The Problem of Synthetic Diamonds in Watchmaking

[@kurtnunn6116]

Man made, all the way. No risk of buying blood diamonds, less of an environmental impact. De beers withholds a large inventory of mined diamonds to control the market. I think the introduction of man made loosens their grip and introduces competition.

[@luv2jive]

Another cheap dude with a fake Rolex

[@SuperReviews4you]

If a someone made a rolex copy that had the same movement, quality, longevity and was indistinguishable from a real rolex to the extent most watch makers couldnt tell the difference and was half the price then yea people would stop buying those too.

[@RT-gs7fj]

Since 2002 a 9000% increase . Something smells funny

[@ammoalamo6485]

About 1992 my GF bought a gold Rolex to show off. The movement kept stopping; jeweler said it was due to internal rust, probably because the gold case was warped or not well mated front to back to crystal. We lived in a dry region in West Texas, the watch never got wet. Her jeweler fixed it twice at stiff expense. The third time she had him replace the innerds with a quartz movement. Wow. She then was the proud owner of a $4,000 solid gold Casio-driven partly-fake Rolex - but now it never needed winding, and kept much better time as a Casiolex, or was it a Roliolex? I don't remember the final disposition of the Rolex original movement.

[@yapolloable]

dude in 1992, your gf bought a fake gold Rolex.

[@j.b.5230]

The value of a diamond is a combination of pure marketing and market manipulation by De Beers. This approach just kills De Beers business. It does nothing to lessen the psychological value of a diamond, just the business value. Great video and topic, btw.

[@watchestv-com]

Very interesting comment!

[@EODHammer]

Absolutely....De Beers, Alrosa, Rio-Tinto, Debswana and many others have had a stranglehold on these stones forever. It's time for it to come to an end.

[@AnshShah1]

I definitely agree. The idea of even having a wedding ring was an ad campaign by de beers. It's better morally to go with a synthetic diamond because it isn't a product of corporations artificially increasing prices, not having the risk of blood diamonds, and also not trying to destroy the planet.

[@JerehmiaBoaz]

Diamonds are used in the manufacture of Veblen goods, the kind of luxurious status symbols that are in demand exactly because of their high price. If the market value of diamonds goes down so does their status value, and this "spoils" every Veblen good that has them.

[@feralfeline6137]

It's all marketing horse shit and an artificial scarcity monopoly. The joke's on all of us, it's worthless. Diamond empire is a great documentary if anyone is interested.

[@raimundoo4655]

Diamond industry is a scam, bring on the synthetic diamonds!

[@kiyoshim9593]

And their mining operations will come to a halt very soon

[@terriepehrson3103]

Always has Been... a cubic zirconia 3 point diamond is 7-9 thousand... And No one can tell the Real from the 204.dollars That was paid for a Real White gold 3point cz ring... Beautifulll. Dont be Silly,... You cannot take it with you when you die... No U-haul behind the hearse... Just put a sign.. " NO FORWARDING ADDRESS😭😂😅😅😆😁😆

[@teddybear2840]

Diamonds are just carbon atoms arranged tetrahedrally. Man made or mind both are diamonds

[@rashad123us]

Diamonds aren't rare, that's a myth. I'm happy to see that their scam is finally coming to an end.

[@rzamorarojas]

That is very true. The problem is that not all the people know that Diamonds are not an extremely difficult stone to find and their business is very well made. I would love to see the safe room where they keep the stone to maintain the price when they get too many stones from the mine.

[@ianchmp]

Even if you ignore the political and ethical issues that diamond mining creates, the fact is that mining itself is dangerous and destructive to the environment. We should be celebrating that there are new methods for sourcing diamonds!

[@jordanlapointe8207]

Steve J you have never really studied mining processes have you? you might consider some research before a blanket comment like that.

[@isakandersson6722]

Over 80 % of all diamonds are used in industrial purpose. Most of them are brown have to many inclusions or are just "dust". To get diamonds good enough to have in jewelry is harder to find. De Beers sold of it stockpile in the 90's this is was well documented by the media, but is still today unknown by the large public. Maybe and mainly because of (Blood diamonds, The movie with Leonardi Di Caprio.) And maybe because people don't question and search information. Today De Beers holds less than 29% of the market with a lot of small mining companies and labs competing on the market. Another interesting fact is that 80 % of all diamonds are sold through New York. One "solution" is that all the prices just go down.

[@chouaibsam4381]

Growing diamonds require lot of energy , so I'm not sure for the environment saving rethoric, also to grow diamond you need to start by using a natural diamond, so mining won't probably stop.

[@karancastelino5714]

I would encourage synthetic diamonds considering the cost of life and environment that goes into real diamond mining.

