Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds

Lab-grown and natural diamonds are both genuine diamonds, but their journeys are very different. One forms naturally beneath the Earth's surface over billions of years; the other is grown in a carefully controlled laboratory environment over a much shorter period.

Understanding where they come from — and what remains the same once a diamond has formed — helps put the differences into perspective.

THE DIFFERENCE BEGINS WITH THEIR ORIGIN

Natural Diamonds
Natural diamonds form deep within the Earth's mantle, where carbon is exposed to immense heat and pressure over billions of years. Over time, the carbon atoms bond together to form the distinctive crystal structure of diamond.

Volcanic activity eventually brings these crystals closer to the Earth's surface, where they can be recovered before being cut and polished into finished diamonds.

Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are cultivated in carefully controlled laboratories using advanced technology. They begin with a small diamond seed, from which the diamond crystal grows under carefully controlled conditions.

Two established methods are used: High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). Each uses a different process to create the conditions needed for diamond growth.

Lab-grown diamonds aren't an alternative material that simply resembles diamond. They are diamond — grown using a different process.

The Difference in Time
Time is one of the most significant differences between lab-grown and natural diamonds. Natural diamonds form over geological timescales, taking millions or billions of years to develop beneath the Earth's surface. Lab-grown diamonds can be grown in a matter of weeks, depending on the growth method and the size and quality of the diamond.

Modern technology allows the conditions needed for diamond growth to be carefully controlled, making it possible to grow a diamond in a fraction of the time required for one to form naturally.

THE SAME FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES

Real Diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are genuine diamonds, not diamond simulants such as cubic zirconia or moissanite. Both lab-grown and natural diamonds are made from carbon and have the same cubic crystal structure, hardness and fundamental physical and optical properties.

Both can display the brilliance, fire and scintillation associated with a beautifully cut diamond, and both can be cut and polished for use in fine jewellery.

Graded to the Same Standards
Both lab-grown and natural diamonds can be assessed according to the internationally recognised 4Cs: cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.

They can also be independently certified by leading gemmological institutes, including the International Gemological Institute (IGI), with the diamond's origin recorded on its report.

LAB-GROWN VS NATURAL DIAMONDS AT A GLANCE

While their origins and formation times are very different, the fundamental properties of lab-grown and natural diamonds are remarkably alike. The key differences can be seen at a glance below.

CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE?

It's impossible to tell the difference between lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds using the naked eye. Traditional diamond detectors are also not able to tell them apart. Gemmologists require specialist, high-tech equipment to differentiate between natural and lab-grown diamonds. This specialist analysis can identify the diamond's origin and, where possible, the method used to grow it.

For the finished diamond, these differences in origin and formation time are not visible to the naked eye. What you see is a genuine diamond with the same fundamental chemical, physical and optical properties as a natural diamond. The distinction between the two is ultimately one of origin and the time it takes them to form — a difference in how the diamond came to be, rather than what the finished diamond is.