The secret behind the De Beers empire was to control the market price of diamonds by getting essentially all diamond producers to sell their stones through De Beers, which in turn guaranteed to buy them no matter how oversupplied the market might be at the time. With virtually a 100% share of the market, De Beers was able to set the price of diamonds at a high level, which garnered vast profits for the company and made its cartelized suppliers very happy as well.

This happy little game of insiders versus everyone else might have gone on forever, were it not for several factors that combined to break up the monopoly. The first factor was the need for De Beers to buy all stones no matter what. In times of recession, this obliged the company to hold tremendous numbers of unsalable diamonds in its vaults until economic conditions improved. When the supply of diamonds came primarily from South and Central Africa, De Beers was in firm control.

As new diamond fields opened production in the 1980s, producers such as Russia, Canada, and Australia added a large gross number of diamonds to the yearly production total. This increase in supply eventually proved too large for De Beers to swallow. In addition, not all of the new producers were willing to join the cartel. Finally, technological refinements in the field of synthetic diamonds brought the quality of these competing products up and the price way down.

These factors combined to produce a diamond market that has a significant and growing oversupply problem coupled with a temporary fall in demand due to the worldwide recession. With a buyout proposal in hand from their De Beers partner, Anglo American Mining, the family elected to take the bird in hand rather than pay to pile up stones that might not sell for many years to come. While none can say if the Oppenheimers made a smart play to escape a dying industry, or gave in to panic right before the globalizing economies of Asia added new demand to the diamond business, their fortunes are no longer hostage to a pile of rocks in a Johannesburg bank vault.

Wearing diamonds on the left hand, particularly by women, is typically a symbol of engagement or marriage. So to counteract that, right hand diamond rings are designed just for the pleasure of wearing them without the need to symbolize anything. Diamonds aren’t just for engagement and wedding rings and can be worn by anyone who wants to enjoy the beauty of a gemstone, lab created or otherwise. These rings are meant to emphasize that. It’s often expressed by the idea that the left hand is for someone else, such as a spouse, and the right hand is for you.

Choosing A Right Hand Diamond Ring

This right hand diamond ring is clearly too ornate for everyday wear!

If the ring is specifically called a right hand ring then it’s probably going to be a little bit more opulent and flashy than a left hand ring or engagement ring. Many of them look like cocktail rings and are built up a little bit bigger with a little bit more layering to them.

While some right hand diamond rings are designed for the ring finger, one popular trend is for women to wear them on their pinkies instead. These rings are popular among both single women who don’t feel the need to wait for marriage to wear diamonds and married women who might wear diamonds on the left hand as well but want something just for themselves to wear on their right hand.

These rings will typically have clusters of diamonds rather than come as a solitaire that makes them look like an engagement ring. You should choose them in the same way you would choose a ring with one large single stone. Choose the cut that you like, as a right hand diamond ring that can be worn when you feel like it isn’t forced to be sensible enough for every day wear in the same way as an engagement ring. Some of the more unusual shapes like hearts could be a good choice. Don’t forget that diamonds do have color so you can find one that has the undertones that you feel flatter you best. Or if you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, consider cheaper gemstones in your ring, such as citrine, moissanite or even a lab created emerald!

Choose a ringthat you love and that expresses your own style – after all, right hand diamond rings are meant for you alone.

Chocolate diamonds are real diamonds, that get their brown color from traces of different minerals from the geographic area they are found. Most brown diamonds come from Australia, and there are also synthetic chocolate diamonds that are even less expensive that are available in a variety of different types of jewelry – lab created chocolate diamonds.

This chocolate diamond ring uses white accent diamonds to emphasise the rich brown color.

Chocolate Diamond Rings

Chocolate diamond rings often have standard diamonds or light gemstone settings to really set off the darker stone. They’re also often used as accent stones on settings that come with a clear gem like a diamond or a very bright colored stone. Chocolate diamonds sparkle and glimmer just as much as any other gemstone but their deep color gives them a special and unique look.

Synthetic Chocolate Diamonds

As with any other lab created diamond, lab created chocolate diamonds are not distinguishable from the real thing by eye. Chemically and structurally very similar, these diamonds would need to be tested by a jeweler to pick a synthetic version.

