Fancy Colored Lab Diamonds

[xxxxxx]

Hi,

I can't find any reliable information on how fancy colored lab diamonds are grown.

I'm especially interested in how green lab grown diamonds are grown. Is the rough subjected too treatment? Or is the rough first cut into the shape and then treated? And are fancy colored lab diamonds less stable under high temperatures than mined fancy colored diamonds?

Does anybody have an idea about this whole process?

 

[petrock<3]

I don’t know but I’ll look forward to the responses!

 

[RockFox]

Hi - I believe the most common lab treatment to get to a green colour in minded diamonds is the irradiation of polished diamonds with a low-energy electron beam. The same applies to lab diamonds as I understand it. The colour is stable. It’s usually used on yellow tinted diamonds, but can also work in near colourless.

 

[Rockdiamond]

It’s a complex subject because of the different treatments for different colors- as well as emerging developments.
I will say that growing and or treating lab diamonds to make yellow, as a rule, is a challenge - based on the diamonds I’ve seen.

 

[xxxxxx]

So if you want a green lab diamond. You would have to cut and polish the rough (most likely not green as I haven't heard of as grown green lab diamond rough) into the shape and cut you want. And AFTER that you would irradiate it to make it green.

And so that would mean you can't recut an already green lab diamond. As it would be exposed to too much heat - and it could change color?

 

[RockFox]

As I understand it the treatment is applied to cut and polished diamonds (whatever colour they start out as usually lower colours or those with a tiny is my guess). I am not sure what the implications of a recut would be but as it was explained to me the colour is stable with heat - at least that required to set a diamond.

I am however no expert so will wait for someone else to weigh in.

 

[Rockdiamond]

In general- FCD's in LG's started out with stones that were supposed to be white, that ended up growing in undesirable colors ( brown or grey). These stones ( polished) were candidates for post growth color treatment.
Even then, different colors required different techniques.
As the technology has increased there are newer pink stones being produced with no post growth treatment. I'm sure newer developments are ongoing

 

[xxxxxx]

In general- FCD's in LG's started out with stones that were supposed to be white, that ended up growing in undesirable colors ( brown or grey). These stones ( polished) were candidates for post growth color treatment.
Even then, different colors required different techniques.
As the technology has increased there are newer pink stones being produced with no post growth treatment. I'm sure newer developments are ongoing

Thank you for sharing!

But how would one go about if they wanted a specific cut in a lab grown. Buy a FCD MMD and then have it cut into the specific cut? Or would one have to have a rough MMD bought then cut into the specific cut AND then treated for color (in this case green)?

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi @xxxxxx
The process of treating for color isn’t an exact science ( this, based on the goods I’ve seen)
Therefore - as a buyer, you need to locate a stone that already exists, in the shape and color you’re looking for.