The popularity of lab-grown diamonds has exploded in the last few years, especially as these diamonds are identical to mined diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds share the same chemical, physical, and optical properties to mined diamonds and can offer an exceptional value at a lower cost.
It is understandable if you are a bit skeptical about lab-grown diamonds and how they compare to the mined ones. However, if you take a few minutes to familiarize yourselves with the chemistry and features of lab-grown diamonds, you will surely see how lab-grown diamonds are just as good, dare we say, better than natural diamonds.
This article will try to answer some important questions regarding lab-grown diamonds. We will also learn how they are sometimes a better deal than mined diamonds and where you can buy authentic and certified lab-grown diamonds.
So, let’s get to business, shall we?
What is a lab-grown diamond?
While naturally-occurring diamonds were formed beneath the earth’s surface millions of years ago, a lab-grown diamond is manufactured under controlled conditions in a laboratory. Fundamentally this is the only difference between a lab-grown and a naturally-occurring diamond.
Lab-grown diamonds are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. It is virtually impossible to tell them apart if you have a naturally-occurring diamond and a lab-grown diamond in front of you. Even professional gemmologists need special equipment to differentiate between natural and lab-created diamonds.
Lab-grown diamonds are manufactured under strictly controlled conditions in a lab. The two methods used to make synthetic diamonds in a lab are:
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CDV) method
The CDV is one of the most popular methods to synthesize diamonds in a lab. The method involves seeding a small diamond crystal in a chamber and filling it with gasses. The gasses are then heated under very high pressure when layers of carbon begin to form over the seed crystal. As the layers of carbon start depositing on top of the seed crystal, it grows. The CDV method produces a high-quality, square-shaped diamond crystal.
High-Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) method
The HPHT method aims to replicate the earth’s crust’s high pressure and temperature conditions that form the natural diamond. The process involves putting a piece of natural graphite in a huge machine that crushes it under tremendous pressure at very high temperatures. Under such high temperature and high-pressure conditions, the graphite turns into a diamond crystal.
Both methods produce high-grade diamonds that are indistinguishable from the natural ones. While it takes millions of years of high pressure and temperature for a natural diamond to form, scientists can create lab-grown diamonds in a few weeks.
One of the most appealing features of lab-grown diamonds is that despite the features they share with natural stones, they cost a lot less.
Main differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds (What do the experts say?)
Natural and lab-made diamonds share the same chemical structure. However you will sometimes hear that lab-grown diamonds are higher quality. Why is that? The reason is the presence of traces of nitrogen in natural diamonds. Nitrogen is the chemical responsible of the yellowish color in diamonds. Lab-made diamonds don’t contain nitrogen in their structure and therefore are colorless.
As lab-grown diamonds are free of nitrogen, they are categorized as Type IIa diamonds, especially the ones made using the CVD technique. As these diamonds contain very little or no nitrogen, they are colorless. Natural diamonds that contain a small amount of nitrogen have a yellowish tinge. Only 2% of diamonds find in the nature are Type Ila, and are truly colorless.
It is nearly impossible to tell natural and lab-grown diamonds apart. Gemmologists use special sophisticated equipment to make out small contrasts in the carbon atoms growth directions to tell apart a lab-grown from a mined diamond. Only sophisticated technologies used by IGI and GIA can tell the difference between natural and lab-grown diamonds.
The lab-made diamonds are so similar to the natural ones that the US Federal Trades Commission (FTC) classes them as “real” diamonds. Lab-created diamonds also test as real when using a diamond tester. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA)started grading lab-grown diamonds in 2007. Since 2019, the GIA also dropped the word “synthetic” from the grading reports of lab-grown diamonds.
Both natural and lab-grown diamonds are graded according to the “4C” criteria- Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat. A perfectly cut and internally flawless diamond is expensive, whether natural or lab-made.
Similar to natural diamonds, lab-made diamonds also have varying amounts of internal flaws or “inclusions.” The GIA or International Gemological Institute (IGI) graded lab-grown diamonds based on these inclusions. Both GIA and IGI grade lab-grown diamonds. While the GIA is more popular in America, IGI is more popular in Europe and Asia.