[@litesaber54yi3]

The cultured pearl was at one point in time derided as not being a "true" pearl. and now look at that market. To me a diamond is a diamond is a diamond. The traditional diamond "makers" (read: miners) want you to think that diamonds are these special objects. They are not. If the companies who control the mines released all the diamonds they have inventoried and stocked away at one time we would be buying our bread in the local super market with diamonds. Its due to their artificial scarcity that they are “worth” so much. We would be telling stories to our grandkids 50 years hence how, “back in my day we could take a 3 carat’er to buy a trolley ticket to go see the Dodgers and have enough left over to buy a Dodger dog and a pack of smokes.” I love the idea of “manmade” diamonds. Let the onld guard get scared shitless. Its their turn now….

[@watchestv-com]

+Ari Bajtner I find it amusing that De Beers are the ones financing heavily these analyzing machines...

[@litesaber54yi3]

LOL No one said they were dumb. I think they will def end up using the "cultured" vs "non cultured" marketing with these.

[@2011blueman]

The difference with the pearl comparison is that "non-cultured" diamonds are often blood diamonds that most people, if they knew exactly who and how it was mined, probably wouldn't buy it.

[@litesaber54yi3]

yep! not to mention with man made they are perfect every time , all the time

[@jordanlapointe8207]

Ari Bajtner well sorta I've worked with pvd and cvd (not diamonds, other industry) its so cheap, if they get a bad one they just toss it. it takes a lot of work to refine the process and calibrate the machine.

[@rousemotorsport]

I would never want a diamond on my watch but if I had to, I would want a synthetic one. Diamonds are just rocks with good PR. ;)

[@Baronstone]

Plus with the manmade diamonds you don't have to worry about how many people were murdered to get it

[@thomasbudi2000]

i personally wouls choose man made diamond. clearer, cheaper, better for the environment

[@svenasmussen8745]

also, would be properly stupid to buy a mined diamond, when you can get something literally exactly the same, indistinguishable from the other, for less money

[@antonpeltola]

And knowing that in any case, child labor was not included.

[@luv2jive]

you look cheap dude. Don't expect her to marry you. Cos you're cheap. Drive a Prius too do we? I bet you've a bunch of fake Rolex watches to. Cheap dude.

[@ecor150]

@@luv2jive you seem to care what others think about you. Sad.

[@iblogger3730]

@Jackson Scott The difference is about 3 billion years to start with.

[@evanbrom1]

Crystal Carbon is Crystal carbon if some want to pay more for natural let them, otherwise it is a commodity

[@kiyoshim9593]

This jew dissaproved

[@moeszyslack4676]

The DeBeers cartel and its stranglehold on this racket has been shaken and will end soon enough. Lab made diamonds are just as REAL as naturally occurring diamonds. I personally prefer lab made diamonds because the quality can be controlled and the cost can be a fraction of the natural ones. Run of the mill diamonds aren't rare at all, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and other gem stones are in fact far more rare. It's the truly unique diamonds (the massive ones, the colored ones, the flawless ones) that are rare and perhaps worth something. The diamond racket can't come to an explosive end soon enough. EDIT: Great topic Marc. Your content outstanding. Nice to see Mr. Nardin.

[@tellucas]

hawkturkey if it takes a piece of paper in order to determine that it is rare then what do you really have.

[@imperialwhovian3461]

If mining for diamonds is even legal or the sale of mined diamonds is legal, with the environmental aspect of mining frowned upon it only a matter of time

[@PinochleSundae]

They keep saying "synthetic vs real". Synthetic diamonds are real diamonds.

[@zdeezy420]

Keep that energy up when you get cloned

[@zdeezy420]

@@thespectator5259 natural physical objects all have carbon data! You can’t fake 1 billion plus years of weather erosion etc. all tests that natural diamonds pass but none of the lab made diamonds will ever pass that test bc the test is literally looking for foreign dna that also matches the dna history of where the diamond was mined! Buying lab based diamonds is no different that buying a mutt for a dog everyone knows it’s a dog yes but it’s not a purebred and and as tests are conducted the more obvious it becomes

[@deezynu1519]

@@zdeezy420 no general consumer cares about how old the diamond is! and that's a fact when have you heard of a diamond consumer ask how old is the diamond ? your dog analogy makes no sense either, purebreds and mutts comes with total life changing differences, your gunna tell me that a general consumer is going to say I want this diamond over the other cause its older? HAHAHAHAHA

[@zdeezy420]

@@deezynu1519 yea buy your girl fake diamonds and tell her they’re fake! If she still loves u I’ll believe u

[@zdeezy420]

@@deezynu1519 lmao facts aren’t feelings 😂 a test Is a test to justify a result in this case a set price on an item

[@SylvainDuford]

your own numbers said it all, 125 m carats per year? that's not rare at all, at 2m carats per year the synthetics are currently 60 times more rare! De Beers has been tightly controlling the availability to keep the myth alive and the prices high, now they are panicking because their game is up. I suspect prices will plummet, forcing them to flood the market, causing prices to drop further. They are truly between a diamond and a hard place.

