Synthetic White Diamonds (Colorless)

Button to see available white diamonds
D.NEA primarily offers white diamonds in colorless and near colorless colors up to one carat, though availability is limited.

Making them Colorless




Four-prong princess solitaire engagement ring
Diamonds are made of carbon. If the diamond is pure carbon with no impurities, it will be completely colorless. Nearly all diamonds–mined and grown alike–have some impurities, which add color to the diamond, with nitrogen being the most common. During growth, these impurities become part of the diamond lattice and create a single-atom 'color center' based on the specific element. This color center absorbs all visible light, except one color which is reflected back, giving the diamond its color. Nitrogen creates a yellow color while boron creates a blue color.

Nearly all mined diamonds were originally yellow and contain more nitrogen than most lab-grown diamonds. Deep inside the earth over millions of years, the heat and pressure cause the single nitrogen atoms to aggregate into two, four or more atom 'color centers'. These aggregated color centers do not absorb light, allowing the diamond to keep its white appearance.

When growing a diamond, we do not have the luxury of many years to color treat our yellow diamonds to turn them white, but rather have to grow them with little to no nitrogen. While we have had colorless "D" diamonds, they come out in all colors, graded on the same scale as mined white diamonds:

White diamond color scale from D to Z

Growth Duration

Having little to no nitrogen in the diamond causes the crystal to grow very slowly and can take over two weeks to grow a rough that could cut into a one carat diamond.

Five white diamonds
It is necessary to maintain a very exact set of constraints for the heat and pressure during the entire growth cycle. If there is any fluctuation in either heat or pressure, the diamond will either stop growing, or become so heavily included, any further growth is unusable.

Being able to control the necessary growth conditions for the length of time it takes to grow a white is what makes them the most difficult and least available color.

Price

Chart showing sample white prices
The sparkle and brilliance of a white diamond is highly sought after by many people. They are the most abundant color of gem-quality mined diamonds. However, they are the most difficult diamond to create. Because of this, they cost the most to grown–in fact, more than a mined diamond–however, they are priced competitively with a comparable mined diamond. Currently, a one carat white would cost in the $5,000 to $9,000 range, depending on the specific color, carat, clarity, cut, shape and other criteria.

Shape

Whites will be cut into most popular shapes, with a majority being round brilliants, due primarily to demand and yield. Other shapes such as princess, radiant, cushion, asscher and emerald will also be available, based on production capacities. Elongated shapes such as marquise and pear typically have low yields since the size is determined by the longest dimension of the squarish rough. For this reason, elongated shapes are not normally made.

Cut

Photo of a loose white diamond
There are many different attributes that determine the overall cut and beauty of a diamond. All AOTC-created diamonds are hand-cut in Antwerp to the highest standards. Each diamond is individually analyzed and cut to maximize beauty and value.

Size

The largest we have grown whites allows for one carat diamonds. The whites are still experimental and this is an upper limit. The average is closer to 1/2 carat. It will take months if not years to refine the process to consistently produce larger sizes.

Availability

Being the most difficult to grow, very few whites are available. We provide a waiting list for diamonds, though only a couple new colorless diamonds are available each month, with each batch still varying greatly on the quality and sizes.

Unfortunately, if a white diamond is not in-stock, it will most likely be awhile until we can have one for you.

Many people are interested in whites because they have traditionally been used for engagement rings. We encourage you to take a look at fancy yellow and brilliant blue diamonds to see if they pique your interest. We offer a lifetime trade-up as well as a 30-day no hassle return policy. A blue or yellow diamond is in many ways much more rare and unique than a white diamond.

Misconceptions

Early speculation from years ago made the misimpression colorless diamonds would be available by the truckload for merely dollars per carat. This however, is far from the truth. The man-made diamond industry is over fifty years old, and just recently has achieved gem-quality results in colored diamonds. The industry has a long way to go until white diamonds are readily available, and we predict capacity will only ever reach a small fraction of the mined diamond production.

Caution Icon
A word of caution: Very few synthetic white diamonds are available on the market. Those that are weigh less than one carat in nearly all cases. These colorless diamonds are very difficult to grow, with limited availability, from any producer. Prices are normally comparable to a mined colorless diamond. If you see a product claiming it is a white lab diamond for significantly less than a mined diamond would cost, caveat emptor, as there is a strong possibility it may be a simulant. In fact, it can cost hundreds of dollars just to have one diamond cut, much more than most simulants cost at retail.

Type

All synthetic white diamonds are type IIa.


Additional Information:

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