Pierce Custom Jewelers
Diamonds. There’s no other symbol in the world as powerful when it comes to expressing feelings of love and devotion. As long as we can remember, diamonds are the standard – and the bigger, the better!
But now it’s no longer just about cut, color, clarity, and carat. There’s an additional choice: a mined diamond or a grown diamond. Technology has advanced quickly, necessitating a change in our dialogue. A year ago, clients at Pierce Custom Jewelers in Lake Mary probably wouldn’t be having this conversation when choosing a diamond, but today a client needs to understand all the available options to make a well-informed decision.
A mined diamond comes from the earth and is carbon that has been subjected to intense heat and pressure deep in the earth’s crust for billions of years. Geological events bring these deposits toward the surface where they can be mined, cut, and polished. Mined diamonds come in extremely varying qualities, with the rarest reaching a gem quality that you would want proudly displayed in a fine piece of jewelry.
A grown diamond is also carbon that has been exposed to the right conditions to create a diamond. Without getting too technical, there are two processes used to grow a diamond: High Pressure High Temp (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). Both processes begin with a diamond seed crystal. HPHT introduces additional carbon, then, as the name suggests, high pressure and heat are introduced mimicking the process used in the earth. CVD introduces gasses in a vacuum (usually methane) which is then ionized to break apart the molecules. Once the carbon molecules are separated, they begin to attach to the seed crystal. Each process takes weeks to produce a diamond. These technologies are not just beneficial to the jewelry consumer. Various industrial uses for grown diamonds have benefited society tremendously, too.
They are both diamonds, so why the conversation?
Whether mined or grown, diamonds are made from carbon – period. Once produced, they both go through the exact same process to become the beautiful gems we cherish for a lifetime. They come in a wide range of colors, clarity, and carat weight, and both types must still be cut, polished, and graded to present a beautiful gem-quality stone. To the naked eye, mined and grown diamonds of equal grades are impossible to tell apart. When presented with a mined diamond or a grown diamond, even a professional must use specialized electronic equipment to confirm the diamond’s origin.
At Pierce Custom Jewelers in Colonial TownPark, the feedback about mined and grown diamonds has been interesting. Those who prefer mined diamonds view them as a natural choice, and because of the rarity in nature of a gem-quality stone, they feel they are getting something unique. Those who prefer grown diamonds also feel they are getting something special and unique but believe grown diamonds are more environmentally friendly and responsible because the origin can be tracked absolutely.
With all this information, you may be asking yourself, “So what is the biggest differentiator?” As usual, it’s price.
There are many variables when choosing a diamond, and it can be quite a harrowing process! In the current market, the experts at Pierce say a mined diamond can cost more than two times that of a similar grown diamond. What does this mean for you when making your decision? At purchase, you can obtain a substantially larger grown diamond for the same price as a mined diamond.
Pierce Custom Jewelers is seeing greater interest in grown diamonds for use as center stones in engagement rings and for diamond stud earrings. Pierce carries a variety of mined as well as grown diamonds from which its clients can choose. For those wanting something larger or even more unique, the master jewelers at Pierce have relationships with diamond brokers worldwide. They can quickly and easily turn diamond dreams – mined or grown – into reality.
Jewelry is not only about quality and design; it’s about the memory being created. Finding just the right piece can be daunting, but Pierce Custom Jewelers is here to help. Stop in and let one of the Gemological Institute of America certified associates show you just how much fun the process can and should be!
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