Lab grown diamonds or man made diamonds are diamonds that are grown in labs using advanced reactors that mimic the conditions under which diamonds naturally develop under the earth. They are physically, chemically and optically the same as natural diamonds. Think of lab grown diamonds as test tube babies – the process of formation may be different but the end product is the same! Lab diamonds are true to the environment and the future – they are not mined and hence prevent damage to the planet. Ethical and sustainable is the way to go! The complexity arises from the fact that lots of different terms have been used to describe lab grown diamonds and their cousins, and not everyone uses these terms in the same way. So, let’s begin with some vocabulary.

Physical Appearance

There is no way of differentiating between a lab diamond and a natural diamond by looking at them. Even a trained jeweller with their naked eyes or with normal microscopes cannot tell the difference between naturally mined and lab grown diamonds. Only advanced equipment and gemological labs can identify lab diamonds. Lab grown diamonds do not change their appearance over time – they do not fade, discolour or cloud. Their beauty is timeless and eternal.

Chemical Composition

Any diamond is a diamond not because it is mined from the earth but because of the crystalline structure of carbon atoms. The chemical composition of lab grown diamonds is exactly the same as that of naturally mined diamonds.

Pricing

Lab created diamonds retail at a 60-75% discount on equivalent quality natural diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are priced based on cut, colour, clarity and carat, just like mined diamonds. Since these diamonds are not mined, the mining related costs are saved and this price advantage is passed on to buyers.

Grading and Certificate

Lab created diamonds are graded the same way as mined diamonds. They are certified by all the leading gemological labs such as IGI, GIA, SGL, EGL.

Durability and Hardness

Lab grown diamonds match their mined counterparts in hardness, strength and durability! Take comfort knowing lab grown diamonds are strong enough to hand down to the next generation. Both lab diamonds and natural diamonds have the same hardness of 10 as per Mohs Scale.

4 Cs – Cut, Clarity, Carat & Colour

Lab diamonds are characterised based on the 4Cs – Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat, just like natural diamonds. No two lab diamonds are the same. A lot of people think that machines can be programmed to create a specific diamond grade or carat size but that’s really not possible. Machines simply put the right conditions together but then nature takes it from there. Just like with earth-mined diamonds, there will be variances in colour, clarity and carat size in every piece.

Pros, the benefits of lab grown diamonds.

1. The first and most often cited benefit of lab-grown diamonds is their environmental sustainability. While this issue hasn’t been full studied yet, it is generally accepted that it takes considerably less energy to grow a diamond in a lab than it does to dig it out of the ground. There is also no need to displace many tons of earth to create a lab-grown diamond.
2. You can, with 100% certainty, know the origin of your diamond. The issue of conflict or “Blood” diamonds is very prominent in many consumers’ minds. While the real-world issue is not nearly as severe as many people believe it is (over 99.9% of natural diamonds are conflict free, and you can buy verifiable Canadian diamonds of known origin if you want), it is still reassuring to know that with lab grown diamonds, you can be totally confident that your diamond did not support wars or child labor in any way.
3. The price is another big benefit of lab grown diamonds. With current technology, the price of a lab-grown diamond is fairly comparable to natural diamonds. However, you can still save 10-30% with a lab grown synthetic over a natural in most cases. Also, the savings go way up if you are looking for a colored diamond (natural-colored diamonds are extremely rare and consequently very expensive).
4. Lab-grown diamonds are new and exciting. To put it mildly, the jewelry industry has been around for a long time. It’s quite rare that something truly new comes around. Even though man-made diamonds have been around decades, we have only recently begun to see them reach a level of quality and size that is comparable with natural diamonds. Owning one can make you something of a trendsetter.

Responsible Disclosure

The first thing to realize is that most lab grown diamonds are clearly and responsibly disclosed to be synthetic. The big scare in the jewelry industry is non-disclosed lab grown diamonds that are sold as natural diamonds. But, it is important to know that the majority of lab grown diamond manufacturers are perfectly legitimate and honest organizations that are upfront about their products. Some even laser inscribe all of their diamonds to clearly mark them as lab grown.