There are a lot of cheap diamond rings and other jewelry items on the market these days, and we can expect to see even more in the next few years. The technology of making cheap synthetic diamonds has seen some major advances over the last two or three decades, and is now producing larger and higher-quality diamonds than ever before. In addition to the manufacturing techniques already in use, there are new methods of diamond making that are currently in laboratories, but will probably be making their debut on the commercial market soon.

This has been coming for a long time. The science of diamond manufacturing goes back to 1954, when scientists at the GE labs in Schenectady, NY achieved the first commercially successful diamond synthesis. The method they used is still the cheapest and most widely used way of making diamonds. It is called the High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) method, and it mimics the conditions deep inside the earth that make natural diamonds. Carbon is placed under enormous pressure and heat, causing it to crystalize and form diamonds.

At first this method could only make very small diamonds, but since the 1970's it has been possible to make them larger, and the HPHT method has seen widespread use. When shoppers see advertisements for cheap diamond rings, this is the method that was used to make them.

However, since the 1980's a new method has been gaining prominence. Called the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, it involves placing carbon vapor over a substrate. Carbon atoms from the vapor are deposited on the substrate and make diamond crystals. At the moment, this method is more expensive than the HPHT method, but it is much easier and allows greater control of the manufacturing process.

The synthetic gems are real diamonds, not cubic zirconium. They are sometimes even harder than the natural items, and can be of comparable quality. Even an expert needs special testing apparatus to tell them from diamonds produced by nature. The early forms that came on the market were blue or yellow due to impurities, but now pure white synthetic diamonds are becoming available.

This is great for people looking for cheap diamond rings and other diamond items. Shoppers can now find beautiful diamonds in yellow, blue or white at a cheaper price than ever before, and the price is only going to come down in the future.