[@cheerfultrout4381]

Sylvain Duford keep in mind that those figures probably don't account for the quality and size of the individual diamonds involved, but still... that is a very big difference.

[@carbonicoyster5907]

The diamond industry only exists in your mind. The more complex the machines they develop to try and differentiate between these two identical substances, the more obvious it is that cheaper synthetics are superior.

[@jordanlapointe8207]

my wife has a moissanite stone, she loves the lab grown aspect. and the asteroid crater origin story.

[@lucasluck5559]

Jordan Lapointe moisanite isn’t lab grown

[@wolf5391]

@@lucasluck5559 Moissanite is entirely lab made. In fact there isnt much (if at all) natural Moissanite out there that is gem quality unless made in a lab. Moissanite was discovered by Henri Moissan, from fragments of a meteorite that fell to the earth. Moissanite is second to only diamond in hardness and it refracts double the light. No blood shed and a fraction of the costs of diamonds. Personally if I was in the market for a diamond, i'd rather have 15 Moissanites that costs about the same.

[@SaverGC3]

Man made would be acceptable for me, on a time-piece; but, it must be openly noted and reduced in cost from natural diamond.

[@PaulPagel]

Synthetic all the way! The more affordable these stones become, the better. Then we can all appreciate a little bling bling.

[@TheHappyDudeRoblox]

I wonder why the luxury industry doesn't use that many diamonds instead of rubies for the jewel bearings. The rubies are small and synthetic anyways, and with the price of diamonds going down, it seems feasible to use it for higher end pieces as they are harder.

[@watchestv-com]

I guess the cost of machining them for such purpose is probably still very high and complicated compared to synthetic rubies.

[@felixarbable]

TheHappyDudeRoblox yeh thats basically it, once diamonds become cheap enough maybe, but the machining will be really hard. Not to mention rubies are pretty great!

[@DaOneJoel]

"loose confidence in diamonds" -If you had any confidence in the diamond industry previously to this, that is on you. For me it is a good thing, get people to understand the industry and regulate prices accordingly.

[@rzamorarojas]

True story at the end. For me, the topic goes deeper. I just would like to know always, either genuine or synthetic, where the things come from. Because at the same time that some people complaint against synthetic diamonds, the natural diamond industry is probably hiding bad stuff and they are just complaining because of their own accounts and not because they care about the feelings or the money of their customer. Honesty is the key. Thanks for the report Marc. Regards By the way, the last time I bought a diamond, it was a natural 0,51ct. that I even mounted on a platinum engagement ring and then... She said YES. It was worth the sweat mounting it.

[@watchestv-com]

Honesty and transparency are for sure indispensable and congrats to you ;)

[@Muonium1]

Positively delicious to see this dreadful industry desperately flailing around at conferences and trade shows trying to convince buyers that only "real" diamonds are mined, and inevitably collapsing in on itself in the face of relentless technological innovation.

[@arthurscargill8010]

Without getting too heavy: look at the conflicts & repressive regimes diamond extraction currently finances. Synthetic diamonds cuts that out entirely. Thanks for the interesting video guys.

[@BattousaiHBr]

Let me get this straight, the higher purity, cheaper, clearer product is inferior? I'll never get how fashion works.

[@pooyamz]

Arguments between moguls are just reminding me of old days where for example black pepper ( aka Black gold in old days before oil ) or tea where just can be found in south and south east Asia. At that time it was one of main material for traders and seeds where closely guarded by the producers. After seeds being transferred ( Stolen ... EHEM ) to other places they were not in any trader interest any more. They grew up plants in their own lands and started new business. Maybe they were times then when people said this pepper is not genuine because it is grew up in Mexico but for now who cares as long as it has good flavor and spice. So now can you say that only peppers in India are the natural ones and others are synthetic ? You can ask yourself same question about diamonds. De Beers I believe control +70% of diamond market and they are seeing that their business will go down eventually and they are just trying to buy some time in order to think about next step.

[@watchestv-com]

Very pertinent analogy, thanks for this interest comment!

[@theoeguia3302]

Hi there. I'm learning French for my future French wife. Your accent is awesome. Where in France do you hail from?

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

There are similar snobberies within the wine and cigar industries, quality will always be the deciding factor.

