Actors and Entertains have for a long time tried to expose the fact that Diamonds are not rare. In 2006 When Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the movie Blood Diamond the world got a small glimpse of the inside of the diamond industry.
There are some large companies with a monopoly on the diamond industry which continue to propagate the lie that diamonds are rare. Anyone who owns diamonds in bulk has a vested interested in keeping the value propped up.
At this time gold currently trades for 63k USD a Kilo, Silver for 800 USD per Kilo
CVD vs Natural
How Long to Make a CVD Diamond
A 1 Carat VVS Diamond can be grown over 2-3 weeks in a lab. Blue and yellow diamonds can be created in as little as 5-7 days. A CVD Diamond has a 10/10 hardness, and is as beautiful as any earth grown diamond. Visually some are so close to perfect jewelers with 40 years experience still miss them.
Have You Been Scammed?
I see people paying 50-100k for pendants with 2-4mm Diamonds. Sellers in the Diamond District and LA selling CVDs as natural grown with a price tag of 500-1000 US dollars per carat.
Certificates
Unless your pendant comes with a certificate for every single diamond in the piece chances are you are getting CVD diamonds. Blue Nile sells high quality natural certified diamonds which you can take to a jeweler and have installed into a custom piece.
Its impossible for any jeweler to sell you 100 graded 1 carat diamonds for less than the cost of the material to make the piece. Do The Math.
Importing CVD Diamonds In Bulk
Many of their business models are based on bulk pricing, importing 1000 CVD Diamonds from a lab which guarantees they are indistinguishable from a natural grown diamond. Many brands are paying 1/3 or less than what they are charging for the stones they are installing.
Environmental Impact of Mining Diamonds
Mining for diamonds has a tremendous impact on the environment. Between 88,000 and 176,000 pounds of dirt must be sifted through to find a single 1-carat diamond. While the diamond industry, or rather one company in particular, has pushed the false belief that diamonds are rare, we now know the truth. Diamonds are not rare. Never have been and never will be thanks to advanced technology.
Socially Responsible
One of the major benefits of lab grown diamonds is that you know exactly where the diamond originated. Many traditional mined diamonds come from conflict regions. This has raised both ethical and humanitarian concerns. The diamond industry has been linked to child labor, poor working conditions, human rights violations and funding armed conflicts. With lab grown diamonds, you can have peace of mind knowing your diamond wasn’t involved in the blood diamond trade.