Lab-grown Diamonds Vs Natural Diamonds

Last updated on September 1, 2024

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The beauty and stunning nature of a diamond has made them one of the most popular and often most expensive gemstones. Tight production restrictions and crafty ad campaigns have over the years boosted the popularity of diamonds cementing them in the public consciousness as a symbol of love and lifelong commitment.

There is a certain perception of diamonds that relies on how they were made. This occurs when a lump of carbon is compressed and heated to extremes miles below the earth's surface over billions of years with the result being the hardest natural material known to man. There’s a mystique to that which really elevates the diamond.

Not everyone may realize this but today we can recreate this process of turning carbon into diamonds in laboratories. These lab created diamonds are also on sale at many jewelers but are they any different than the naturally occurring ones?

This is the question we are hoping to answer for you in this article. What are the differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds?

What Is a Lab-Grown Diamond?

The very simple answer to this question is that lab-grown diamonds are literally diamonds that have been created in a laboratory setting. They are known by several names: lab-grown diamonds, cultured diamonds, man made diamonds and synthetic diamonds.

When Were They Invented?

It was around 1797 that we first realized that diamonds were made of pure carbon and how they were actually formed. Within a few years scientists started to try and find ways of recreating the process in the lab.

It was in the late 1800s that James Ballantyne Hannay and Ferdinand Frederic Henri Moissan tried to heat charcoal (pure carbon) inside a carbon crucible. They achieved temperatures of around 3500 degrees Celsius (6332 Fahrenheit) in the furnace. This didn’t work but it launched a further fascination in trying to grow diamonds.

The first industrial quality diamonds came first around the 1940s when scientists developed the Chemical Vapor Deposition and the High Pressure – High Temperature (HPHT) methods. They had similar natural properties to real diamonds and could be used for industrial purposes.

It was General Electric who was considered the first company to start growing diamonds on a significant level during the 1950s but it would take until the 1980s for gem quality diamonds to become commercially available.

Are They Real Diamonds?

There are diamond substitutes that exist such as cubic zirconia and moissanite (discovered by Ferdinand Frederic Henri Moissan). These are substitutes that loosely resemble diamonds but which are very obviously not the same.

Lab -grown diamonds, despite being made by a scientific method, are actually identical in almost all regards to naturally occurring ones. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defines diamonds as being pure crystallized carbon in the isometric cubic system. This definition applies to both lab-grown and naturally occurring diamonds so for trade purposes lab diamonds are 100% real diamonds.

Lab grown diamonds and natural diamonds share the same qualities and characteristics such as:

• Chemical Composition: Carbon
• Crystalline Structure: Cubic
• Refractive Index: 2.42
• Dispersion: 0.044
• Hardness (MOHS): 10
• Density: 3.52

Essentially you would need very special equipment to be able to tell a lab-grown diamond from a naturally occurring gemstone. They are both legitimately diamonds but made in different ways.

How Are Lab Diamonds Made?

In basic terms lab diamonds are made in much the same way as natural ones are created but instead of compressing randomly inside the earth they are made under controlled lab conditions. The technology exists to mimic the conditions that create natural diamonds.

Carbon is super heated under immense pressure in a control environment which turns the black carbon into the compressed material known as diamond. This process, instead of taking billions of years like the natural kind, can take a few days, weeks or months depending on the type of diamond.

Scientists believe that natural diamonds were formed by carbon dioxide being heated to over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and subjected to around 727,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. These roughly are the conditions 90 miles below the earth's surface.

Now we don’t need to dig down 90 miles to get diamonds because millions of years ago our world was more active in terms of volcanoes so diamonds were literally blasted from deep in the earth up to the surface. Over the years they eventually became reburied but remained closer to the surface and minable.

So how exactly do the two methods work? Well let us explain them in more detail:

High Pressure – High Temperature (HPHT) Method

In the HPHT method, a small diamond seed is placed into a piece of carbon. Using either a belt press, cubic press or a split-sphere (BARS) press, this carbon is then pressurized to approximately 1.5 million pounds per square inch. This happens while the carbon is also being exposed to temperatures over 2,700 Fahrenheit.

The combination of pressure and heat begin to melt the carbon. This now melted carbon forms around the diamond seed and takes on the same properties. The seed then just grows larger from the melted carbon and you have a lab-created diamond.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

CVD uses a small diamond seed, usually an HPHT created diamond. This seed gem is then placed inside a sealed chamber to be heated to over 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. This chamber is at the same time filled with carbon-rich gasses such as methane and hydrogen.

These gasses are then ionized into a plasma using a technology very similar to lasers or microwaves. This essentially breaks down the molecular bonds of the gasses. The carbon molecules will have now been released and will begin to stick to the seed. Essentially carbon is added to the seed diamond and bonds to it to create a larger gem.

Why Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Labeled Differently Than Natural Ones?

As we have established both lab-grown and natural diamonds are 100% the same so why would they be considered different when they really are not beyond the way they were made? If you build a car using two different methods but with the same parts it's still the same kind of car, right?

