Natural or lab-grown diamonds: what you should know before you buy
Both are real diamonds. They are not the same purchase.
Lab-grown diamonds are the question I am asked most often today, usually with a lowered voice, as if it were an embarrassing one. It is not. It is a sensible question, and it deserves a straight answer.
Are lab-grown diamonds real?
Yes. A lab-grown diamond is carbon crystallised in the same structure as a natural diamond, with the same hardness, the same fire and the same chemistry. It is not a simulant like cubic zirconia or moissanite. To the eye, and even under a jeweller’s loupe, a good lab-grown diamond and a good natural diamond look the same. Telling them apart reliably needs laboratory equipment.
So what is the difference?
Origin and rarity. A natural diamond formed deep in the earth over a very long time, and the supply of them is limited. A lab-grown diamond is made in weeks, in a factory, and can be made in any quantity. That difference is reflected in price, and above all in how the stone holds its value over time.
What about value?
Lab-grown diamonds have become far cheaper as production has grown, and their prices have kept falling. That is wonderful if you want a large, bright stone for fashion jewellery. It also means that a lab-grown diamond should not be bought as something that will hold its worth. A natural diamond is not a guaranteed investment either, but its rarity gives it a lasting value that a manufactured stone cannot have.
Always ask, always check
Any honest jeweller will tell you which kind of diamond you are buying, and write it on the invoice. For important stones, ask for a grading report from a recognised laboratory such as GIA or IGI. These reports state clearly whether a diamond is natural or laboratory-grown, and lab-grown stones are usually laser-inscribed on the girdle to say so.
What we use
Every diamond in our jewellery is natural and earth-mined, and I examine each important stone myself before it is set. That is not a judgement on anyone who chooses lab-grown. It is simply what our house has always made: jewellery meant to last, as art and as an investment.
If you would like to understand a diamond you already own, or one you are considering, bring it to the store. I am always glad to look.
Questions about a stone or a piece? Message us on WhatsApp or visit the store on Shakespeare Sarani.