Gemesis laboratory grown diamonds

Jewelry Discussion
50

For the sake of clarification, diamonds are formed just below the
earth’s crust (not in the core), and not from decomposed animal
matter, but from when tremendous heat and pressure on rocks called
eclogites (ECK-low-jites) and peridotites (per-RID-doe-tites), which
lend carbon atoms to the mix.

After diamonds (and many other gem materials) have formed from this
process, a geologic event called a magma intrusion can occur. If the
timing is right, water filtering down from the surface causes a very
rapid expansion of gases, and a type of rock called kimberlite (or
sometimes, lamproite, as in the Argyle mine’s composition), forms
along with it. As this formation occurs, the gases and rock travel
faster and faster toward the surface, bringing the diamonds, garnet,
spinel, etc. up to the surface in an ever-expanding, inverted
cone-shape that results in what is known as a kimberlite eruption.
Many of these other gem materials are found as inclusions in
diamonds.

By the time it all erupts, it is traveling at over 125 feet per
second, tossing tonsts of material into the air. When it all settles
down, this “pipe” is sometimes diamondiferous enough to develop and
mine for the diamonds. But don’t count on witnessing a kimberlite
eruption, there hasn’t been one in hundreds of thousands of years.

James in SoFl who still isn’t partial to diamonds, but certainly
doesn’t dislike them. I’d still rather have a fine opal.

51 
Increased popularity of synthetics might drive it down, though. 

    This has never proven to be the case in the past so there is
no reason to think it would happen now.  There are synthetics of
all types on the market and they haven't negatively impacted any
prices on natural material.

That’s absolutely true. But there is a very significant difference
with diamonds. No other gemstone has been synonymous with marriage.
Bridal jewelry is still the number one selling item by dollar value
in the US (Apologies to the international members of the group, but
the diamond industry is campaigning to get your bridal jewelry
money, too).

Couple the incredible amount of bridal jewelry purchases with our
over 70% divorce rate, and I can easily see young people who are
contemplating marriage looking for less costly alternatives to
expensive natural diamonds.

If I were a diamontaire, I’d be in denial, too.

James in SoFl

52 
    And how it EVER came to symbolize love, I'll never know.

Marketing strategy. Pure marketing strategy. It worked in the US,
it’s working well in Japan now, and it’s beginning to work in China.

James in SoFl

53

Alright, I’m really confused here. Is Orchid not a forum for people
who make a living from selling jewelry, are trying to make a living
from selling jewelry, or dreaming of making a living from selling
jewelry?? So why all the negativity about a product that helps you do
this? Some of you who are struggling now could make a whole lot more
money if you incorporated diamonds into your pieces than you do now.
Who cares why they are valued? They have value. Use that fact to
make more money so you can make more jewelry that you like to make.

I’d like to point out to you that the reason platinum is so highly
valued and in demand in the US right now is because of a marketing
campaign run by the Platinum Guild International, who used to be (and
may still be) primarily funded by the world’s largest platinum
producers. Does that mean we should denigrate the value of platinum?

And incidentally, even if you can’t bring yourself to stick diamonds
in the center of a piece, they are, without any question in my mind,
the best accent stones you can have for ANY colored stone available
today. And they always add value (and hence profit) to your piece.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
@Daniel_R_Spirer

54

I think that there is another aspect to the success of the diamond
as an engagement ring. In addition to the fact that “everybody
knows” that it is the proper stone (thanks to a very successful
marketing campaign) it is a neutral stone.

I have made around 30 wedding/engagement rings. I know that is not
many, but I don’t consider myself a jeweler. I AM a romantic and a
sucker for friends and family who want something special and unique
and want me to be a part of this joyous occasion. In every case
except this last one, the couple came to me and the bride-to-be and
I designed an engagement ring which included some form of sapphire
(to me the ruby is the natural choice for a visual expression of
love and commitment). Sapphire comes in a wide variety of beautiful
colors, is practically as rugged as a diamond, is generally cheaper
than a comparable sized diamond, and a larger percentage of the
final price was in the design of the ring, customized to the wearer.

