THE ARCTIC STAR 5C’S

CUT: The fire, brightness and scintillation depends on the diamonds inner facets. Thus, excellent and very good cut diamonds are recommended

COLOUR: Starting from D (colourless) to Z this measures the colourlessness of your diamond which results in greater shine

CLARITY: Refers to the Absence of Inclusions and Blemishes that hinder the diamonds shine. Ranges from IF (internally flawless) to I3 (high inclusions)

CARAT: Measures the diamond’s size/weight

CLEAN ORIGIN: Look out for ethically sourced lab grown diamonds. At Arctic Star we offer carbon neutral lab grown diamonds signified through the ‘Naraai approved planet positive’ butterfly mark by The Naraai Project. 

What are lab grown diamonds? Are they real?

Lab grown diamonds are grown in highly controlled laboratory environments using advanced technological processes that duplicate the conditions under which natural diamonds are formed. Lab grown diamonds display the same physical, chemical, and optical characteristics as natural diamonds, and exhibit the same fire, scintillation, and sparkle. Only high-grade detector machines can differentiate between a Lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond; they look and feel identical to natural diamonds under the magnifying glass and to the naked eye. Lab grown diamonds offer excellent value and provide a mining-free alternative to natural diamonds. 

We are striving to change the production of fine jewellery and allow luxury and sustainability to coexist. It is essential to us that sustainability as well as quality reflects in the materials we procure and to form a long term relationship with our vendors and in-house manufacturers who share the same values as ours. Hence, along with the Naraai project, Arctic Star uses Naraai approved Lab Grown Diamonds to create elegant, timeless and valuable pieces. Which means not only do we offer an environmentally conscious option we are going a step further to offer you complete carbon neutral certified diamonds. Look for the ‘Naraai approved planet positive’ butterfly mark and follow our journey to net zero. 

FIRST LET’S DISCUSS WHAT IS NOT DIFFERENT

COMPOSITION: LGD exhibit the same physical, chemical and optical properties as well as scintillation, fire and brilliance as mined diamonds

DURABILITY: Diamonds are forever, lab made or formed in the earths crust. Since they both contain the same element; Carbon, LGD stand at par with its natural counterpart

RESALE VALUE: Jewellers offer their own buyback and exchange offers for both natural and LGD diamonds

WHAT IS DIFFERENT?

PRICE: Min. 40-50% less than natural diamonds.

Higher the carat greater the price differnece

PRODUCTION PROCESS: LGDs are made in a lab where as natural diamonds are mined from the earth

SUSTAINABILITY: LGDs offer a sustainable alternative as they do not affect the Earths surface or exploit labour

TIME: Natural diamonds are created under the pressure of earth’s crust over millions of years. LGD is placed through the same circumstances in a lab which reduces the grow time to a couple of months.

LAB GROWN VS NATURAL

So whats the price difference and why?

Typically a LGD price is derived off the central market available price (Rappaport) of a natural diamond. Thus you can find your LGD to be ATLEAST 40%-45% CHEAPER THAN NATURAL.

The reason for this difference is that mined diamonds take years to form under natural conditions, require more costly resources to extract and have longer supply chains. Where as with increased govt. funding to R&D scientists and advanced technology has enabled quicker and cost-effective production of LGDs.