NATURAL VS. SYNTHETIC

A natural diamond is a mineral made of what is basically carbon crystallized at very high temperatures and pressures. Naturally, diamonds are formed 150 to 200 kilometers (93 to 124 miles) or more below the earth's surface. A diamond is the hardest of all known natural substances. Its color ranges from colorless to yellow, brown, gray, orange, green, blue, white, black, purple, pink, and, extremely rarely, red.

A synthetic diamond is grown in a laboratory and has essentially the same chemical composition and crystal structure as a natural diamond formed millions of years ago. In the last 30 years, gem quality synthetic diamonds have been grown in Japan, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. Synthetic diamonds are generally produced using either High Pressure/High Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).