[@SelviaResearch]

No diamonds on my watch thanks. I'm not a rapper.

[@bannedaccount3752]

I`m a rapper, and I don´t want watches in my diamonds.

[@bobbiclinger7500]

DeBeers' time has come! I am so happy to see consumers finally have more choices. I would definitely buy a lab diamond.

[@user-ud2ij7ro5c]

if all the real diamonds these people hoard were suddenly and completely put upon the marketplace the price would drop to pennies on the dollar( or euro). I see this as the industry scrambling to retain its hold (stranglehold)on its commodity just like any other greedy bastard. they are just trying to sugar coat the perceived " problem" they are attempting to invent about synthetic diamonds. competition is ultimately good to the consumer.

[@ericp1139]

There is no difference between a mined diamond and a synthetic diamond. They are both diamonds. Synthetics have the benefit of not having huge environmental and human impact.

[@Alex-us2vw]

“Diamonds are Diamonds” should be their slogan. Lol. These big mining companies are panicking now that man made can be done cheaper then mining. The manufacturers could have a price war and push down the cost even more. If the price for flawless synthetic diamonds gets very cheap it will drag down the price on natural stones too. The end consumer buying at 80% off diamond jewelry and watches would be very happy.

[@pth8888]

Personally I am not into diamond so it really doesnt matter to me if my jewellery (if i have, except watches) uses synthetic or real diamonds. What matter is the cost. For industrial uses, I think it make alot of sense to use synthetic diamonds.

[@tomf3150]

Total geekiness: full synthetic rainbow color diamonds on a platinum watch.

[@abdelmercifulgaming7890]

This channel deserves much more viewers and subscribers! great work guys :D keep it up

[@nicolasemaldi1455]

The most amazing thing I have seen since the 3D printing gold machine you show us years ago. In my opinion manufactured diamons are an expression of high technology and I woul love to bring them in my watch.

[@12sin8]

Personally I won't buy a diamond unless I'm certain an innocent African child was forced to dig it out from an underground mine with their bare hands... I mean, how else would I know it's real? More power to the lab grown industry, they're finally putting an end to the longest con in the jewellery industry - the belief that diamonds are rare!

[@crazydog3307]

based

[@alfredvara8880]

My friend retired from the diamond center in Manhattan he had coffee cans full of diamonds he said it’s a marketing ploy. All bull to scam the public.

[@operamatthew]

diamonds are going to go the way of purple dye hundreds of years ago. purple dye could only be extracted from a special snail until the chemistry was discovered to do it way way cheaper. today purple is no longer a sign of wealth, i predict this future for the diamond.

[@pallendo]

I am actually looking forward to man made diamonds totally taking over from "natural diamonds". The pursuit and artificial scarcity of "natural diamonds" has caused much conflict. See the so called "blood diamonds". If man made diamonds have all the same properties, awesome!

[@N0N0111]

All these companies have sold blood diamonds.

[@martingrobler1892]

I run a diamond mine with partners and investors next to the Orange river South Africa. Of course it's a big deal when we take a big stone out but there is a big difference between the glamor of those actresses and the lifestyle of the miners working at diamond mines. So if the choice came down to choose between, is this stone made in a lab or is it dug up with 1000's of liters diesel with people barely surviving and no rehabilitation done because it is too expensive??? I think this side of the story should also be told next time de Beers showcase there "natural diamonds" and not only the side where those beautiful stones came out. We have to move a hundred metric tons of earth to average 0,5 to 1ct of diamonds, 5ct equal 1gram, do the math on what size hole is dug before you find a 10ct stone. I, we kill the earth for the opportunity of putting a smile on a girl's face.

[@watchestv-com]

Thanks a lot for this very insightful comment and your point comes through very loud and clear!!! The best to you

[@Palatineoffacts]

i would never buy any sort of diamonds, they look too snobby on watches and have no reasale value, gold at least appreciates in value. and you like watches for the gears and the sounds they make not some rock you glued in the bezel. thanks for the very informative video.

[@wmhs02dm]

The only synthetic diamonds I want in my watch is the watch crystal itself.

[@maxfactor4209]

syntactic diamond is diamond. wish CHINA get in to this market and bankrupt those fashion fool consumer diamond cartels.

[@coolout9440]

China has them too

[@miguelg1370]

Saw Louis Nardin! I bought his book, very interesting read and intro for my friends that are interested in getting into watches! Great video as always!

[@watchestv-com]

Cool!

[@ronweber4508]

I’ve thought I would enjoy this industry. Do you have any information on the type of machines and/or which ones are most effective and efficient, also who I could go through to acquire the equipment?

[@watchestv-com]

Apparently some of these machines can be bought on Alibaba, isn't that crazy!!!!