If you do purchase a chocolate diamond, whether natural or synthetic, then you also have the peace of mind of knowing that your diamond is an ethical purchase. Since most come from Australia, these aren’t like controversial war diamonds that are mined in places that are bloody with conflict. Although new to the jewelry market, chocolate diamonds are sure to remain popular for years because they offer something unique, unmatched by any other gemstone.

Diamonds

Diamonds are composed of carbon atoms, with various trace elements giving colors from yellow to blue or pink. Natural diamonds are mined, whereas lab created diamonds are produced in a lab by either Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) or a High Temperature High Pressure (HPHT) process. Whether mined or man made, the price of diamonds varies significantly depending on the size, color and clarity of the stone. Diamonds are one of the hardest substances known, making them well suited to frequent wear.

Moissanite

Moissanite does occur naturally, but this is extremely rare. In fact, all commercially sold Moissanite is produced in a lab. Moissanite is composed of Silicon Carbide, and as with a diamond it can be cut to any shape, with the quality of the end product depending on the skill of the gem cutter. Unlike other simulated diamonds, Moissanite is very hard, nearly as hard as a diamond in fact! This quality means that Moissanite is widely used as an industrial abrasive and tool material.

Diamonds VS Moissanite – Comparison Chart

At the end of the day, both Moissanite and diamonds are beautiful gemstones in their own right, and are well suited to jewelry applications. The much lower cost of Moissanite makes it attractive to anyone on a budget but not wanting to compromise on quality, while the range of colored diamonds available make them of interest to anyone who can overlook the price tag attached.

Such memorial diamonds are synthetic, lab created diamonds — not natural diamonds. But they are chemically identical with a natural diamond in that they are made from carbon. They are not ‘imitation’ or ‘simulant’ diamonds, ie another substance than carbon pretending to be or resembling diamond. They are the real thing, just made by people instead of nature.

A cremation diamond is increasingly popular as a way of remembering loved ones who have passed away, whether they were human or animal. The memorial diamond or hair diamond can be cut and polished in just the same way as a regular diamond and mounted as a gemstone in a piece of jewelry, or otherwise used as a normal gem. Generally, the final color of the stone will be a pale golden yellow or blue (from, respectively, nitrogen or boron present during the creation of the crystal), though colorless, red or green diamonds can also be created by this process.

When hair is used as the basic material from which the diamond will be made, it is possible to obtain a detailed analysis of the hair showing its unique composition. The diamond made from that hair can also be identified uniquely according to a patented process. A  hair diamond can, of course, be made from the hair (or fur, nails, or hooves) of a loved one who is still living.

Around 250g of cremated remains are all that is needed to produce one small diamond. The final diamond size depends on budget and quantity of original material, but would usually be from around one-fifth of a carat to one carat. The process typically takes between six and nine months. At the moment, memorial diamonds are available in the US, UK, Russia, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland and other countries.

Inclusions in a stone generally take the form of small discolored specks inside the stone, and many consider them to be part of the character of the diamond. Inclusions are often hidden by the setting, so don’t let the presence of minor inclusions put you off a stone straight away.

Clarity is measured on a scale from ‘F’ to ‘I’, with the letter(s) describing the grade of the stone as follows as below. Grades F through to SI will decrease in value as you go down the scale but it will be hard to detect a difference without magnification.

F – Flawless
These are extremely rare.

IF – Internally Flawless
No internal flaws, but might have minor surface flaws. Very rare.

VVS1 – VVS2 – Very Very Slightly Included
There are two grades in this category, with 1 being a higher grade than 2. Very small inclusions, difficult to detect under 10x magnification.

VS1-VS2 – Very Slightly Included
There are two grades in this category, with 1 being a higher grade than 2. Small inclusions seen with difficulty under 10x magnification.

SI1-SI2 – Slightly Included
Again two grades with 1 being higher. Small inclusions more easily seen under 10x magnification.

I1-I2-I3 – Included
Three grades, with 1 being the highest. Inclusions visible to the human eye without magnification.

