With human ingenuity, now creating the crystal itself, there is a wonderful symmetry where artisans are skilfully further beautifying this all-man-made magnificent gemstone. A lab-grown diamond is a diamond for the future. It is environmentally superior to earth mined diamonds, using only carbon and electricity to manufacture them. Although much electricity is currently generated by coal, more and more electricity is produced by green generation, the future can only be brighter over the long term. The physical damage earth mining does to the planet is massive as it takes 250 tons of crushed rock to find 1.00carat of diamonds, usually by digging giant craters and creating massive tailings which are harmful to both fauna and wildlife.

Adamastar sell environmentally sustainable and affordable diamonds in quality New Zealand made jewellery. It doesn’t matter if a diamond is a billion years old, or a day old they both have the same features as each other, are of the identical chemical element (Carbon), and the same physical characteristic (Hardness), and when cut and polished into the same shape, have the same optical (brilliance and scintillation) characteristics as well. Let’s face, it a diamond crystal is just a crystal found in nature, just a rock made of certain common elements arranged in a particular molecular structure. A lab grown diamond is exactly the same in every way, only it has been made in a laboratory, using the same methods to create it an as earth mined diamond was, heat and pressure. It has been said, when purchasing an engagement ring the rule of thumb on how much to spent is about a month’s wages or salary. That equates to approximately $4,000.00. For that amount you could buy a 0.50ct earth mined diamond of F/VS2/Ex quality grades in an 18ct mount. But if the same $4,000.00 was spent buying a lab grown diamond, that $4000.00 would buy you a 1.00ct diamond of the same grades. That’s double the diamond size. If you were able to afford an even larger diamond and compare the price, the size of the diamond you would get would be even greater. Consequently, this places our traditional jewellers in a difficult situation when selling earth mined diamonds. Many are now trying to jump on the bandwagon and sell lab grown diamonds, but when they try to explain why they offer an earth mined at twice the price, when it is exactly the same, they have a problem. They can’t put down lab grown, otherwise they could lose a sale. They try to use the earth mined, ‘special origin’ argument, but that is a lot of money to spend when in truth, it may not matter.

Laboratory grown diamonds are real diamonds. They are made from the same chemical as earth mined, i.e., carbon, formed into the same crystal structure, and have the same optical properties, unlike look-a-like simulants like Cubic Zirconia or Moissanite, but actual diamonds, no different than those dug out of the ground which use environmentally unfriendly methods and giant mechanical equipment, which are not kind to the planet. It takes 250 tons of hard granite rock which is crushed and sifted to obtain just one carat of diamonds. The diamonds are then sent to cartels which control the flow of diamonds into the market to maintain the high prices they need to have, to sustain the mining of the gems. Laboratory Grown Diamonds are not easy to make. They require highly skilled technicians and very expensive machines to manufacture them. Once started the process can’t be hurried by forcing them to grow faster as this will cause the diamonds to fail and not be gem quality. As the manufacturer is also the seller, there are few if any middlemen to take their cut before it reaches the jeweller who will sell it. Earth mined diamonds can pass through many hands each clipping the ticket thus upping the price. It is a trail that has existed for hundreds of years, and the trade is reluctant to change. Laboratory Grown Diamonds are not tied to these traditions and are the future.

It is not correct to call Lab Grown Diamonds ‘synthetic’. Synthesis is the combining of different chemicals to create another material that looks like the one being copied. Examples of this is synthetic leather or synthetic rubber, used to look like their natural counterparts. From a scientific chemist’s standpoint, growing a diamond involves merely changing one form of carbon (graphite) into another form of carbon, (diamond), – exactly as with an earth-mined, and as such no synthesis occurs. So, the term ‘synthetic’ is chemically inaccurate for diamond, as a diamond is not made from synthetic carbon, and since no one has yet synthesised carbon, there is no such thing as a synthetic diamond. Recently in America, there has been a sweeping change in the FTC’s ruling on diamond description, (the same body as our Commerce Commission), It removed the previously specified term, ‘natural’ origin used by the earth mined industry to promote their diamonds as ‘superior’ when defining a diamond. Previously the FTC definition stated a diamond was a natural mineral consisting essentially of pure carbon crystalized in the Cubic system. Now the word ‘natural’ has been erased. The FTC has now ruled: “The Commission no longer defines a ‘diamond’ by using the term ‘natural’ because it is no longer accurate to define diamonds as ‘natural’ when it is now possible to create products that have essentially the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as mined diamonds.

‘Synthetic’ is also defined as ‘Not natural or genuine: artificial or contrived, fake, imitation’. Since lab-grown diamonds are the same as earth-mined, it is no longer acceptable to call only an earth-mined diamond ‘natural’ Both are in fact natural, so lab-grown diamonds can’t be called synthetic. ‘Synthetic’ is the preferred name used by the mining diamond industry to describe lab-grown diamonds, as they believe that the term ‘synthetic’ cheapens the product and promotes their view of the ‘fake-ness’ of lab-created diamonds, in their attempt to denigrate lab-grown diamonds and to create confusion between lab-grown diamonds (which are diamonds) and lab-grown diamond simulants (which are not diamonds).

Currently there is only a small but growing market for secondhand laboratory grown diamonds. Earth mined diamond sellers, will claim there is no buy-back market for their ‘opposition’s’ diamonds, but most jewellers selling lab grown diamonds will buy them back. The problem arises in that most jewellers cannot safely distinguish a lab grown diamond from an earth mined as they don’t have the tools or expertise to confidently identify a lab grown diamond that someone is wanting to sell. Adamastar Diamonds will purchase laboratory grown diamonds even if it is not one that they have sold themselves. Any price offered to buy back a lab grown diamond, would be at a similar discount to what they would receive if selling a second-hand mined diamond. This is because retailers who buy your diamond from you must be able to re-sell that stone for a profit. You should never expect to be able to sell your diamond for more or the same of what you originally paid for it at retail, whether natural or lab grown. Contrary to what some may erroneously claim, both grown & mined diamonds should not be considered an investment and do not increase in value over time, relative to inflation. You should view any diamond purchase as a luxury, discretionary purchase, not an investment.

Melee (Pronounced similar to ‘Belly’), diamonds are tiny diamonds used in diamond jewellery, often used as accent diamonds, usually to highlight the main centre stone in an engagement ring. In the jewellery trade, a diamonds is often referred to by the number of ‘points’ it has. A one carat diamond has 100 points, so a half carat diamond equates to 50 points, (or as it would be referred to, a ‘50 pointer’). Generally, melee implies diamonds of 20 points or less which has a weight of 0.05carats. Diamonds of this size are about 2.4mm in diameter and can go down in size to be perfectly cut to 0.001points (1000th of a carat, or less than 1.0mm diameter). Melee diamonds being so small are not much on their own, but when especially set clustered together en masse, can add a stunning sparkle effect to an otherwise plain ring. Most melee diamonds are cut as Round Brilliant cut diamonds with the usual 58 facets and are known as ‘Full Cut’ melee. There is another type of melee known as ‘Single Cut’ melee. These have a simpler facet arrangement, having only 17 facets. Not surprisingly, Single Cut melee don’t have the fire and sparkle that a Full Brilliant Cut diamond has. Modern diamond cutting technology has advanced to the point that there is little reason to produce Single Cut melee diamonds. Today, the overwhelming majority of melee diamonds are Full Cut melee.