Diamond Hybrid| Simulated Diamond

Fantastic alternative to natural diamonds at a fraction of the cost.

1 Ct Round Ideal Cut - $400

2 Ct Round Ideal Cut - $800

Comparable natural diamonds cost over 10x more.

Diamond simulants have been available for years - the most well know are Cubic Zurconia and Moisannite. Each of these simulants have their place in the jewelry industry and as long as they are sold under full disclosure so that the customer knows exactly what they are buying then using these diamond simulants is perfectly acceptable.

Diamond simulants provide a great alternative to natural diamonds when the customer is trying to get the look of diamond for significantly less money. It is also a great alternative for customers that are concerned about the sources of diamonds. This has always been of some concern, but gained significant public awareness a few years ago due to the release of the movie "Blood Diamond".

The diamond industry has taken great steps towards eliminating dangerous mining conditions through the implementation of the Kimberly Process, but it is still difficult to trace the origin and mining conditions of every diamond that makes its way to a local jewelry store.

CZ's are very inexpensive, but don't possess the same physical qualities as diamonds and will begin to show signs of "aging" after a few years. Moisannite is a closer simulant to natural diamond, but tends to have a greyish or yellowish color and is much more expensive than CZ.

A more recently developed simulant is Diamond Hybrid. This simulant is virtually indistinguishable to real diamond in terms of look. They tend to be G/H on the diamond color grade with no visible imperfections. They are rated as a 9.6 on the mohs scale (diamond is a 10), but are not as durable as diamond.

K.Hollis Jewelers carries Diamond Hybrids because of their beauty and affordability. They are a great alternative to genuine diamond for many customers. A 2 Ct. round Diamond Hybrid cost around $750. A similar genuine diamond would typically cost between $20,000 and $30,000.

Diamond Hybrids are by no means a replacement for genuine diamonds, but in some situations, they are a great alternative stone.

What is Diamond Hybrid?

Diamond Hybrid creates the look and feel of a natural diamond by combining man made diamond crystals and a non-precicious core. The diamond crystals, in a patented process, are infused into the outer surface of the core.  The crystals actually penetrate the core surface to become a permanent part of the newly created Diamond Hybrid .  The infused layer will never peel or disconnect.  What sets Diamond Hybrid  entirely apart from any other diamond simulant is that Diamond Hybrid is the first and only product that actually uses created diamond and non-precious materials to create the look and feel of a mined diamond. Many people now believe that Diamond Hybrid is "doing for Diamond what Cultured did for Pearl".

How is created diamond different than natural diamond?

Diamond Hybrid®  is not a man-made stone, but rather is  composed of non-precious core crystals, which are then combined with infused-amorphous diamond, which is man-made.  During the creation, a core stone, we call the seed, is wrapped and layered with an amorphous diamond composed of tiny diamond crystals.  It is then put into a chamber of intense heat and pressure.  This process infuses the diamond crystals into the upper layers of the seed, fusing the diamond crystals together resulting in the final product.  Unlike so many other diamond simulants, the Diamond Hybrid® has the same characteristics as diamond.  So what you see and what you touch is diamond!

Diamond Hybrid hired Intertek Northwest, an independent testing firm with a global presence, to perform Raman analysis on both a  Diamond Hybrid® and a natural diamond.  The purpose was to show that the Diamond Hybrid®, with its amorphous diamond infusion, readily shows a diamond signature.  As you can in the graph, the Diamond Hybrid® and the natural diamond exhibit a strong spike at nearly the same frequency.  This is because both contain SP3 carbon (diamond bonds), and this spike is something no other diamond simulant can show.  No other diamond simulant has this level of diamond bonds deeply integrated to produce the "feel" of real diamond.

We know of no other simulant that employs a form of amorphous diamond pure enough to easily register under standard Raman microspectroscopy.  This is why we note that Diamond Hybrid® is the diamond world's equivalent to the cultured pearl.  Just as a pearl has an inner non-precious core with an outer layer of nacre, Diamond Hybrid® employs an inner non-precious core and an outer layer of amorphous man-made diamond.    Independent testing proves it!

Why doesn't Diamond Hybrid "beep" on a thermal tester?

Diamond Hybrid will not beep on conventional and new generation diamond testers because the heat signature is different than that of natural diamond.  This acts as a safeguard for both retailer and customers alike.  Since Diamond Hybrid  can not be visually detected from natural diamond, this ensures that it will not be accidentally mistaken for one. This is why we use the the Ramen Test to differentiate and identify Diamond Hybrid.

If the outer surface is created diamond, what is the core?

The core is a proprietary element that we do not disclose for patent reasons. It is made up of many materials that work to support and enhance the beauty, durability and creation of  Diamond HybridTM.  Much the same way that a cultured pearl has a non-precious core and a real outer surface, Diamond Hybrid has a non-precious core vvith real diamond on the entire outside surface.  Of course in the case of the pearl, the oyster takes on the work.  The Diamond Hybrid product is created in the lab.  Diamond Hybrid and cultured pearl share one other characteristic. Visually, both are indistinguishable  from their natural "cousins".

Diamond Hybrid - quality, clarity and color that every mined diamond strives for; but very few achieve!