The thing is though there is one big difference between these two diamond types and it has nothing to do with the diamonds themselves really. It's about the perception of them from the consumers. People just tend to want the natural diamonds because there is a gravitas to their natural formation that lab-grown gems can’t match.

As such jewelers will be up front about the origin of the diamonds because consumers are willing to pay more for the natural option rather than the man made even if they are identical in all other regards.

Benefits of Lab-Grown Diamonds

Although we do say that lab-grown and natural diamonds are identical there are a few ways in which lab diamonds are actually more superior than the naturally occurring ones.

They Can Be Grown to Be Colorless

The value of diamonds is assessed by a system called the 4 C’s which stands for color, clarity, cut quality and carat. The more expensive diamonds which are most desirable are the white diamonds which are essentially clear in appearance.

Natural diamonds will come in a variety of colors and even the white ones may have some tint of yellow or brown. There is even a color grading scale for natural white diamonds that ranges from colorless to various levels of yellowing.

Customers wanting to buy a white diamond want it to be completely colorless because this helps produce the best brilliance or scintillation from the gem.

So with the understanding that the market is looking for white diamonds to be as colorless as possible, lab-grown gems are often grown with this in mind. Natural gems will vary in color and this can't be helped but lab-grown gems can be controlled and progressively they are perfecting the process to make them more and more colorless.

They Are More Environmentally Friendly

Diamond mining is a messy and potentially environmentally damaging process. It has big impacts in the areas where diamonds are dug up from the ground. Some companies such as Brilliant Earth actually look to sell lab-grown diamonds over natural ones because they create less damage to the earth.

They Do Not Contribute to Human Rights Violations

Let us first say the natural diamond industry is getting better when it comes to some of the horrendous practices of the past but it is still not perfect.

There is no secret about the fact that the diamond trade, especially in Africa where a large proportion of the world's diamonds are mined, has some real problems at the grass roots. For decades African warlords have used the proceeds of the diamond trade to fund their activities leading to the rather grim moniker of Blood or Conflict Diamonds.

These days African civil wars are all but ended but the violence surrounding diamond mines on that continent still persists. It is such a lucrative business that human rights violations and unsafe working conditions have sadly become the norm.

Lab-grown diamonds do not have a significant connection to this aspect of the diamond trade. In buying a lab-grown diamond you are not supporting a potentially poorly run diamond mine who exploits its workforce and makes them work in dangerous conditions

Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Much Cheaper

Simply put because they are considered less desirable to consumers, lab-grown diamonds are a lot cheaper when compared to the natural gems. A search of the James Allen Collection of diamonds both natural and man made illustrates this perfectly.

Looking for round cut diamonds of 1.01 carat in weight, completely colorless (D), internally flawless, with ideal cut quality showed some interesting prices. Natural diamonds ranged in price under these parameters from $10,780 - $19,600. James Allen only had three lab-grown diamonds to these specifications and not one of them cost more than $4,000.

So even the cheapest natural diamond when compared to a lab-grown gem of similar quality costs more than twice that of the man made option. Remember they are both very much real and the qualities are the same, the only difference is how they were made.

Do Natural and Lab-Grown Diamonds Both Follow the Four C’s?

The four C’s are an important measuring stick when it comes to gem quality diamonds as they help determine the value of the stone. Independent diamond grading laboratories use clarity, color, carat and cut as categories for their grading.

When it comes to diamonds the better they perform in each of the four C’s the more valuable the gemstone is and the more the jeweler can sell it for. Today when you buy a quality natural or lab-grown diamond you should look to have a grading report attached to it to ensure you are getting a quality gem.

Carat

Cart refers to the weight of the diamond and as both natural and man made diamonds are the same they have the same weighing system. Each 0.2 of a gram in weight equates to 1 carat in diamond weight. The heavier a diamond is in carats the higher its overall worth will be.

Color

As mentioned natural diamonds can vary in color with completely colorless gems being rarer and more valuable. You can’t control or change the color of a natural diamond but lab diamonds can be grown to be completely without color.

Diamond grading labs will assess both types of diamonds for this aspect of the 4 C’s and the more colorless the diamond is the more value it has.

Clarity

The clarity of diamonds refers to the presence on the outside or inside of the gem of flaws or inclusions. You can find these flaws on both natural diamonds and in lab created equivalents. Obviously the fewer flaws that are found in the gem the better quality the diamond is and the higher its value.

Cut

The cut quality of diamonds is only usually graded on round brilliant cut and princess cut diamonds. So-called fancy shapes do not have their cut quality assessed. In the early years of lab-grown diamonds they were not so concerned with cut quality but today it is as important as the quality in the natural diamonds.

White diamonds are meant to sparkle and this is achieved by the cut quality of the diamond. An ideal cut diamond will have fantastic sparkle and brilliance. Getting the right cut is hard work but the advent of lasers has made it more achievable.