Read more about: Cut, Color, Carats

Diamonds are also available in a range of colors, called ‘fancy’ color diamonds. These diamonds come in all the colors of the rainbow and they are graded differently to ‘white’ diamonds. Fancy diamonds are described by their primary color and a description of how strong the color is:
1. Faint
2. Very Light
3. Light
4. Fancy Light
5. Fancy
6. Fancy Dark
7. Fancy Intense
8. Fancy Deep
9. Fancy Vivid
So for example you might see a diamond rated as ‘Light Pink’ or ‘Fancy Intense Blue’.
The availability of fancy colors is one of the great features about created diamonds. Created diamonds can be purchased in a wide range of colors for a similar price. In comparison, good quality fancy colored natural diamonds sell for incredible sums. For example, fancy vivid pink natural diamonds can sell for well over $250,000 per carat!

Read more about: Cut, Clarity, Carats

Moissanite

Moissanite is named after its discoverer, Henri Moussan. He was digging around in Canyon Diablo in Arizona when he came upon it. Today a synthetic gem-cut version is popular in place of diamonds in jewelry. Although these two gems are similar at a glance, there are some interesting differences which I looked at in more detail in my article about Moissanite vs Diamonds.

Cubic Zirconia

Cubic zirconia is very hard, normally has no color, and is optically flawless. Chemically it is a form of zirconium dioxide. With moissanite running a close second, this is diamonds’ greatest synthetic competitor since the mid 1970’s, probably due to its affordability as much as any other single factor. Cubic zirconia rings are a popular choice for buyers with lower income who are still looking for a beautiful stone, and is considered one of the best simulated diamonds. Simulated diamond jewelry made with cubic zirconias is very common, particularly on ebay. Be cautious of how this is described if you’re after a real created diamond however, as some vendors make listings for CZ jewelry sound like the real thing.

Colourless Synthetic Corundum (sapphire)

Colourless synthetic corundum is very simple to create. Because of this the market became somewhat flooded, dropping the price. That said, it is still a beautiful sapphire stone.

Synthetic Spinel

This synthetic diamond simulant has been produced by both the Verneuil Process and the flux method (in Russia). It can be found in all naturally occurring colors, as well as some which don’t occur in nature. It is very lovely, I must say.

Strontium Titanate

The natural counterpart of this stone is called tausonite and was discovered long after the original synthesis in Siberia. Interestingly, strontium titanate is both denser and softer than real diamonds.

Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG)

YAG is in the  garnet family. These diamond simulants are known for both their durability and their clarity. Unfortunately, the production was basically all but ceased with the emergence of cubic zirconia.

Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (GGG)

Gadolinium gallium garnet: say that three times fast! This is another member of the garnet family, obviously. It is most often found to be colorless. Its crystals are made through the Czochralski method and the color can be doped into various varieties.

So there you have it: a brief history of diamond simulants, both popular and rare. Remember that some of these would not necessarily make sense to purchase or use anymore nowadays, because they have been replaced by better looking and performing synthetics, such as the cubic zirconia. Nevertheless, it is good to know the history of simulants in order to understand what the state of the market is today, and what you might hear when shopping for a lab created diamond of your own.

First of all, most jewelers recommend that you should absolutely select your diamond before you start to consider the setting to put it in. Obviously the diamond is the centerpiece, and the setting is only the platform upon which it is presented. There is plenty of information here on choosing a lab created diamond, and after you have chosen one, you will have better information to use in making your choice of setting.

One of the most perennially favorite settings for diamonds is the bezel style. A lot of people think this is just an old-fashioned look, but in fact it can be cut in a way that is very modern. Its overall look and feel is that of both elegance and simplicity. That is why it appeals to so many women.

Bezel Setting

The prong, or “claw”, setting is very popular indeed. It may grace more women’s fingers than any other style in the world. It consists of at least three prongs which come up and then wrap around the crown of the diamond. This is very common in solitaire engagement rings.

Claw Setting

Finally, you may want to consider the beautiful and extravagant pave setting. This is made up of many diamonds which are held together by a system of beads. It gives the appearance of a bunch of radiant diamonds. In fact, you may even hear this one referred to as a “bead” styling.

Pave Setting

This is only a short list of the settings for diamonds that are available. Though it represents the most common kinds, you should shop around to find what works best for you and for the created diamond or other man made gem that you have chosen.

It is worth familiarizing yourself with the 4 Cs before shopping for any diamond, whether natural or created!
Cut, Color, Clarity, Carats