Diamonds: Lab-Grown vs. Natural

What is a Lab-Grown Diamond?

A lab-grown or ‘synthetic' diamond is still a genuine diamond. It will have the same physical, optical and chemical properties as a ‘natural’ diamond. The main difference is simply that is it grown in a lab using high pressures and temperatures (HPHT) or chemical vapour deposition (CVD), as opposed to being grown deep down inside the earth!

Lab-grown diamonds are still graded by the 4 C’s (colour, clarity, cut and carat weight), and certified just like natural stones.

Synthetic diamonds are not the same as ‘simulated’ diamonds, such as cubic zirconia (CZ) or moissanite. These are man-made materials created to imitate a diamond, but do not have the same properties and can therefore be distinguished easily by a specialist.

Deciding which diamonds to buy is ultimately down to personal choice, and is often a very intimate decision. There’s no right or wrong way to go, whether you opt for lab-grown or natural. However, to help make sure it’s an informed decision, we’ve gathered all the facts you need to know.

What’s the Difference?

Lab-Grown

Made of carbon (C)

Refractive Index: 2.417 - 2.419

Hardness of 10 on Moh’s scale

Less than 1 month to produce

Relatively affordable

Fewer inclusions + better colour

Known origin, always 100% conflict-free

Natural

Made of carbon (C)

Refractive Index: 2.417 - 2.419

Hardness of 10 on Moh’s scale

Approx. 1-3 billion years to produce

Expensive

Quality + colour varies widely

Impossible to know for sure if conflict-free

What are the Pros + Cons?

Pros:

  • Sustainability: producing lab-grown diamonds may have a smaller carbon footprint (if produced under optimum conditions) than mining diamonds out of the ground.

  • Ethics: you know exactly where the diamond has come from, so there is zero chance of buying a conflict diamond. However, we will note that only around 1% of all natural diamonds (about 30% of which are gem quality) are conflict diamonds.

  • Price: lab-grown diamonds are up to 40% cheaper than natural diamonds. This price difference is especially noticeable with fancy coloured stones, as natural coloured diamonds are extremely rare and expensive.

  • Bang for your buck: with lab-grown diamonds you can get a bigger carat weight, higher clarity and better colour stones for your budget than with natural diamonds.

  • Appearance: the majority of lab-grown diamonds are produced with higher clarity and colour grades. Without sophisticated equipment specifically for lab-grown diamonds, even trained diamond specialists won’t be able to tell the difference between a lab-grown and a natural diamond!

Cons:

  • Sustainability: we shouldn’t downplay the initiatives to reform the diamond mining industry, which include supply chain tracing, community investments and sustainability programmes. Lab-grown diamonds are still very new to the market; the industry does lack some transparency with misinformation, and regulatory agencies don’t quite know how to deal with them yet.

  • Economics - diamond mines often offer huge economic and social benefits to the countries in which they operate. Many mining companies work closely with local governments to support and give back to communities, and are often the only source of help to elevate them out of poverty. Diamond labs increase economic opportunities in consumer nations, at the expense of these mining nations.

  • Uniqueness - although no two diamonds are ever the same, lab-grown stones can be very similar, whereas every mined diamond has the history and allure of being a one-off work of art by nature, formed by incredible natural processes over millions of years.

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