At Catherine Marche, we like to use natural diamonds.

Sourced from reputable dealers, they abide to the Kimberley process. We also enjoy sourcing recycled gemstones and sustainable gems.

However, it can be confusing when choosing your diamond to understand the different terminologies you can be faced with. Here is a little clarification to help you

Mined Diamond, also referred to as a natural diamond, is a diamond that was formed in nature and extracted from the ground, rivers or the sea via a mining process. It is gazillions of years old.

Synthetic Diamond, lab or man-made diamond. These have exactly the same  chemical structure as mined diamonds. They are created in a lab instead of mined from the earth.

Diamond Simulant i.e. imitation diamonds. These are not diamonds.

They have a different chemical composition, and they “simulate” the look of a diamond. This is a broad category that can include natural gems like white sapphire, white zircon, white topaz... as well as lab-created gems like cubic zirconia and moissanite.