Method to detect Apollo diamonds

[diamonddiva]

As much as I want apollo diamond to be exact the same as real diamond, it is not going to work. I read the article which "A combination of spectroscopic methods--including infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy--can normally be used to distinguish Apollo gems from naturally occurring ones, according to Wuyi Wang, a research scientist at the Gemological Institute of America in New York City [Gems & Gemol., 39, 268 (2004)]."

So, it looks like they found a way to detect Apollo diamonds and the question is that how many jewelers would have the technology to detect it, and how do consumers detect it.

 

[oldminer]

There are some reasons not to be too concerned. Firstly, there is no real shortage of natural, near colorless diamonds. It takes a ton of investment and technology to prduce synthetic ones and so those who make them find they can make more money by imitating or synthesizing fancy colored diamonds which happen to be far more rare in nature. This means that unless their are major shifts in supply, it will be quite a long time until any manufactured colorless diamonds has a viable financial base for anyone to consider producting them in volume.

Right now,, synthetic diamonds appear to bedetectible with the right knowledge and equipment. How much will the makers wish to spend to make them undetectable? WIll they instead choose the more oogical course of making them very attractive and more readily detectible with rather simple equipment? This could give them a less fraudulent reputation and be a better marketing tool. Some people will want to buy synthetics for political or financial reasons. I don't think it will kill the diamond business anyway. Many people appreciate a natural product, too.

The predication is a two tier market and not terrifically differently priced than today for the natural products.

 

[dpe49]

Apollo gems will hit the market just before Christmas 2004. Colorless and VS Clarity will be an issue for the trade. JMO!

 

[antigoon]

Oh boy. I don't want to open up too much of a Pandora's box here...

The GIA is saying that they can detect artificial diamonds. Whether or not they can, of course they're going to say this. If world diamond prices were to crash, the GIA would suffer. So it's in their best interest to spread FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) about the source of this threat. Wait till an independent body says this till you believe it.
Pure diamond is crystal lattice of 100% pure carbon. There couldn't be anything simpler than that. Sure it's hard to produce synthetically. But once you can do it, it's pretty easy to verify that you've done it perfectly.

Does it matter to you that a Diamond comes from the centre of the earth or from a lab if it sparkles just as much? If you are an especially spiritual person, perhaps; otherwise, it probably doesn't make a difference.

Personally, my viewpoint is that anything that threatens the hegemony of DeBeers and the diamond industry can only be good news.

Steve

 

[winyan]

antigoon, I think the key word in your response is, perfectly.

Few things in nature are perfect!

win

 

[niceice]

As we understand it (and our understanding might be completely wrong) at the moment the deepest they've been able to get the rough is 2 mm in depth but up to about 9 mm in diameter and the projections from some of the other companies we've talked about for "white" diamonds up to a half carat in size are three to four years off at best... Cost is definitely a prohibitive factor, but they'll no doubt work that out. But one thing is certain, some people will buy lab created diamonds when they become available just as some people buy lab created colored gems, but other people will always want the real thing.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

There's two things I find interesting.

1) No matter how hard the synthesizer's try, there's ALWAYS a telltale sign that differentiates lab created from naturally created diamonds. Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Amethyst, Alexandrite, Padparadscha, Opal, etc, etc and etc have all been beautifully synthesized, yet exhibit an indication that they are manmade.

2) No matter what secondary market springs up, people will ALWAYS pay more for the natural product, and the natural market is very seldom hurt by the lab created market. In fact, the lab created market usually finds a niche of it's own which in the long run buttresses the natural market.

People who didn't have the money to buy the natural product, yet love gems, will buy the lab created stones. Later, when they are more prosperous, they almost always move into the natural market.

A larger total market with an upwardly mobile client base is created. The sale of both lab created and natural gems increases as the knowledge and prosperity of their fans grows.