In the last case I spent hours and hours and hours in design with
the incipient groom; I showed him over a hundred stones from some of
the finest cutters working; we designed 6 separate, beautiful rings;
and in the end he went with a solitaire diamond because that was the
only choice that he was SURE that she would be comfortable wearing
everyday for all eternity. She is one of those people who have
expressed a dislike of diamonds, but the combination of the
diamond’s neutrality and a successful marketing campaign wins again.
Diamonds are the most popular choice for engagement rings partially
because they are an easy choice.

I have to say that before I got into the industry I was very adamant
about not liking diamonds. I have since learned that I had seen very
few quality diamonds. I still think that mediocre diamonds are
over-rated, over-used and over-priced, but that is my personal
opinion. As long as Wal-mart is the largest retailer of diamonds in
America I think my opinion will remain valid. I have seen some
beautiful diamonds, and some beautiful jewelry incorporating the
same. I still think that I have seen more dreck than good, but that
also goes for emeralds and rubies which are the stones I am most
passionate about. I am very fond of fancy diamonds, and I still
believe that TO ME an exceptional quality lab-grown diamond is as
valuable as a mined diamond.

Epaul Fischer
Gryphon Song Creations
Signet rings and custom gem carvings
www.gemartist.com

55 
    On that note,  I have to say it, diamond marketing generally
demeans women.  Every time I see one of the ubiquitous diamond ads
suggesting that the guy who gives a woman a diamond is sure to be
sexually pleasured to the point of near coma, I wonder why jewelry
stores and diamond traders aren't picketed by irate women who
resent being depicted as diamond whores.

I contributed to a thread last year after seeing those same
disgusting ads you mentioned. I got a lot of off-list replies in
appreciation, especially from women. Here’s the link, which may (or
may not, if you make your living with diamonds) give you a chuckle:

And again, I don’t hate diamonds, I just have a strong dislike for
the way they are marketed. Those ad campaigns make me feel like I
need a shower.

James in SoFl

56 
And how it EVER came to symbolize love, I'll never know.

Being composed of simply carbon, diamonds were presented as a symbol
of the purity and quality of love-- a pretty clever marketing
strategy that’s been tremendously successful.

They are an incredible creation when you think about it. Pure carbon
changed by heat, pressure and the cutter’s wheel into a clear
(relatively), super hard material that breaks white light down into
its components.

I never had much taste for diamonds until I started to work more
with them. I use melee quite a bit as small points of brightness and
highlight. They are so easy to work with and take the heat of the
torch (I preset and solder often), the violence of abrasion and the
abuse of everyday wear wonderfully. Not to mention colors: Argyles,
yellows, congacs, greens, blues, etc.

What diamonds have come to symbolize these days for some people is
another matter entirely. A segment of the marketplace has come to
equate diamonds with greed, arrogance, oppression, violent death and
the gullability of a society that is easily led by advertisers.

Whether or not a jeweler or client chooses to work with diamonds as
a matter of personal ethics or taste, I still consider them to be one
of the nicest gem materials to work with. From this jeweler’s point
of view, I’d rather set a large diamond any day than another
expensive facetted gem stone.

My two cents,
Andy Cooperman

57 
    Alright, I'm really confused here.  Is Orchid not a forum for
people who make a living from selling jewelry, are trying to make a
living from selling jewelry, or dreaming of making a living from
selling jewelry?? So why all the negativity about a product that
helps you do this? Some of you who are struggling now could make a
whole lot more money if you incorporated diamonds into your pieces
than you do now.

I’m sorry, but there is no requirement to work in platinum or to
incorporate diamonds into your work in order to make a living
selling jewelry.

Furthermore, diamond and platinum jewelry certainly has a market,
but it’s not the ONLY market available. In my market I would not be
able to move such expensive pieces, but I CAN move all the silver
jewelry I can turn out at a good profit WITHOUT having to charge
ruinous amounts of money just to cover the cost of materials.

Around here, the market for that kind of thing would be VERY
limited. You can’t “make more money” on something you can’t sell.

I know this isn’t going to sit right with you, anymore than the fact
that some people just plain don’t like diamonds has, but I find
platinum boring as well. I much prefer silver. I can do more with
it, I can afford a LOT more of it, I feel much freer to experiment
with it, and I can easily make and sell lots of interesting pieces
IN SILVER. I’ll probably never work much in gold, not because I
don’t like gold (I do) but just because it will limit my marketing
possibilities, and also because I just plain can’t afford the
materials.

