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Miss Ant’s earlier post about diamonds reminded me of the new manmade diamonds, which may one day render DeBeers obsolete.
Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth - perfect for lasers and computer chips - so scientists have been trying to replicate their properties for decades. While pursuing those projects, Apollo cofounder Robert Linares accidentally discovered how to replicate gems.
Apollo Diamond now “grows” diamonds in a lab that are virtually indistinguishable from those mined from nature. They have plans to sell their diamonds at Tiffany - at perhaps one-third the cost of mined diamonds. Of course they’re being met with opposition by the only name in the business:
De Beers launched a public relations campaign and an education program for jewelers, all aimed at portraying mined diamonds as real and eternal - and CVD* or Gemesis** diamonds as fake and tacky.
Both Apollo and Gemesis want to market their gems as “cultured diamonds,” taking a cue from cultured pearls. De Beers is fighting that label. “It’s misleading and unacceptable,” says De Beers executive Simon Lawson. “It makes people think (manufacturing diamonds) is an organic process, and it’s not.”
Even highly trained diamond experts find it almost impossible to tell a CVD diamond from a mined one. De Beers is determined to help by making machines that can detect the slightest difference in the way the two materials refract light.
* chemical vapor deposition - the process by which Apollo manufactures their diamonds.
**A Russian company which manufactures yellow diamonds.
An Apollo manmade diamond
Would you care whether or not you had a DeBeers diamond or an Apollo diamond if it were a fraction of the cost and indistinguishable from a mined diamond?
(source: usatoday)
i wouldn’t care. more diamond for meeee!
Takara diamonds also sells man-made 100% diamonds. They come in fancy colors like pink, yellow, and BLUE *drooooool*
I have to wonder if the apollo diamonds will go up in value like real diamonds do. I didn’t get a DeBeers diamond. I pointed my fiance to one of the reputable onilne diamond dealers, and we got it was waaay cheaper than I would have it we had gone to Tiffany, Cartier or wherever. I’m fine with it being a no-name diamond! 
I’d take the replica- especially if it’s substantially cheaper & more politically-friendly
I have several people telling me that diamonds are actually quite abundance in Africa, and what De Beers do w/ pay people to cover up those diamond mines to keep to supply limited, thus keeping the price high.
My ring isn’t a diamond. It’s moissanite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moissanite#Gemstone
Which is much cheaper, nearly as hard, has a higher refractive index, and exactly what I wanted. =) Saved us a ton of money, and I never worry about losing it. And no one can tell by looking at it that it is not a diamond.
I prefer the cultured diamonds, since warring over diamonds has caused a lot of needless hardship for the countries in which diamonds are mined. DeBeers has a lot of business practices that are sketchy at best - I’d rather not support them.
I don’t think I would mind. I can’t tell the difference. Then again, I don’t know that much about diamonds…
Part of me feels guilty for wanting a real diamond versus a manmade one, but I don’t like the idea of a sterilized lab created one either. It seems to take the personality out of the gems. However, morally I find it appalling how DeBeers rules the diamond industry. Maybe other precious stones will become fashionable again!
I’d take the cultured diamond–can you find us some listings for cultured diamonds?
Im not sure how I feel When my fiance and I started looking a while ago we looked at Mosinite which is similar I wasnt sure in the end and I guess Im not sure still My diamond however isnt a DeBeers one
thank you so much for posting this! miss. ant’s post has had me thinking all day and i was trying to think of alternatives but i love the diamond look too much to completely give it up… so this is a great alternative!
Wow, i want a pink diamond! How cool is that!?
I wonder if manmade diamonds will decrease the price/value of natural diamonds…? Since diamond usually rise in value due to rarity… will this continue if there comes an overbundance of manmade diamonds? hum.. Thanks for the post!
I saw this on the news too a while ago. Personally, I side with De Beer. To me, it’s not about whether you can distinguish the two (mined diamonds and man-made diamonds) or not. It’s about the fact that man-made is exactly that.. man-made. When it comes to diamonds, what has always made it special and “valuable” for as long as diamonds exist is exactly that it is created from nature, over a LONG period of time, not from a LAB. You can’t get it EASILY overnight. When you man-make it, w/only a *fraction* of the time that it takes to create real diamonds, it loses that inherent unique-ness and quality that is only done possible by “nature”. Yes man made diamonds cost a lot cheaper, and you most likely will not be able to tell the difference. You can insist on the fact that it *looks* just the same as mined diamonds, but come on, we know it simply is not. No offense to anyone who supports man made diamonds, to me, it almost feels like cheating. My personal choice is still mined diamonds.
Oh just to clarify, when I say I side with De Beer, I don’t mean it as in for the sake of their BRAND name. It can be a completely different company, even a no name one, my position is simply on the generic side of *mined/nature made diamonds*.
apollo or de beers - it doesn’t matter to me. after getting mine and being engaged - it’s not about the quality or size of the rock - it’s about the love and if you guys will last.
yeah, i think ceana said it best! girls, we gotta stop getting mesmerized by those nice, sparkly things. yeah, i know it’s hard..
Sounds like a great alternative when I want to get a huge canary diamond!
My vintage diamond–I wonder if it can be considered a conflict diamond since it was “found” almost 100 years ago. I don’t know–I guess I will have to do some research.
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Mrs. Bee, New York Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet Engagement Date: May 7, 2004 Wedding Date: March 5, 2005 Venue: Westside Loft, New York About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
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