EGL USA Publishes Synthetic Diamond Booklet

The Research Department of EGL USA has published a comprehensive trade booklet entitled Laboratory Created Diamonds: Guide to Growth Technology and Identification of HPHT & CVD Diamonds.

The booklet offers new independent research on the latest colors being produced using High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and technologies regarding the identification of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) grown diamonds.

The guide includes a history of diamond making, using both the HPHT and CVD methods and a chapter on the “Color Treatments of Diamonds” because lab-created diamonds can be further processed after they are grown to produce a wider variety of colors.

The guide illustrates and describes characteristics of HPHT and CVD-grown diamonds detectable with both standard and advanced gemological equipment, and offers a step-by-step procedure for retailers to distinguish natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds.

The guide is aimed at retailers, appraisers, and other gemologists, said EGL USA Senior Gemologist Sharrie Woodring. “It tells you how to use the microscope and the ultraviolet lamp to find the telltale signs for lab-created diamonds. And it also identifies and illustrates the important characteristics that indicate a sample should be sent to a lab for additional testing.”