The rotating image above is a 1.00ct H colour Si clarity round brilliant cut diamond. You and I do not know whether it is Certified, Parcel or Laboratory grown. That’s because they are practically the same. So, what are the differences?

I grew up the son of a diamond merchant. In the 1980s, my father and his business partner were amongst the very first to start trading in Certified stones. Due to cost implications, these stones were almost exclusively larger sizes and the better qualities. It was of enormous benefit to their West End retail clientele to be able to prove how close each diamond was to being perfectly colourless and flawless. Up to that point, the skill of the diamond merchant and retailer was to sort and evaluate Parcels of stones without certificates.

18ct Yellow Gold Tree of Life 8 Claw Studs

When I joined them in the 1990s, they taught me these sorting skills and our inventory of certified stones grew from larger rarer stock to include smaller more commercial eye clean sizes in time. An increase in demand for the Certified stones ensured a premium price over the Parcel goods, despite them being identical. I began to manufacture wholesale jewellery and by the 2000s had teamed up with my brother to create GUY&MAX in Mayfair. We only used natural stones. There are few stores that market synthetic sapphires or emeralds, despite their availability for decades. In our eyes, the romance of a crystal growing for millions of years outweighed the overnight test tube variety.

Diamond was the last major gem to be synthesised. The current fad is for Laboratory grown stones. I appreciate that they are far cheaper than naturals but the current retail to resale value of approx 15% makes it attractive for fun seekers rather than longer term investors. Market parity is sure to follow and retailers and consumers will decide whether it will suffer the same obscurity as its coloured counterparts or the roaring success of cost effective cultured over wildly expensive natural pearls.

18ct Rose Gold Crescent Moon 4 Claw Studs

As I look over my thirty plus years in this fascinating trade, there are multiple directions that every individual can turn when purchasing diamonds including Certified, Parcel and Laboratory. Currently, guaranteeing that the science of grading stones is accompanied by total trust in supply, I recommend my own loyal patrons indulge in Parcel sorted natural diamonds. They are what they are (and the grandchildren can always get them Certified down the road), the hardest natural substance, the most romantic gesture and the most beautiful crystal on this planet.

Examples

The following examples are all for pairs of round brilliant cut white* eye clean** diamonds, weights are total (e.g. 2 x 0.50ct = 1.00ct), H-I* colour, Si** clarity and are set in 18ct White, Yellow or Rose Gold Stud Earrings. Prices are UK £ and include VAT.

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