What are man-made diamonds, anyway? Well, to start, it’s a diamond made, not by nature, but under engineered conditions. (Sidenote: this type of diamond is also known as lab-grown). Humans have been manufacturing diamonds since the ‘50s, mostly for use in machines and lasers, but later also for jewellery. And that brings us around full-circle. Man-made diamonds in jewellery–yay or nay?
As far as I’m concerned, at least, if it sparkles the same, shines the same, impresses the same, and–most importantly, of course–you are fully and completely aware that the rock you’re buying is man or lab made, then sign this bird up!
The biggest complaint about diamonds born in a lab and created by man, is that there is an element of deception there. Now, if the deception in question is buying an affordable piece of beautiful jewellery and not letting the friends who compliment you on it know that it’s been grown in a lab and not in a dark, highly pressured zone in a mine somewhere…well, that’s just the way it goes. That isn’t so much deception as it is not sharing one’s business or finances. Which, is truly the polite thing to do when in mixed company.
If the deception, however, happens, not amidst friendly discourse, but from salesperson to customer–whether that is a mining outfit, wholesale distributor, retail distributor, or person-to-person sale–then that is a deception that is not only immoral, but almost illegal, as well.
Business ethics when it comes to diamonds is not a new concept, only this time, we’re not talking about blood diamonds, so much as disclosure of whether or not the gem in question has been painstakingly mined, or super-scientifically grown. Reve Diamonds of London has an entire section of its website devoted to loose diamonds, and not only do they specify that the diamonds in question are man-made, they provide the lab information and the exact specifications of the diamonds. Which, when you think about it, is amazing! To be able to order a stone so perfectly engineered that they can issue a diamond certificate with a full assessment of the stones’ grades and proportions is nothing to sneeze at.
When you think about it, a market and service such as this allows customers to buy with total and complete confidence. They know exactly what they’ll be purchasing, what it will look like, what it will shine like, even, because it has all been accounted for ahead of time. Not the worst thing for online shoppers to buy with confidence, is it?