[@AdolphusOfBlood]

Does this mean that one day we might have the jewels in our watch mechanisms, and our watch crystals both be diamond instead of sapphire? O-O

[@watchestv-com]

We could definitely see more diamonds in our daily life in the future. I've heard of an American company working on diamond glass for smartphones for instance!

[@JoeKyser]

Environmental impact sounds good when i say it but really if its not noticeable crust my watch with the cheaper of the two

[@douro20]

The good thing is that we can detect these without needing nanoscale X-ray diffraction analysis, which means using a machine the size of a large building (the Diamond Light Source at RAL in the UK or the ESRF in Grenoble)/

[@lbochtler]

The only thing i have a problem with is misrepresenting whats in the watch, if it contains natural diamonds, then say it dose, if it contains synthetic diamonds say so as well. Other then that, i have no problem with synthetic diamonds. Id find it quite interesting to see a watch made with only synthetic diamonds.

[@dineshvishwakarma922]

do you have any idea ... how can I get a job in watch industry... please any one can help ??

[@Patrick_B687-3]

It's so much easier when you don't like Diamonds on your watches.

[@watchestv-com]

Very true!!!!

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

I did notice the switch from impure diamonds being worth less than perfect diamonds, to the natural diamond dealers inflating the prices of naturally occurring imperfect diamonds when artificial diamonds made their market superfluous.

[@yellowice0]

The things that keep me from buying (and i’d assume anyone else) from buying an actual real mined diamond 1. Less destructive, blood diamonds, drug diamonds, diamonds that have been involved in crime, or have caused massive damage to the environment 2. They’re inherently, more strong, the way a lab grown diamond is produced leaves very little impurities in the diamond, which makes them less prone to shattering or chipping (yes, diamonds can be damaged from common every day wearing) 3. The common broke man shouldn’t have to break the bank for the stereotype of proposing with a diamond ring (every woman on earth would disagree with me, but every man on earth would would agree) 4. Because of the varying color variants, being able to pick a good color again (being cheaper) is far more preferable than paying a jacked up price for an extremely rare colored diamond

[@ohazi]

Just as mechanical watches are a man-made engineering marvel -- and a triumph of our own ingenuity... so too are the techniques that were developed and perfected to construct diamonds in a laboratory at scale. We should be proud of our mastery of this process, and in my mind we should be just as excited about lab grown diamonds as we are about the various complications in our timepieces. The engineering behind all of these things is what makes them so awe-inspiring.

[@watchestv-com]

Very good point!!

[@jorgenjohnson2168]

Hello Lab-Grown Diamonds (LGDs) are as real as mined diamonds without the cost, environmental impact, bloodshed or flaws, and anyone who talks down LGDs probably has a vested interest in and is associated with a company that devotes itself to selling mined diamonds. My own research has turned up the truth. There are many advantages along with being almost half the price of mined diamonds. The biggest advantage of LGDs is their environmental impact is much less than mined diamonds. Another advantage of LGDs is they are completely flawless as opposed to mined diamonds that are always going to have some flaws. Also, LGDs being stuck at less than 1.5 carats is no longer true. Augsburg University has created a 155-carat diamond (that actually surpasses the largest mined diamond in surface area) at 92 mm in diameter. As far as the secondary value of a LGDs, I can’t speak to that, but I know something similar to that happens to a brand new car, it depreciates in value by thousands of dollars as soon as you drive it off the lot and still people buy brand new cars. As far as insurance coverage no one needs to pay the yearly insurance fee when the lifetime cost of insuring a diamond is more than the original price of the diamond. LGDs are as real as mined diamonds without the cost, environmental impact, bloodshed or flaws

[@yogawan3805]

No such things as depreciation value in diamond (both natural or LGD) cause diamond can last forever. The only problem is what happen if the labs producing mass amounts of LGD and flood the market. Both natural and LGD is same thing because they made from same material.

[@ARlELATOM]

The price of diamonds is going to plummet, just accept it 😂 stop saying that natural diamonds are superior. Actually lab grown diamonds are superior, less suffering, and more perfect 😍

[@felixarbable]

If people like diamonds for their own merits and these things are no different or even better than ones you can find. I dont see the issue here. After that "real" diamonds are just marketing in 99% of cases. And Them acting as if the "real" diamond industry is honest in any way is laughable and i really hope they loose their whole business to these scientists who seem immeasurably more honest in what they are doing and selling. As a watchmaker id use whichever diamond offers the best and most predictable results (for endstones etc) nobody complains about synthetic rubies because why would they?