As technology advances I would not be surprised to see labs be able to not just grow a diamond but also control what shape it grows into and even one day the precise cut that is needed for the best brilliance. If they can achieve this it will be a big game changer.

What Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Worth?

The experimental search performed in the section above was quite telling but just to clarify the price difference between natural and lab gems is not always that wide a gap. In fact on average you will be looking at between a 10% - 40% price difference between the two diamond types.

This equates to a natural diamond worth around $1000 having an almost identical lab-grown counterpart that might sell for $600 - $900. It is a definitive savings for sure but there is always that bothersome issue of people tending to favor the natural diamonds. It’s a hard mentality for people to let go of.

That said, lab-grown diamonds are closing the gap gradually as attitudes surrounding the exploitation of people and environmental concerns become more of an issue. This evolution in thinking is in no way a bad thing by the way.

How Are Natural Diamond Prices Determined?

The diamond industry is likely one of the most monopolized and controlled industries there is with just a handful of diamond mining conglomerates having a stranglehold on natural diamond production. We have been told for centuries that diamonds are very rare and yes some quality diamonds are but in the whole there are more diamonds out there than we know about.

These diamond mining bigwigs control the release of diamonds into the market to match the current demand for the product. If sales are up they bring more gems to market. When times are slow they decrease production accordingly.

Essentially their level of control keeps the value of natural diamonds static. This is why unlike gold you should never buy a diamond as an investment. It is almost impossible to make a profit from a diamond that you purchase. Prices do not rise and fall in a significant way.

How Does Lab-Grown Pricing Work?

Lab-grown diamonds when it comes to stable pricing are similar to the naturally occurring ones. The industry that regulates lab diamonds does the same thing in that they monitor demand to determine what they supply to the market.

Not only do they need to consider the demand for their own product but also that of natural diamonds. In times of global hardship for example people may be more apt to save money by choosing lab gems over more expensive natural diamonds.

They can produce most diamonds within a month, often far less, so they can easily limit supply when demand is not supporting the market.

Why Choose Natural Diamonds?

Many people will choose to spend extra money on earth created diamonds simply because they are natural. The concept that they are something that was formed billions of years ago miles below the earth's surface under intense heat and pressure is oddly romantic.

Some people love jewelry with provenance and a story and when it comes to a story being forged deep in the earth and blasted out in violent volcanic eruptions is quite the tale to start with.

You can assure people until you are blue in the face that lab-grown diamonds are identical to natural diamonds but there is just a block in some peoples opinions that they just can not get beyond. There is nothing wrong with that of course because having a natural diamond does feel that little bit more special.

It is something that predates us by billions of years and will be here on the planet for billions more after we are long gone. When they say diamonds are forever they are not being hyperbolic. Lab diamonds are new. They may be around long after we are gone but comparatively they are infants compared to natural diamonds.

So basically natural diamonds are not actually better than lab-grown but their image is considered better. There will always be a market for natural diamonds. They feel more legitimate, there is more meaning in them as a symbol of eternal love.

Why Do People Choose Lab-Grown Diamonds?

There is obviously the price aspect when it comes to people leaning toward buying a lab-grown diamond over a natural gem. They are generally cheaper and often this has to be the deciding factor in a purchase such as this.

Lab-grown diamonds however have a lot of benefits over the naturally created ones. The first and foremost plus is that they are just so much more ethical. I know some people will roll their eyes at “ethical” but frankly it is true.

The natural diamond mining process is as damaging as any mining process to the environment and in addition some of the mines are truly hell on earth for the employees. I know things are getting better and conflict-free diamonds are the norm now but there are still some very rotten eggs out there.

Lab diamonds do not exploit workers, they do not support warlords and they have a much smaller environmental impact on the planet. You can wear a lab-grown diamond safe in the knowledge that slave labor was not used in its creation, no one likely died to help bring it to the market and that there is no huge hole in the ground from which the diamond was pulled.

Which Is Best: Natural or Lab-Grown Diamonds?

The answer to this all comes down to personal preference and the morals of the individual buying the diamonds. Again we reiterate there is no physical difference between the diamonds grown in a lab and those formed by billions of years of exposure to heat and pressure below the earth's surface.

Any differences are in perception and preference. If you are the kind of person who is drawn to something more natural which didn’t see the inside of a lab until it had been dug from the ground then you may prefer an earth-grown diamond.

If, however, you have developed a distaste for the former reputation of the diamond industry and you can not allow yourself to support it with your hard earned money you may want a lab-grown gem. Today's diamond mining industry is doing better thanks to pressure from the markets selling the gems but it's not yet completely perfect.

In real quantitative ways the diamonds are no different but the way people feel about them either way is what is going to ultimately make the decision of whether to go natural or lab-grown.

Final Thoughts

The diamond industry these days is essentially two different ones. There is the one that mines gems and has been thriving for centuries while there is the other that uses science to grow diamonds which is only a few decades old in terms of quality jewelry gems.

They each have their pluses and minuses but are equally beautiful at their best.

Reference Diamond Size Chart

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