Maybe someday, way down the road, I’ll be able to afford to
experiment with gold - but certainly not now! I just spent $560
buying argentium silver wire - that’s about 12% of my yearly GROSS
income. I figure I need about another $750 worth of silver,
findings, gems, cabs, etc, and probably $250 worth of tools. That’s
just getting started. That totals up to almost a third of my gross
yearly income. I expect it to take at least a year before I start
seeing actual profit - because I’ll need to cover the initial outlay,
keep my supplies of available materials up, and I’ll need to add
tools as I go along.

There’s no room in the equation for an outlay for platinum,
diamonds, or even gold.

And I’m baffled for why you think it’s a requirement that all makers
of jewelry should have to work in said materials, anyway.

Sojourner
Ottist Itineratus

58 
Is Orchid not a forum for people who make a living from selling
jewelry, are trying to make a living from selling jewelry, or
dreaming of making a living from selling jewelry?? So why all the
negativity about a product that helps you do this?

Hello Daniel,

I understand that one can make a good profit as an arms dealer too,
especially if you go free-lance and aren’t picky about your
customers. I’m not sure that’s justification to wake up one morning
and say “I love surface-to-air missles!”

I think there is a difference between one of us saying “I don’t
particularly care for them” and “under no circumstances would I ever
go near them”. Frankly if a customer of mine had their heart set on a
diamond and I knew how to handle and set that diamond --which I
don’t-- than ya, sure I’d do it.

But if that same customer asked for gemstones recommendations
“diamond” would not be the first word out of my mouth because I think
there are a lot of other stones out there of equal or greater merit
and definitely worthy of consideration.

In all fairness though I think there’s an important point here that
is in some danger of being overlooked here. I’m not a professional
jeweller and I don’t make a living off the jewellery I make. As far
as I know you are and you do.

So when it comes down to it the best I can say is “I don’t fancy
them”, offer my reasons and people can take that for whatever it’s
worth. On the other hand your real world, in-the-trenches, experience
can actually help the audience to which you write make important
decisions about how to conduct their business. I’m talking about
aesthetic preferences; you’re talking about the business and
surviving in it. I don’t think anyone needs a fancy education to
decide who’s input is going to more worthwhile to them.

Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light

59 
Have your people call my people, we'll do lunch, talk about a
script.

OK, Wise Blood, lets go for it. We’ll improve on the worst movie
ever made and turn it into a gem ! Will call it, The ATTACK OF THE
KILLER DIAMONDS. Very low budget. Let’s do lunch at Mickey D’s.

Pat

60 
    So why all the negativity about a product that helps you do
this?

For me, it isn’t the product itself, it is the marketing campaign.
Sexual innuendo is fine for selling marital aids, I just wish they’d
keep it out of jewelry stores. The posters and “case notes” I’ve
been seeing in fine jewelry stores make them sound like pimps.

    And incidentally, even if you can't bring yourself to stick
diamonds in the center of a piece, they are, without any question
in my mind, the best accent stones you can have for ANY colored
stone available today.

And those are the precise reasons I use them occasionally. As accent
stones, especially when no other stone in my inventory of finished
or rough material will work for me. As neutral as colorless diamonds
are, they can certainly be a “go-to” accent stone.

When I say that I’m “not partial to them” I mean that I’m not
inclined to favor them over another. I don’t hate or even dislike
them, only the greasy marketing hype that has been supported by a
lot of the industry. I even bought several small, irradiated blue
and green diamonds at the last gem show I attended, as well as two
brown “champagne” stones that went well with two opals I had cut.
Most of the greens and blues have already sold in simple basket
earrings. My girlfriend, who incidentally never cared much for
diamonds either, fell absolutely in love with one of the green ones.
It is now set into the ring she wears on her left hand. I, myself,
wear two inherited rings with all Old Mine Cut diamonds. They are
heirlooms (but only to me) that remind me of two very important (to
me) ancestors.