[@kw.7142]

I would prefer man made diamonds on watches because: 1. cuts down cost by thousands of dollars 2. looks exactly the same if not better 3. even though brands charge premium of thousands of dollars for authentic diamonds around the bezel, at such small carats it is pretty much pointless (to judge the quality) to have real diamonds for mere decoration. An engagement ring on the other hand, I would prefer real diamond.

[@jamesbizs]

and a company can make a brand name watch, but fake, with the same looks if not better. Then what?

[@CarlWong510]

Can they produce a synthetic diamond glass for Iphone 8?

[@watchestv-com]

Would be complicated, but i like the idea!

[@GarrySkipPerkins]

I believe that Credor did a diamond crystal watch back in Tokyo's roaring 1980's.

[@MegaBanne]

They need a semiconductor type of glass for the touch screen to work.

[@jamesbizs]

you really want a phone screen with the refractive properties of a diamond?

[@donice88]

...hell's yeah...

[@chrisbaker2669]

Diamonds have perceived value but not actual value.

[@laupc82]

Interesting topic indeed. Personally I would never want to have diamonds on dial or the case, it's too blingy for my taste. However, if it's used in the movement, let's say, replacing the synthetic rubies used in jewel bearings or pallet fork with synthetic diamonds for a more lubricant or service free movement, I'm totally fine with it Cost will definitely be a factor, if I'm informed that the diamonds used is lab made and it keep the prices down then I think it would be great. Great content as always, keep it coming, love your channel.

[@kurtilein3]

By the way, all the higher-end synthetic ones, all the larger sizes, come with a microscopic laser inscription and serial number in the girdle of the stone. So for shady stuff, you are limited to re-cutting them to remove the company logo and serial number, or small-sized bulk.

[@1dgram]

I would like to see a watch crystal made of synthetic diamond and compare the look to a sapphire one

[@Shannmeister]

There will always be those who want and can afford natural diamonds but for the mass market the use of synthetic diamonds will become commonplace which is already being reflected in the falling price of synthetic diamonds.

[@renatabubblegum6524]

While this is going on please pressure all those industries put in some work to fix back all the land they destroyed during mining. They have enough money to do that I'm sure.

[@ferranc9644]

"diamonds are... a miracle of nature..." i thought he was going to be more precise and scientific lol

[@AlexBesogonov]

It's high time we renamed "diamonds" to "mined diamonds" and "synthetic diamonds" to simply "diamonds".

[@laethe230]

Went with moissanite. I didn't even want to play in the diamond industry. I think about how buying "organic" from a major brand is still supporting the factory farming side of their company, so in my mind that is what I'd be doing by buying a lab diamond.

[@JamesAlexander14]

For my own thoughts on this, I feel that the Jewellery and Watch Industry should be compelled to state categorically how and where their diamonds are produced, whether it has been mined or produced in a laboratory. Natural diamonds should also have the higher price tag and synthetic diamonds should be capped at an arbitrary price much lower than their Naturally mined cousins. This should give more transparency to the consumer and industry alike and remove the more unscrupulous culprits within the precious gemstones industry.

[@mithritades]

I'm not a Diamond kinda guy but like you said, Transparency is key, I would actually buy a man made diamond knowing upfront what it is

[@rationalicthus]

I don't need, and my wife doesn't need a diamond, to know that our love is forever. We've been married 18 years and never had a ring.

[@salahmahdimahdi3937]

I think that knowing what kind of narrow path a real diamond would travel before ending in a very beautifull jewlery store, we might consider the synthetical diamond as a great option. In the video it is mentionned that it has the exact same properties than a real one just cheaper, more ecological, and more human. In a comment below somebody talked about transparancy, and I think this could be even better for a brand, let's say for the same time piece with different diamonds and different prices. This way it'll be a nive servey for them. (Sorry for the possible mistakes english isn't my first langage.)

[@ruud4508]

Man made diamonds can save the jewelry industry by bringing down pricing to the level of Economics we "the normal" people had to adjust ourselves to. At the other hand, a natural diamond has a far nicer color dispersion, much smoother than the somewhat harsh blue-greyish shade from the Man-made diamonds. But I have to be fair, most people need a microscope to spot the difference. If money is not a relevant factor in the consideration of purchase, natural diamond is the better option. There's more than enough supply to meet the demand, no need for mining or other pollutive actions.

[@7Sidewinder7]

Watches for myself are about capturing and portraying the marvel of modern engineering. In particular, using computer aided design (CAD, CAE) and modern materials to push the boundary of microscale mechanical engineering and horology. I would think that also being able to capture the engineering beauty of synthesizing one of the hardest materials known to man, while also capturing a high clarity and highly reflective nature of the diamond also plays strongly to this theme, thus I would have no issue with having a synthetic diamond. After all, diamonds in jewelry are really only prized because they are shiny (due to the clarity and cut of the diamond) A synthetic diamond works just as well as a real diamond, or in the case of optics and some semiconductor technology, better. The argument that real diamonds are 'a work of nature and should be marveled', feels weak to me, when we can actually produce better clarity and higher purity diamonds synthetically.

