Type IIa diamonds

[kanise]

Hello, I have been shopping for a high end diamond. I was recently presented with a high end diamond that I was told was Type IIa. I was told this is a rare diamond form, and therefore more valuable.

Research confirmed this.

HOWEVER, I also found out that Type IIa is also common among CVD diamonds and in fact some CVD testers work by looking if a diamond is Type IIa.

The diamond is GIA certified, and the company who cut the diamond is advertised as a high end diamond manufacturer who does offer high end stones and cuts.

Does GIA certification mean it has been tested that it is a natural diamond?

 

[valeria101]

Yes.

 

[OoohShiny]

Link to the stone / website?

 

[ringo865]

If you have an actual GIA report, versus an appraisal by a gia graduate gemologist, it is most certainly natural.

 

[tyty333]

I just saw an article yesterday that said GIA is grading lab grown stones...of course it would say on the GIA report (one would think).
http://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/4779-why-the-gia-grades-lab-grown-diamonds-like-it-does

They also do synthetic stones according to this...
https://www.gia.edu/gem-lab-service/synthetic-diamond

I assume the reports show/tell that they are synthetic or lab grown but I've never seen one of these reports...this is all news to me.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

One of the first procedures run on a diamond in the lab is determining it's type, in order to refer unusual diamonds for further screening for synthetic and treated diamonds. The vast majority of natural diamonds are type I which contain varying amounts of nitrogen trapped in the carbon lattice. Type II diamonds are devoid of detectable amounts of nitrogen.

Because nitrogen accounts for the yellow body color of diamonds, it is believed by some consumers that Type II are better than colorless diamonds of Type I. The thing to remember is that these scientific distinctions are made at the atomic level with very sophisticated and sensitive instruments. There is not a visual or qualitative difference between a colorless Type I and a colorless Type II.

 

[kanise]

One of the first procedures run on a diamond in the lab is determining it's type, in order to refer unusual diamonds for further screening for synthetic and treated diamonds. The vast majority of natural diamonds are type I which contain varying amounts of nitrogen trapped in the carbon lattice. Type II diamonds are devoid of detectable amounts of nitrogen.

Because nitrogen accounts for the yellow body color of diamonds, it is believed by some consumers that Type II are better than colorless diamonds of Type I. The thing to remember is that these scientific distinctions are made at the atomic level with very sophisticated and sensitive instruments. There is not a visual or qualitative difference between a colorless Type I and a colorless Type II.

thanks all for the responses! i am not too concerned about whether there is a visual difference as it is already an extremely high quality stone, I was just looking into this Type IIa term and at first was happy but then got a little concerned when I saw that CVD diamonds are Type IIa. Only 1-2% of natural stones are type Type IIa. I did get more information that agrees with the posts here that GIA tests for man made stones with advanced techniques, so a GIA certification is reassurance it is real. Apparently type IIa colorless stones are sometimes considered to have better appearance and unofficially called "Super D" and "Super E"

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Hi Kanise,
Any further info you can post on what you are being offered would be very interesting to me and I'm sure to others on this forum. Of special interest would be the messaging around the benefits and premium being charged for Type IIa.

We love to get into the weeds on diamonds!

 

[ChristineRose]

GIA checks all stones for mined vs. lab. They always indicate this on the report. However GIA will not do a full grading report on lab diamonds, so these reports are not often seen.

GIA checks very carefully with very sophisticated equipment and you can be confident that you are not getting a lab stone.

 

[SomethingNew]

I agree, the GIA will look different so you can tell very easily if the diamond is natural or lab-created. Also if it's a Type II a, then there's a supplemental letter that came with the report stating the stone is type II, with a reference to the associated report number.

 

[Sagebrush]

Type IIa diamonds comprise less than 1% of all diamonds. Also know as "Golconda" diamonds. Rare, yes! The best of these gems are super white and ultra-transparent. Truly the creme de la creme. https://member.rapnet.com/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=58287

 

[John P]

Finest water, eh Richard?

 

[Sagebrush]

John,
Yes, that's it precisely. .

 

[kanise]

I agree, the GIA will look different so you can tell very easily if the diamond is natural or lab-created. Also if it's a Type II a, then there's a supplemental letter that came with the report stating the stone is type II, with a reference to the associated report number.

Thanks for the responses everybody. I have seen the GIA report online which looks like a typical GIA report for natural diamonds but will see if there is a supplemental report that comes with the diamond to confirm Type IIa. For the record, I am not interested in the diamond because it is Type IIa but sounds like it is a nice perk that was unknown to me at time I took interest.

 

[SomethingNew]

Kanise, the supplemental looks like below:

 

[LLJsmom]

Thanks for sharing about your diamond. How cool!

 

[foxinsox]

I would love to see any pictures of the diamond you're considering if you have any?

 

[kanise]

Kanise, the supplemental looks like below:

Thanks for the picture. If it does not come with that letter, I'll maybe contact GIA to see if their records confirm it is IIa as per the vendors provided specifications.

 

[kanise]

I would love to see any pictures of the diamond you're considering if you have any?

I do not yet have the diamond in person. I am not sure which view you are most interested in. I have a video of the diamond, here is a screen capture to kind of show the color.

 

[whitewave]

It looks like it is glowing, wow.

 

[kanise]

It looks like it is glowing, wow.

yes, im excited to see it in person

 

[foxinsox]

It looks lovely - thank you for the screenshot

 

[SomethingNew]

Kanise, generally, GIA doesn't go test if it is a Type II, unless the supplier specifically asks. This is because the test is considered an added service and extra charge. In other words, if GIA internal record shows it's a type II, they would have already issued the side letter together with the original report.

BTW, can you tell us more? Specs? I am curious what kind of stone you are considering. Make sure you put a hold.

 

[bmfang]

I'm curious to see the grading report for that stone. And any other docs that GIA have for it. Listing link pls OP?

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Color? What color? Presbyopia. waaaa

cheers--Sharon