I’m guessing that a lot of people are so put off by the advertising
ideas of trading “diamonds for sex”, “diamonds for a lasting
marriage” etc., that they are feeling somewhat rebellious about the
idea of diamonds at all. It is demeaning to both women AND men. If I
ever feel that I have to trade a diamond for what should be
unconditional, I’ll get a puppy and live in a cave, somewhere. But
I’ll need an alcohol lamp and blowpipe.

James in SoFl

61

Andy, Couldn’t have said it better myself…well done! It is time
to inject some objectivity into this very emotional issue. The
physical and optical attributes of diamonds are peerless and those
of us who make a living using them should be grateful for what
nature has bestowed upon us ! ( After all, man is just knocking off
nature when he imitates her…)

Ron MIlls, Mills Gem Co. Los Osos, Ca.

62 
    Alright, I'm really confused here.  Is Orchid not a forum for
people who make a living from selling jewelry, are trying to make a
living from selling jewelry, or dreaming of making a living from
selling jewelry?? So why all the negativity about a product that
helps you do this? Some of you who are struggling now could make a
whole lot more money if you incorporated diamonds into your pieces
than you do now. Who cares why they are valued? They have value. 
Use that fact to make more money so you can make more jewelry that
you like to make.

Does the above validate synthetic diamonds if they ever become
readily available? Many who are trying or dreaming of making a
living from selling jewelry can’t afford good quality natural
diamonds. Some who are struggling could make a whole lot more money
if lab-grown diamonds were more readily available. Could they use
that fact to make more money so they can make more jewelry that they
like to make?

I’m not arguing for the sake of argument, I’m genuinely interested
in your take on this. I was recently told by a bourse member down
here that I couldn’t work in that part of the industry because of my
appearance. That was just after he told our gem club about how his
bourse wouldn’t accept a new idea he had come up with to help them
gain Supplier of Choice status (he was exasperated over their
“resistance to change”). The deep-rooted traditionalism displayed by
diamontaires fascinates me, and I’m always interested in their
opinions of the changes in the market.

James in SoFl

63 
Sexual  innuendo is fine for selling marital aids, I just wish
they'd keep it out of jewelry stores

Sorry, I’ve just joined this list so I’m posting this in mid thread,
but can’t resist… and hopefully ya’ll will know I have a sense of
humor.

According to the comedian Ron White: The slogan "Diamonds, take her
breath away…why don’t they just say what they really mean?
"Diamonds, that’ll shut her up!.. for a minute!

I love my little bead and silver jewelry store. I used to work for
a chain of fine jewelry stores, and my store seems to be a lot less
hassle! Just introducing myself, hehe.

Kerry
Clearfield, UT
http://www.celtcraftjewelry.com

http://www.thecoopauctions.com

64

Hi Greg,

I hope you didn’t feel as though I was “dissing” anybody’s favorite
gemstone in my post of a few days ago. As you’ll remember, I didn’t
say that there was anything intrinsically wrong with diamonds; they
can be a very beautiful stone, and I’ve hovered over quite a few
wonderful examples in the gem halls of museums and been entranced.
Who could not be, presented with such extravagant gorgeousness?

What I was trying to get at in my post was that I think it rather
sad that, as others have mentioned, some consumers barely see the
beauty of the diamonds they purchase. Their chief concern is that a
diamond be big enough and sparkly enough that everyone will notice
that they have spent a lot of money on it, and it is this
ostentatiousness that I find depressing. A good diamond, a beautiful
stone, deserves more than to be seen as just “bling.” There is
nothing wrong with a diamond engagement ring (especially an
innovatively designed one), but there is something wrong with people
who think the depth of their relationship has to do with the carat
weight of the “rock” displayed thereon.

Nature is a wonderful thing and it has created a large spectrum of
beautiful Gemstones that as jewelers and Gemologists we should
learn to look at in a childlike way and appreciate what they truly
are, a miracle of Nature.

I think this is very true. Another thing I meant to include in my
earlier post is related to the aforementioned problem: diamonds and
a few other precious stones have attained such importance to some
jewelry consumers that no other stone is deemed worthy of a second
glance - such a buyer will pass up a stunning chrysoprase, a
delicately banded agate, or a luscious, shimmering labradorite
because “those are just semi-precious stones” and lack the “bling”
appeal that they crave. Personally, I don’t really care; I’m not
making jewelry for seekers of “bling,” and if these folks are not
interested in the incredible variety and beauty of gemstones that
nature has to offer, that’s their loss.

