• Diamonds
  • Gemstones
  • Jewellery
  • Famous Jewels
  • Latest
Diamond Buzz Logo
Lab-Grown Diamonds Vs Natural Diamonds
Diamonds

Lab-Grown Diamonds vs Natural Diamonds

Last updated on December 27, 2022

It is not a secret you can get a beautiful lab-created diamond at an excellent price. Although the price is an appealing factor, you should still know how lab-grown diamonds differ from natural diamonds to make an informed purchase.

Lab-Grown Diamonds vs Natural Diamonds

Natural Diamond Vs Lab-Grown Diamond | Diamond Buzz
Image © Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.

Many people get confused when hearing the term “lab-grown diamond”. For some reason, they think that these diamonds are fake, which is a huge misconception.

Lab-grown diamonds, also referred to as synthetic, man-made, created, cultured or cultivated diamonds, are not diamond simulants. Lab-created diamonds are identical to natural ones in terms of crystal structure, chemical composition, appearance and physical properties.

The difference between natural and lab-grown diamonds is the way they were made and their price. No wonder synthetic diamonds are more affordable than natural ones because the latter are rare and hard to mine. In fact, by buying a lab-grown diamond, you can save up to 40%.

Colour of Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-Grown Diamond Colour Scale | Diamond Buzz
Image © Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.

Colour in both lab-grown and natural diamonds is caused by chemical impurities and structural characteristics within the stone, which is why the process of evaluating the colour of lab-created diamonds is the same as for mined stones.

Although lab-grown diamonds typically receive grading reports from IGI (International Gemological Institute), their colour is still graded on the D to Z colour scale developed by GIA (Gemological Institute of America).

GIA grades laboratory-grown diamonds too. However, they no longer use the term “synthetic” in their grading reports since July 1, 2019. Instead, they include the following statement: This is a man-made diamond produced by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) growth processes and may include post-growth treatments to change the colour.

Remarkably lab-grown diamonds are available in a variety of fancy colours too. Man-made diamonds are a great option if you are looking for a colour other than white because naturals are very pricey, rare and hard to find.

Clarity of Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-Grown Diamond Clarity Scale | Diamond Buzz
Image © Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.

Although the clarity of lab-grown diamonds is graded on FL to I3 clarity scale developed by the GIA, this is where man-made and natural diamonds tend to differ the most.

Clarity refers to the presence of inclusions, which are one of the identifying characteristics of cultured diamonds. For example, HPHT synthetic diamonds often contain metal inclusions such as iron, nickel and cobalt because these metals are used during the growth process, and sometimes they enter the diamond crystal. While CVD diamonds never contain metal inclusions, they often come with graphite or other mineral inclusions.

Since lab-grown diamonds are man-made and the process of production is fully controlled, they often come flawless, unlike naturally formed diamonds. This does not mean that lab diamonds do not have impurities at all. Of course, they do, but these flaws are minimized due to the strict control of the creation process, and they are usually not seen by the naked eye.

Cut of Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-Grown Diamond Cut Scale | Diamond Buzz
Image © Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.

In terms of cut quality, there is no difference between lab-created and natural diamonds. The more proportional the cut, the more brilliance, fire and scintillation a diamond shows.

The precision of angles, proportions and symmetry are the factors that determine a diamond’s cut quality which is graded on the scale of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. A poorly cut stone, whether natural or lab-grown, will still look dull even if it has no inclusions or tints. That is why the cut is the biggest indicator of a stone’s beauty, and it should be made a priority among other components.

Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Worth Anything?

This question is not easy to answer. On the one hand, man-made diamonds are less expensive than natural. On the other hand, you can not ignore their resale value.

A mined diamond on average devalues roughly by 50% after purchase. However, its price will eventually rise because, historically, diamond prices rise consistently. This means if you ever try to resell it, you should be getting at least half of the original price.

As for lab-grown diamonds, they usually have no resale. But there is another logic. If a natural diamond loses 50% of its value immediately after purchase and a lab-grown diamond costs nearly 50% less than a natural diamond, then a man-made stone is comparable to the mined one in a sense.

Featured image: EgolenaHK / Shutterstock
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedIn

Post navigation

Three-Stone Rings: Past, Present and Future
Yellow Diamonds Buying Guide
  • Pear-Shaped Diamond Guide | Diamond BuzzPear-Shaped Diamond Guide
    Diamonds

Advertise on Diamond Buzz

We help our clients with the best and most effective advertising solutions by creating engagement for jewellery brands across the Diamond Buzz audience.

Newsletter

By entering your email address, you consent to receive our latest news and exclusive offers. You may withdraw your consent at any time. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Contact
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Cookie Settings
  • Instagram
Copyright © 2018 - 2023 Diamond Buzz. All Rights Reserved.
Cressida Pro by LyraThemes.com

We use cookies on our website to personalise your user experience and analyse our website traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of all the cookies.

Privacy Policy    Settings    Accept All

Cookie Settings

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are essential for the website to function properly. This category includes cookies that ensure the basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website, which help in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_SGEW9HERE92 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analysed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo