Every stone used by Carron Olivier is created in a laboratory. This page explains exactly what that means, without euphemism.
A lab-created stone is not an imitation
Three things are often confused and should be distinguished.
A mined stone formed in the earth's crust and was taken from a mine.
A lab-created stone — also called synthetic — has the same chemical composition, the same crystal structure, the same hardness and the same refractive index as its mined equivalent. A lab-grown diamond is crystallised carbon: it is a diamond. A hydrothermal emerald is beryl coloured by chromium: it is an emerald. Only the origin differs, and a properly equipped gemmological laboratory can identify it.
An imitation — cubic zirconia, moissanite, coloured glass, doublet — resembles the stone without sharing its composition. We use none.
How they are made
The hydrothermal emerald
Hydrothermal growth reproduces natural formation conditions inside an autoclave: an aqueous solution held at high pressure and high temperature slowly deposits beryl onto a seed crystal. The process takes several weeks. It yields crystals cleaner than most mined emeralds, which almost always show a jardin of inclusions.
The lab-grown diamond
Two processes coexist. HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) reproduces the conditions of the earth's mantle. CVD (chemical vapour deposition) grows carbon layer by layer at low pressure. Both produce genuine diamonds, graded on the same 4C scale as mined stones.
Certification
The centre diamonds of our engagement rings come with an IGI certificate stating colour, clarity, cut, weight and growth method. Our centre stones are colour D and clarity VVS — the top of the scale on both counts.
Every piece is also delivered with a certificate of composition stating the carat of the gold and the nature of each stone. The words “lab-created” appear on it expressly: Swiss unfair competition law requires the origin of stones to be described unambiguously, and in any case we see no sense in doing otherwise.
What it changes about the price
This is the real reason for the choice. A mined emerald of a true green, lightly included and unoiled, reaches prices that reserve the stone for a very narrow clientele. A mined one-carat D VVS diamond sits in the same order of magnitude.
The lab-created stone shifts that threshold by a significant factor. It allows a full carat where the budget would only have permitted half of one, and a colour chosen rather than accepted. The price of our rings — from 790 to 2,250 Swiss francs depending on the gold carat — rests entirely on that shift.
The question of resale
Let us be direct: a lab-created stone does not resell at the price of a mined one, and its secondary market is not well established. The resale value of our pieces lies first in their solid gold, hallmarked and weighable. Anyone buying jewellery as an investment should know this. Anyone buying jewellery to wear it need not be concerned by it.
Hardness and care
Diamond, mined or lab-grown, reaches 10 on the Mohs scale: nothing scratches it. Emerald sits between 7.5 and 8 but remains sensitive to impact because of its structure. Treat it as you would a mined emerald, then: no ultrasonic cleaner, no chlorinated products, and take the ring off before sport and washing up.
A question about a particular stone? Write to us at carronetolivier@gmail.com.