Natural or lab-grown diamond?
Both are real diamonds with the same hardness and sparkle. The differences are origin, price and resale value.
A laboratory-grown diamond is carbon in the same crystal structure as a natural diamond – it is not a simulant like cubic zirconia or moissanite. Gemmologists need lab equipment to tell them apart.
How they are made
Natural diamonds formed deep in the earth over billions of years. Lab-grown diamonds are grown in weeks, either by high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) or by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). India, and Surat in particular, is one of the world's largest producers.
Price and value
A lab-grown diamond costs a fraction of a natural stone of the same size and grades. Natural diamonds keep their value better; lab-grown prices have fallen over the years and resale is limited.
How we label them
Every lab-grown diamond on our site is clearly marked "lab-grown", with its growth method where known, and its grading report says so too. Treated stones are labelled as well.