OBSERVATIONS ON CVD-GROWN SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS: A REVIEW

This article presents statistical data and distinctive features from several hundred faceted CVD-grown synthetic diamonds examined by GIA researchers from 2003 through June 2016. This study, the first comprehensive summary published on such a large number of gem-quality CVD synthetics, describes the reliable means of identifying them, with a focus on material currently marketed for jewelry use. most CVD synthetic diamonds analyzed by GIA have been in the near-colorless or pink color ranges, with clarity grades comparable to those of their natural counterparts. Faceted CVD samples are generally 2 ct or less, though the sizes are increasing. They can be identified by their distinctive fluorescence pattern using the DiamondView imaging instrument, and by the detection of the silicon-vacancy defect using photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Some visual gemological characteristics provide indicators, but not definitive proof, of CVD origin.