A natural diamond is a diamond that formed in the earth, about 160 km deep, under enormous heat and pressure. An eruption carried it to the surface.
In more detail
A natural diamond and a laboratory-grown one are the same material. Only a gem lab's instruments can tell them apart. Screening devices answer Pass (natural) or Refer.
On a grading report
GIA's Diamond Grading Report and Diamond Dossier are for natural diamonds.
Related terms
- Laboratory-grown diamond: A laboratory-grown diamond is a diamond that people grow with machines, by HPHT or CVD. It has essentially the same composition, crystal structure and properties as a natural diamond.
- Diamond: Diamond is a single element, carbon, with every atom bonded to four neighbors in a cubic crystal. It is the hardest gem, Mohs 10.
- Screening device: A screening device separates natural diamonds from laboratory-grown diamonds and simulants. Most answer Pass (natural) or Refer (send to a laboratory).
- Diamond grading report: A diamond grading report is an independent lab's record of what a stone is and how it grades. It is true for the day the lab examined the stone.