Lab-Grown Diamonds

Yes! Lab grown gemstones are chemically identical to naturally occurring, mined diamonds. They are graded the same way that natural diamonds are graded, using the 4 C’s (color, cut, clarity, and carat). Gemological labs with high-powered equipment and specially trained gemologists can tell you if you have a lab grown diamond or a naturally occurring, mined one, but to the naked eye and even under standard microscopes, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference.

Not necessarily. Lab grown gemstones are still subject to many of the same flaws and inclusions that naturally occuring gemstones are, and diamonds are no exception.

There are two main processes for growing diamonds in a lab. Both are quite technical procedures that require a few weeks to produce results. High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) mimics the way diamonds are formed naturally in the earth but speeds up the process exponentially. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) creates these precious diamonds by using a chemical reaction to break carbon molecules apart and reform them into diamonds.

Lab grown diamonds can go by many different names: engineered diamonds, created diamonds, cultured diamonds, and man-made diamonds all refer to the same process of creating a diamond without mining processes. However, if you see the terms “artificial” or “synthetic” when referring to a gemstone, it might not be a diamond at all. Cubic Zirconia, or CZ, are man-made diamond look-alikes that do not have the same chemical structure as a diamond. Always ask your jeweler for specifics when purchasing fine jewelry to ensure you understand the type of product you’re looking at!