[@watchestv-com]

Thanks for this very interesting comment and we can really see/feel that people are just fine with the idea of synthetic diamonds as long as things are clear to them. All the best

[@maxmuller445]

I would definitly go for synthetic diamonds

[@vivianlimberatos3747]

I have been in this industry for 50 years, a small family owned business going on our 3rd generation. We sell Genuine Gemstones because they reflect the reason people want Diamonds... Natural and Genuine as their feelings for one another truly are. My clients want genuine so that is what we provide. If they knew what a large margin jewelers were making on Synthetics, they may go for natural.

[@timmy2310]

I wouldn't mind lab made diamond on a watch or bracelet that I wanted more bling and it was cost effective. I would most certainly want to know that it is sold to me with the intention of being such and most definitely should bear a lower cost than the real deal. If money wasn't an object then real diamonds are the way to go. I think the graph nailed it when it comes to important moments like wedding band. Real for real unless you're on a budget. Sad to see people trying to flood market with labs as real. They should capitalize on a niche and focus on the integrity or the public could steer clear of them both all together.

[@arsaeterna4285]

My impression was that mining is largely unethical Synthetic offers an alternative I have always loved glass sculptures and really, its the beauty that matters Completely on board with synthetic

[@michelrodrigues110]

Resuming: The problem is loosing market share from the traditional industry with extracts from 3 and 4th world countries their diamonds, and the synthetic are made hands off in many countries, with no slavery or social and ethical issues. Man made can eternalize your loved ones in jewelry wearable or in decoration. We do for PET's here and it's really acceptable .

[@kurtilein3]

I have a small collection of diamonds, including natural and synthetic diamonds, and i now prefer synthetics. Going forward i will buy synthetics. Numerous reasons, the most important one is where the money goes. With naturals, there can be blood diamonds, or you pay workers working in bad an unsafe working conditions, nature is destroyed in the process. Best case you pay for well-compensated workers using very big machines with safe working conditions, but the same damage to nature. With synthetics, you pay for scientists and engineers, well-trained, well-paid, working safely in laboratories with excellent working conditions, and the main resource needed is just electricity. Not vast amounts of land and water and soil being shifted around. You like watches done by well-trained and well-paid watchmakers in nice facilities, right? Synthetic diamonds resemble that much better than naturals can. Then there is the consistent high quality, and the amazing colors. You get this quality in naturals only by rigurously selecting and matching the rough, rejecting most of it. For coloreds, in naturals less than one in a million diamonds is pink, it is the same for some other colors, and then you only got the category of color down, more matching and selecting and rejecting has to be done to have them all in the same tone of pink. This is ridiculous, and leads to the next argument. There is a big monopoly keeping diamonds artificially scarce and keeping the prices artificially inflated. Most rough diamonds get sorted and then stored away, never to be cut, never to see the light of day. Only a small percentage ever reaches the market, and that after resources were spent to mine it all. This also brings a price risk, if these massive vaults holding maybe around 90% of the rough diamond ever mined reach the market, prices will be shattered. Diamonds are nice, but this fact makes them a really bad investment, especially long-term, and if you only pay for the beauty and quality of the material, knowing that it is not a store of value but a long-term shitty investment, it makes sense to go for the lower price, especially if the quality is consistently high and the optics are indistinguishable. The quality of synthetics is already at the top, the only struggle left is to reach big size, but progress is being made in that area. One thing to consider is that market penetration is still low and most wholesalers do not yet include synthetics in their portfolio, for fear of risking their good relationship with the monopoly i referenced earlier. So while prices are lower at the same quality, the absurd situation is that the effort to track them down is much higher. All that taken into consideration, i see a big future for synthetic diamonds. The naturals only have top-notch public relations and marketing strategy going for them, but this can only slow things down once you really grasped the fundamentals.

[@ghostcityshelton9378]

Another thing I like about the grown diamonds is that folks aren't being killed while trying to 'find them'!! Of course the folks growing the diamonds have to make a living but if the grown diamonds suddenly goes sky high, good luck. There's plenty more beautiful stones out there.

[@sethut.v7412]

Can any one help with first starting music. What song or album or track

[@systematic101]

I say bring on the synthetic diamonds. I want the tech to pull the price down to a point where we can make windows from diamonds for about the same price. We could make armor plates from it too.

[@kiyoshim9593]

THE REAL ISSUE HERE. Is that right now their mining will come to a halt if price keeps going down.

