What Is a Lab Grown Diamond?

A lab grown diamond is produced in a controlled laboratory setting rather than mined from the earth. Like a natural diamond, it is made of pure carbon arranged in a crystal lattice structure. This structure is what gives diamonds their exceptional hardness, brilliance, and fire.

Lab grown diamonds begin as tiny carbon seeds from pre-existing diamonds. There are two primary methods used to create them: High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). Both methods recreate conditions that allow carbon atoms to form into diamond crystal. After several days or weeks, a rough diamond is created, then cut, polished, graded, and set in jewelry just like a natural diamond.

Are Lab Grown Diamonds Real?

Yes, lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. They are chemically, physically, and optically identical to natural diamonds.

Both lab grown and natural diamonds are made of pure carbon arranged in the same crystal lattice structure. This structure gives diamonds their defining properties, including exceptional hardness, brilliance, and fire. Because of this, lab grown diamonds look the same, perform the same, and are graded by the same standards as natural diamonds.

The only difference is how they are formed. Natural diamonds develop deep within the earth over billions of years, while lab grown diamonds are created in controlled laboratory environments using advanced technology that replicates these natural conditions.

Lab Grown vs. Natural Diamonds: What's the Same?

Lab grown and natural diamonds share the same core properties that determine how a diamond looks and performs:

  • Composition: Both are made of carbon atoms arranged in a crystal lattice. There is no chemical difference between a lab grown diamond and a natural diamond.
  • Durability: Both rank 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, making them highly resistant to scratching and suitable for everyday wear.
  • Brilliance: Light interacts with lab grown and natural diamonds in the same way, producing the same sparkle, fire, and scintillation.
  • Color: Both are available in colorless and near-colorless grades, and both are evaluated on the same D-to-Z color scale. Lab grown diamonds can also be created in vivid fancy colors, including pink, yellow, and blue.
  • Grading: Both are evaluated using the 4 Cs: cut, color, clarity, and carat. The same quality factors determine a diamond’s beauty and value.
  • Certification: Both lab grown and natural diamonds can receive grading reports from reputable gemological laboratories. These reports document the diamond’s quality characteristics and origin. 

Lab Grown vs. Natural Diamonds: What's Different?

The key differences between lab grown and natural diamonds come down to origin, rarity, and price.

  • Origin: Natural diamonds form deep within the earth over billions of years under extreme heat and pressure. Lab grown diamonds are created in a laboratory over several days or weeks. The final stone is still a diamond.
  • Rarity: Natural diamonds are finite and depend on geological conditions. Lab grown diamonds are not limited by the same natural scarcity and can be produced in increasing quantities as technology advances.
  • Price: Lab grown diamonds typically cost less than natural diamonds of comparable size and quality. This price difference  is driven by differences in supply, production, and rarity rather than by a difference in the diamond’s physical properties.