GIA to grade Labs Pass /Fail... 4 C's for Naturals only.

[Chelsea Palmer]

Labs can have modifiers of all types, grey and blue (I think) being the most common. Some people (including me) can find it off putting. The only time I went out in search of lab studs (to sub for mine when I travel) I realised that all the ones I was finding in the size I needed were either too white (I didn’t want DEF, I wanted them to look like my own studs) or had an “off” appearance thanks to the grey modifier. You know how in naturals they tend to look a bit creamy/yellowish, occasionally brownish as you go down the colour chart? Labs can do that with grey or blue or pink or other colours. It looks “wrong” to my eyes and I find it jarring, like I can’t unsee it.

Perhaps I just had bad luck when I went - I haven’t tried to look again. But you’ll know the grey modifier the instant you see it, imo.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate the time you took to explain. Then I guess it’s not true that lab diamonds and natural diamonds can only be told apart with special equipment. I’ve not had occasion to view a whole lot of diamonds in real life. I’ve seen on the color charts how diamonds very in color, but never in real life. My mined diamond solitaire is G color and my lab solitaire is D. I think my mined tennis bracelet has H color diamonds. Those are the only diamonds I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in real life.