[@noelmcdonagh3905]

I personally would only buy natural diamonds. I understand lower-end brands wanting to use synthetic diamonds to keep there product pricing in line. However, if you are buying true handmade Suisse craftsmanship timepieces, if diamonds are involved I would expect natural. Just like a fine piece of gold or PT jewellery, I would expect natural. Silver jewellery could have synthetic as long as it is disclosed. Sadly, transparency on either side will never be enough, there is always some out their trying to take you, and it will be like that in diamonds of synthetic and natural. This is why you build relationships with retails/suppliers/manufactures as you will alway figure out who you can trust and who you can't!

[@nievese2929]

We need the hip hop community to support lab diamonds. That would really stick it to them. We will see if they sell out to the big companies...

[@mike_van_in]

Diamond pricing has been artificially inflated for decades. The growing availability of synthetic diamonds (or any gemstone for that matter) is a very good development. If we could synthesise gold for less than mining, it would have the same outcome; improved durability of manufactured products - all at a reduced cost. Win-win. The diamond merchants have ridden the gravy train for far, FAR too long.

[@hobbyphile]

I would prefer synthetic diamond instead of natural one. As I appreciate the effort, research and technology involved in synthesis of diamonds much more than just digging it from the ground. Isn't it a miracle to shorten the time of making such an amazing structure facinating?

[@xfan616]

As a mining engineer from South Africa, I have to say, even the real diamond is rediculus, it's conceptual value is created to fool gold diggers,

[@SalehMagrabi]

Definitely i will go for the Synthetic Diamond. It is cheap, pure, and bigger.

[@paulruppert7784]

IN 1893 Kokichi Mikimoto developed the process for cultured--human assisted--pearls being developed. His objective was to make pearls more available to a broader market, than the natural ones obtainable primarily by the wealthy and powerful. Since then cultured pearls have become much more easier to work with, resulting in a huge market expansion and accessibility for pearls. If man can create jewels of the sea, why not jewels of the earth? Excepting the industrial use and necessity of real diamonds, why not use "human assisted" diamonds? As long as provenance and transparency is reflected in the sales & development process, embracing "synthetic" diamonds would likely expand the market, no?

[@watchestv-com]

Most probably, but it will impact the price of natural diamonds too.

[@timothyjsduff]

I'm more concerned about being sure that what I'm buying is a synthetic diamond rather than a conflict diamond.

[@silvershadowjsh]

OMG 0:29 a Louis cameo appearance haha 😂

[@magelsanchez8647]

Synthetic is better. All of the ethics/corruption/propaganda that surround real diamonds, essentially disqualify a diamond of having any true beauty or meaning. Besides, we are all watch lovers. A timepiece is art; it is forged by passion, love and human emotion. A Dimond is a rock, and phlegmatic; it is the COMPLETE opposite of everything a great timepiece stands for.

[@Tony-xg5br]

If it is more cheap and more beautiful why not, whatever 90% of the watches in the market can't keep they are values. We are buying them and changing then like in the fashion industry😉

[@littlenickie951]

Which one has a bigger impact on the world digging up billions of tons of earth to extract tiny diamonds leaving extremely high carbon footprint or lab grown controlled environment?

[@CyberOrganic]

So these diamonds most be much cheaper than natural diamond, right?

[@watchestv-com]

Not really!

[@CyberOrganic]

@@watchestv-com why would anyone want this generic version over the natural ones if the prices are about the same? It's like counterfeiting money.

[@brewwatchco]

I too wonder why not use synthetic if it has all the same properties and looks great. In my own opinion, synthetic is just fine. It's more of a mental note for the buyer and understandably so, knowing the origin versus the actual end product. However, what is more important? I think the ultimate end goal is to have a great product and if synthetic competes on all ends I believe that's a great accomplishment.

[@danielcurtin7616]

Every diamond has a synthetic element, it’s price. They aren’t actually rare. It’s the marketing that gives it a perceived value. Funny thing is other than hardness there are other stones that are “better” in every way. And hardness is only useful for industrial purposes.

[@lprincessaziz6341]

I want something I can pawn if times get hard. Do pawnshops but synthetic diamonds?

[@patrickeh696]

LPrincess, gemstones are a VERY poor medium for such transactions. Buy gold bullion for such needs.

[@greatkornholio1003]

To anybody who does not own a diamond - they SHINE!!! Like no any other substitute. High grade diamonds are very tranpsarent and they simply shine better. And please do not forget that they are very hard to scratch thus very durable. Even if the their price will go down to nothing people will still use them in jerwellery due to their physical qualities.

[@miloligons25]

I love the C.R.E.A.M SOUNDTRACK in the beginning.