How reputable is D.NEA?

January 3, 2009 9:03 AM

How reputable is D.NEA Diamonds?

I'm planning to buy a synthetic blue diamond, and I'll most likely have to do it online because there are no stores selling such diamonds anywhere remotely near me. Thus far my research suggests D.NEA is one of the best (if not only) places to get such a stone.

However there isn't a lot of information about the company online beyond a few press releases here and there, a Slashdot story, and a mention in a related Ask MeFi. Has anybody had actual experience purchasing stuff from them? Also, should I take any extra steps to make sure what I have is the "real" thing, before or after purchase?

posted by anonymous to Shopping (6 answers total)

Are you set on diamonds? If you're looking for a colored synthetic gem, why not sapphire? They're the 2nd toughest gem (1st being diamonds). I don't know much about the market, but my wife recently got an amazing synthetic sapphire ring for less than $300 USD. The stone is large, but an unusual shape (vaguely a heart cut), and the band is sterling silver, so those might have a part in decreasing the cost.

Since you're not buying a natural diamond, I'm not sure what "real" quality would be lacking.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:29 PM on January 3, 2009

If this is for an engagement ring, another non-answer for you: Have you checked to make sure "synthetic diamond" is acceptable to whomever you want to give it to?

If you just want to know if what you get is made of diamond, then I'm sure those electrical conductivity meters work on synthetic blue diamonds just as well as natural white ones. The meter just makes sure you've got a surface that has the same conductivity of diamond (and it's not some oxide material that isn't an allotrope of carbon).

Having no experience with D.NEA... this is my answer to the question "should I take any extra steps to make sure what I have is the "real" thing?"
posted by mhh5 at 1:57 AM on January 4, 2009

I am the CEO of D.NEA, and I would like to help answer any questions you may have, so you can feel comfortable purchasing a lab diamond. We offer synthetic diamonds and they are also known as lab-created, lab-grown, man-made, synthetic or cultured, but are chemically, optically, molecularly and physically identical to a mined diamond.

There are three other producers of lab diamonds, Gemesis, Chatham and Apollo. For a blue diamond, ourselves or Chatham are currently your only choice (Gemesis makes yellow, Apollo makes white).

We are based in Michigan, but ship all over the world. We offer a no-hassle 30-day return policy so you can see it in person, have a local jeweler check it out, present it to your fiancee or whatever you need to be comfortable keeping it.
posted by EEFranklin at 9:22 AM on January 4, 2009 [2 favorites]

This is the original poster here, unanonymized. I got the stone from D.NEA in the end, and an independent appraisal by a local (Singaporean) gemologist confirmed that it was a "real" diamond, and that the fancy light blue colour was due to the addition of boron during the growth process as opposed to later irradiation. The appraisal matched the certificate supplied by EGL.

It looks great set onto a ring. All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase, as is the girl who is now my fiancée. :)

[Will get the mods to unanonymize this or perhaps tag it resolved.]
posted by destrius at 8:04 AM on February 24, 2009

Mod note: There's no easy way to unanonymize, unfortunately.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:31 AM on February 24, 2009

Okay... thanks anyway cortex!
posted by destrius at 4:23 AM on February 25, 2009