Articles
Expert advice and guides from Carat Candor.
How CVD Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Made: The Full Process
How CVD grows a diamond atom by atom inside a lab chamber: the gas, plasma and heat involved, and why lab-grown diamond prices have collapsed since 2020.
De Beers and the History of the Diamond Monopoly: A Complete...
De Beers once controlled 90% of world diamond production. Here is how that monopoly was built, how it fell to 25%, and what remains of it today.
How to Negotiate a Diamond or Engagement Ring Price
Diamond prices fell sharply since 2022, giving buyers real leverage. Learn what the market data actually shows and how to use it before you sit down to buy.
How to Read a GIA Diamond Grading Report, Line by Line
Learn what every line on a GIA diamond report means: color D-Z, 11 clarity grades, cut tiers, fluorescence, and how to verify a report is real.
GIA vs. IGI vs. GCAL: Which Diamond Certification Matters
GIA, IGI and GCAL diamond certifications compared on history, market share and grading standards, with sourced facts on what each report actually verifies.
The History of the Diamond Engagement Ring, From Rome to De Beers
From a 1477 royal betrothal to a 1947 ad slogan: the real history of the diamond engagement ring, and how De Beers built the tradition we know.
How Diamond Retailers Price and Mark Up Diamonds Explained
How the Rapaport list, dealer discounts and carat-weight clustering set diamond prices, and why retail markup narrows as wholesale benchmarks fall.
How HPHT Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Made: Pressure, Heat, Process
How HPHT lab-grown diamonds actually form under extreme pressure and heat, from the 1954 GE breakthrough to today's multi-carat production methods.
Natural Diamond Price Trends 2020-2026: The Full Index
Natural diamond prices swung sharply from 2022 to 2026. See the real Rapaport-linked data, De Beers inventory cuts, and lab-grown price collapse behind it.
Lab-Grown Diamond Price Trends 2020-2026: What the Data Shows
Lab-grown diamond prices fell roughly 74 percent since 2020, and this explainer traces the crash year by year using verified industry price-index data.