Natural Vs Lab Created Diamonds

Lab diamonds, sometimes referred to as synthetic diamonds are real diamonds – the only difference is they’ve been created in human-made lab conditions, rather than naturally formed in the earth over billions of years like natural diamonds. This, however, is the only difference as they look and feel the same. So, how do lab diamonds differ from natural diamonds?

Are lab created diamonds real diamonds?

Yes, lab grown diamonds are 100% real diamonds, with the exact same chemical and physical properties that natural diamonds have. Lab diamonds have no physical differences to natural diamonds, and it is impossible to tell them apart without expensive specialist laboratory equipment. There are only really two differences between lab diamonds vs natural diamonds: price, and ethicality.
Lab diamonds have soared in popularity in recent years. First developed some 70 years ago, it wasn’t until recent improvements in technology that we saw big increases in the efficiency & reductions in the cost of their production that resulted top quality lab diamonds enter the jewellery market. As of 2021, lab diamonds accounted for 7-8% of the total global diamond market.
For most people, the choice of a lab diamond is obvious: they’re cheaper, guaranteed to be ethical, with more sustainable origins. Yet others remain sceptical as little is known about their future value, and whether something made in a lab is as romantic as a natural product. So, the debate is less about lab diamonds vs real diamonds – because both mined and human made diamonds are authentically diamonds. It is more about Price and ethicality vs romance

What’s the difference between lab and natural diamonds?

There are no physical differences between lab and natural diamonds once they’re cut – but there are differences in their price and origins. Natural diamonds take billions of years to form within the Earth’s mantle – intense heat and pressure cause carbon to crystallize into a lustrous gem. This process is mimicked in a laboratory to create lab diamonds, through CVD and HPHT – processes that harness intense pressure, heat and carbon-rich gas to create diamonds in just weeks.
CVD, HPHT and natural diamonds look different in their rough state but once cut, only specialist equipment can be used to tell lab vs natural diamonds apart – which looks for nitrogen within the stone. Lab diamonds contain no nitrogen, whereas natural diamonds pick up tiny amounts of the trace elements as they form.
The efficiency of lab diamond production means they can cost between 40% to 60% less than natural diamonds, which have taken billions of years to form, and have costly exercise to mine. Far less land is used in lab diamond creation than in mining, and choosing a lab diamond removes the possibilities of choosing a blood diamond

Are lab created diamonds certified?

Absolutely – in fact, we strongly recommend you only look at lab diamonds certified by the IGI or GIA.
GIA lab diamonds undergo a rigorous process to be graded, similar to that of natural GIA diamonds. Since 2007, GIA has graded lab diamonds with reference to GIA color, clarity and cut grade standards – with additional information as to whether the diamond is made via CVD or HPHT. However, instead of using terms like ‘VS2’ to accurately grade clarity, or ‘D’ to define color, GIA chooses to identify color and clarity with descriptive terms. Because of this, some people prefer to look at IGI certified lab diamonds, which use the global standard grading terms for color and clarity.
Both GIA and IGI laser inscribe a unique number on the girdle of the diamond (viewable under 50x magnification), which corroborates the unique number of its certification, where you’ll find the stone’s grading details. IGI add the words ‘lab grown’ alongside this laser inscription.

Lab diamonds vs real diamonds cost Difference?

Lab diamonds cost a lot less than natural diamonds – typically a lab diamond will cost between 40% and 60% less than a natural diamond with the identical carat weight and grades. Look at the typical comparison below
  • Cut
  • Colour
  • Clarity
  • Price
DiamondCutColourClarityPrice
1ct NaturalExcelletDVS2£8,500 to £9,000
1ct LabExcelletDVS2£3,400 to £5,100

Why do lab diamonds cost less than natural diamonds?

Part of the reason natural diamonds are so pricey is because of their rarity. There is thought to be a finite amount of the stone on this planet, and the natural circumstances under which each is created are unique, so the characteristics the gemstone is graded and priced on will be similarly unique A lab-grown diamond is just as real and contains the exact same properties as one that is formed underground. The only thing that makes a lab-grown diamond different from a mined diamond is its origin. A lab-created diamond touches fewer hands than in the mining process so it’s more cost-effective.
So, the answer lies in the efficiency of their production. Effectively, the time and cost of producing a lab diamond is a lot less than that of finding and mining a natural diamond. it takes one laboratory with a small expert workforce just a couple of weeks to create a lab diamond. After an initial, large investment in all the technology needed, this laboratory can go on producing lab diamonds – whereas the natural diamond mine will eventually run out of diamonds, and the miner will need to acquire more land to explore.

So, if lab diamonds are cheaper, what’s their future value?

The future value of lab diamonds is not known. As a disruptive and relatively new gem to the jewellery industry and with no real precedence to make market predictions, no one knows whether lab diamonds will retain their value, increase in value, or decrease in value. The reality is the resale value of a diamond (lab or natural) will never be as much as you paid in the first place. Some predict the value of lab diamonds could increase to catch up with natural diamonds in the coming years.

Lab diamonds vs diamond simulants

Lab diamonds are not a diamond simulant. Diamond simulants are essentially gems engineered to mimic diamonds, without being diamonds – whereas a lab diamond is an authentic diamond. Diamond simulants include stones like moissanites and cubic zirconia. Diamond simulants have an entirely different chemical makeup to diamonds – whereas lab diamonds and natural diamonds share the exact same chemical makeup, because they are both authentically diamond. Diamond simulants can look very different to diamonds – the biggest tell tale sign will be the stone’s sparkle which won’t be as bright, crisp, colorless and lustrous as a diamond.

Are lab created diamonds sustainable?

Lab diamond creation requires a lot of energy – but this is something lab diamond creators are constantly working on, shortening the length of time and amount of resource needed to create each diamond. It had been suggested a lab diamond requires 250 kWh to be produced – but already some producers are claiming to use as little as 20 kWh to create a diamond.
In terms of land use, a lab diamond is far more sustainable than a mined diamond. Diamond mining requires vast expanses of land to be explored, whereas a diamond laboratory can be relatively compact, and does not require any form of excavation or mining.
More and more lab diamonds on the market are being produced with renewable energy. Overall, lab diamonds are regarded as far more sustainable than mined diamonds. The extent of their sustainability is predicted to increase as technologies are perfected, to become more efficient and less consumptive.

Should I choose a lab grown or natural diamond ring?

Whether you opt for a lab or natural diamond is a deeply personal choice – and we’re not here to sway you either way. So, here are facts, to help you make a decision
  • Lab diamond and natural diamonds can be found with the exact same, top-quality cut, colour and clarity grades
  • Lab diamonds are 100% authentic diamond - identical to those found in nature
  • Lab diamonds retail between 40% and 60% less than natural diamonds
  • You’ll achieve a considerably higher carat weight with a lab diamond vs natural diamond, for the same budget
  • The future value of lab diamonds is uncertain, whereas natural diamonds more or less retain value over time
  • Lab diamonds require far less land use than natural diamonds
  • It takes a lot of energy to create a lab diamond, but technology is developing to reduce this, and many lab diamonds are created sustainably with solar power
  • Lab diamonds are created in a matter of weeks vs the billions of years natural diamonds take to form
  • It’s impossible to tell and lab and mined diamond apart, without specialist equipment
  • A lab diamond is not a fake diamond, or a diamond simulant - it is an authentic diamond
  • Natural diamonds are not unethical unless you buy a blood diamond - which thanks to the UN’s Kimberley Process is near impossible
  • Most natural diamond mines are ethically run and can be a vital source of income for developing, mining-dependent communities. Meanwhile, most diamond labs are based in already-developed countries