I wouldn’t call it heated, just lively :slight_smile:

Cheers,
Jessee Smith
www.silverspotstudio.com

65 
    OK, Wise Blood, lets go for it.  We'll improve on the worst
movie ever made and turn it into a gem ! Will call it, The ATTACK
OF THE KILLER DIAMONDS. Very low budget. Let's do lunch at Mickey
D's.

OK Pat, I’d like to do the sequel. We’ll call it GEMESIS WARS
EPISODE II: REVENGE OF THE SYNTH.

James in SoFl

66 
I know this isn't going to sit right with you, anymore than the
fact that some people just plain don't like diamonds has, but I
find platinum boring as well.

Personally I don’t like platinum either. My feelings on white
metals are that they are there to accent yellow metal. But that
doesn’t stop me from selling the stuff. And when I do sell it I
make enough money on it so I can pursue the things that I personally
find more interesting.

And I'm baffled for why you think it's a requirement that all
makers of jewelry should have to work in said materials, anyway.

I don’t think everyone has to work with diamonds or platinum. I just
don’t think that members of the jewelry industry should be so
negative about a product that has helped them make a living for so
long. Whether or not you sell diamonds, the marketing campaign
about them has helped you to sell your jewelry. All of the
marketing campaigns about jewelry ultimately help all jewelers sell
their product because they continue to raise awareness of jewelry as
a product for everyone.

Around here, the market for that kind of thing would be VERY
limited. You can't "make more money" on something you can't sell.

Granted I haven’t a clue where you live or sell your work but it’s
the attitudes about what you can or can’t sell that will determine
whether or not you can sell high end product, not where you are. I
started out making silver jewelry and I, too, thought that I
wouldn’t be able to sell gold or diamonds. That perception ended
when I had a few people far more knowledgeable than me tell me I was
self limiting by thinking that. I followed their advice and started
showing diamonds and gold and then I began to sell it. Until you
actually show your work in the better metals you won’t know if you
can sell it that way. What I can tell you is that if you had spent
that $560 (or even half of it) on gold (even 10k if you are located
in a relatively poor area) and turned it into fewer pieces of
jewelry you would have been able to make more on the few pieces you
did produce, both because the markups on individual pieces will be
higher, and because you would have more time to work on selling the
product since you wouldn’t have to produce so much to make the same
amount of money. I’m not saying there isn’t a market for silver
work or that people shouldn’t work in it. I just think that by
expanding your repertoire out you can make more money to pay for
doing the things you like to do.

In my market I would not be able to move such expensive pieces, but
I CAN move all the silver jewelry I can turn out at a good profit
WITHOUT having to charge ruinous amounts of money just to cover the
cost of materials

This statement is a direct contradiction of what you are saying. On
the one hand you say you are making a good profit. On the other
hand you are telling me that $560 is 12% of your annual gross
income, which puts your income at about $5000. To me that means
that you aren’t making a good profit because that is way below
poverty level in the US.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-234-4392

67 
 understand that one can make a good profit as an arms dealer too,
especially if you go free-lance and aren't picky about your
customers. I'm not sure that's justification to wake up one
morning and say "I love surface-to-air missles!"

Trevor,

I’m not sure that diamonds can be used to kill people (although I’m
sure somebody creative could figure out a way) so I’m not sure the
analogy here is quite correct. Frankly I don’t believe guns should
be sold anywhere but I’m in the minority in this country. The issue
of whether people are harmed getting the diamonds is another one,
but what is often ignored in those arguments are the number of
countries (Botswana comes to mind at once) and people (Jews fleeing
the Nazis who were able to sneak their wealth out in the form of
diamonds) that have benefited from diamonds. Understandably some
people have been killed and hurt over the years in the process of
making such a valuable product available, but as I said in an
earlier post let all those who feel this way first give up their
computers and then their cars because far more people die trying to
provide materials and oil for these products than for diamonds.