Here is how a lab-grown diamond compares with mined diamonds:
| Diamonds | Lab-grown | Mined |
| Chemical composition | Carbon | Carbon |
| Crystalline structure | Cubic | Cubic |
| Refractive index | 2.42 | 2.42 |
| Dispersion | 0.044 | 0.044 |
| Hardness | 10 | 10 |
| Density | 3.52 | 3.52 |
Are lab-grown diamonds just as valuable?
Lab-grown diamonds are, on average, 30-50% less costly than a natural diamond of a comparable grade. It means you can purchase a significantly larger lab-made diamond at the same price and truthfully claim it as a real diamond.
It is impossible to distinguish between a naturally mined diamond and a lab-grown diamond of a similar grade, neither by loupe or a microscope.
The difference in the price of lab-grown and natural diamonds is not because of inferior quality; rather, it is due to supply. Naturally-occurring diamonds have a longer supply chain and consequently, they are costlier.
On the other hand, the supply chain for lab-grown diamonds is shorter and their production have no cap. Hence, you get lab-grown diamonds at reduced prices.
You must purchase a certified lab-grown diamond from a reputable seller like Etika Jewels®. Today, most lab-grown diamonds are certified by IGI for their color, carat, cut, and clarity according to very strict international standards. GIA also has developed a sophisticated method to screen and grade lab-made diamonds.
While it is true that the prices of lab-grown diamonds have fluctuated over the last few years, there is still a great value in purchasing them.
Are Natural diamonds more valuable?
It is a general misconception that mined diamonds are more valuable because they are rare. As a matter of fact, mined diamonds are one of the most common precious or semiprecious stones found in the earth’s crust.
Expect for some truly exceptional diamonds with very unique specificities (3CT or more Type IIa or naturally colored diamonds), regular quality diamonds are fairly common and are pretty accessible to nearly anyone. Their high price of a natural diamond is more of a marketing strategy than the market’s discrepancy in supply and demand.
While it is true that you might get less selling a lab-grown diamond, you must remember that you purchase it for less as well. Besides, you stand to lose more selling a natural diamond unless you are an expert gemologist with experience in evaluating and testing diamonds.
Many people don’t know that the price of a lab-grown diamond is based on the Rapaport Price List, similar to natural diamonds. So, when the price of a natural diamond goes up on the market, the price of a lab-grown diamond also increases.
However, lab-grown diamonds successfully circumvent the ethical and environmental issues that have plagued natural diamond mining.
Where to buy lab-grown diamond jewelry?
The biggest consideration while purchasing lab-grown diamond jewelry is the authenticity of the diamonds. You must buy your lab-grown diamonds from an authentic supplier like Etika Jewels®. All our diamonds 0.5 carats or bigger are independently certified by IGI.
A diamond is a big investment for most people, and you expect your diamond jewelry to last a lifetime. Authentic, certified lab-grown diamonds are similar to natural ones, and we guarantee they will last a lifetime.
All Etika Jewels® diamonds are graded by assessing the 4C’s- cut, carat, color, and clarity. Our lab-created diamonds are graded “very good” or “ideal” for the maximum brilliance of your jewelry. We only use colorless (D-E-F) or near-colorless (G-H) grade lab-grown diamonds in our jewelry.
Purchasing a lab-grown diamond from a reputed store ensures that you are getting your money’s worth and the guarantee that you got a genuine product.
Conclusion
Lab-grown diamonds are, in no way, inferior to their natural counterparts regarding quality or brilliance. Besides, there are several advantages to purchasing a lab-grown diamond.
Whether you should buy a lab-grown or a natural diamond is a decision that you will have to make on your own. Don’t let anyone guilt-trap you into purchasing a diamond you don’t love. Now that you understand the intricacies of a lab-grown diamond and perhaps see the merit of getting one, you can make an educated and informed choice.
If you want a sustainable diamond that is as brilliant as the real deal, then going for a lab-grown diamond is a no-brainer.
If you are shopping for some of the highest-quality, eco-friendly lab-made diamonds, we have a great collection waiting for you!