Please note too that I love colored stones and have always promoted
them just as heavily (or more so) than I promote my diamonds. I
just don’t think that industry members should denigrate a product
that we all make a living from. It’s like bad mouthing your
competitors to your customers. It makes you look bad and usually
won’t ever bring that customer back into your store.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-234-4392

68 
 Does the above validate synthetic diamonds if they ever become
readily available?

James in SoFl,

I have absolutely no problem with people selling synthetics. There
is absolutely a market for all types of synthetics out there, and as
with all of the jewelry related marketing, I think promoting them or
selling them helps all jewelers (this presumes full disclosure of
course). Maybe this year someone will sell a woman a synthetic
diamond and in a few years when she has some more money she’ll buy a
natural. I don’t sell synthetics in pieces I produce because I
don’t feel they are consistent with the quality of jewelry I make
and sell but if someone wants me to make up something with a
synthetic they bring in that’s fine with me (actually, just this
morning someone came in with exactly that–a pair of synthetic blue
sapphires to be made up into earrings). I understand not everyone
can afford what I make. I also understand there is a market for all
types of jewelry.

As for the marketing campaign. Almost every product in this country
uses sex in it’s marketing campaign, either directly or indirectly.
It’s a fact of life. The fact that a company reads properly what is
moving people in one direction or another is an indication of how
good or bad their marketing campaign is. The fact that almost
everyone knows about the de Beers ad with the couple in the square
is an indication that it was a good ad because everyone remembers
it. You know what they say, even bad press is good press because it
keeps you in the public’s eye (not that I would recommend you do
something bad so this happens). As a matter of fact the company
producing the de Beers ads would be remiss if they didn’t take into
account the fact that sex is used in most advertising. Frankly, the
problem with sex in ads is an American thing anyway. I think
Europeans in general have far less problems with the human body than
Americans do and it’s a lot healthier attitude.

Love can mean different things to different people. Some of them do
feel that it is represented partially by the gifting of material
things to their loved ones. It often is quite important around major
events in people’s lives. Whether they are influenced by the ads
they see, or simply their own emotional status doesn’t matter. And
frankly, given that we sell a product that is completely
discretionary, it’s a darn good thing that they do because we would
all be out of business if people didn’t buy our product.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-234-4392

69

Hello Daniel,

I'm not sure that diamonds can be used to kill people ... so I'm
not sure the analogy here is quite correct.

You had said, if I understood correctly, that diamonds can help a
jeweller make money and that was a good reason to like them. My
point is that lots of things can help you make money but that in
itself doesn’t mean one should embrace them, at least not in my book.

Lest I tread into even deeper doo-doo I have to say it has been my
observation that diamond jewellery and, often, those who are shopping
for it represent a particular segment of the market that I’m not
especially interested in dealing with. It’s not just the stones
themselves, it’s the whole thing: the marketing, the clientele, the
aesthetics of most of the products, the expectations thereof and,
yes, the stones too. In particular the high-pressure marketing and
endless hype has given the whole diamond scene an atmosphere that I
find off-putting.

Ferrari has it’s customers, animal-part aphrodisiacs have their’s,
and so on. To put it bluntly I for one am not interested in playing
that game with those people on that field. The fact that more money
can be made by doing so is somewhat incidental to the reasons that
many of us got into making jewellery in the first place.

... I just don't think that industry members should denigrate a
product that we all make a living from.

I’m not sure where the “denigrate” part comes from. The definition
I’m looking at says:

  "1. To attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of;
  defame. 2. To disparage; belittle ...."

What a number of us have said is that we don’t particularly fancy
them and would prefer to work with and/or own other stones. AFAIK
personal preference, and one’s reasons for feeling thus, don’t usually
equate to defamation or belittling.

I must say that I’m rather intrigued by your implication that there
are things that “industry members should” or should not say. Where
does that come from? What’s the purpose served by such a stand? And
why is it necessary, or even advisable, in the first place?

I’m sure most Orchidians would agree that open thought and discussion
of what we as the artisans, craftspersons and masters of this trade
think and feel and do with our materials does our industry no harm and
can, if we’re lucky, actually help us in our individual pursuit of
that trade.

Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light