Lab Grown vs. Natural Diamonds

Laboratory grown diamonds have gone from a technological curiosity to a legitimate option in fine jewelry. And whether you're considering a lab grown diamond for yourself or just trying to understand what's changed in the market, the conversation deserves more nuance than you're getting from most jewelers.

I'm not here to sell you on lab-grown or convince you that natural is "better." What I care about is helping you choose based on how you'll actually wear it, because that's what matters.

What Are Lab-Grown Diamonds?

Lab-grown diamonds are created in controlled laboratory environments using advanced processes that replicate natural diamond formation. They have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as natural diamonds. Same hardness. Same brilliance. Same crystal structure.

They're not simulants like cubic zirconia or moissanite. They're not "diamond-like." They are diamonds—carbon atoms arranged in the exact same way as a diamond that formed underground over billions of years.

How Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Made?

 

There are two primary methods: CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) and HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature).

CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition)

A diamond seed is placed in a vacuum chamber filled with carbon-rich gases like methane. Energy (usually plasma) is applied to break down the gas molecules, and carbon atoms deposit onto the seed in layers. This process allows for precise control over the diamond's characteristics and is especially effective for creating high-clarity stones.

HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature)

A diamond seed is placed in a carbon source like graphite and subjected to pressures exceeding 1.5 million pounds per square inch and temperatures above 2000°F, mimicking the conditions deep in the Earth's mantle. What takes nature millions of years happens in weeks.

HPHT diamonds can be colorless or used to enhance color in certain stones. They're known for high clarity.

With your naked eye, you cannot tell the difference between a natural diamond and a lab-grown diamond made through either method. Only specialized gemological equipment can detect the growth markers left behind during formation.

One of those markers? Natural diamonds typically contain trace amounts of nitrogen, which can give them a slight yellow tint. Lab-grown diamonds (especially CVD stones) are often purer, which means they can be completely colorless. That purity is also one way gemologists can tell them apart.

Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Real Diamonds?

Yes. Chemically, physically, optically: they are diamonds.

GIA grades them. They test as diamonds on a diamond tester. They have the same refractive index, the same hardness, the same thermal conductivity.

You might still hear the term "synthetic diamond" in older articles or scientific papers. The jewelry industry moved away from that language years ago (GIA stopped using it in 2019) because it implies "fake," which isn't accurate. Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds. The term you'll see now is "lab-grown," "lab-created," or "cultured."

And just like natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds aren't flawless. They have inclusions, color variations, and unique characteristics. Every lab-grown diamond is graded individually. No two are identical.

What's the Difference Between Lab-Grown and Natural Diamonds?

The difference isn't in the stone itself. It's in origin, scarcity, and how the market values each.

Origin

Natural diamonds formed billions of years ago under the Earth's surface and were brought up through volcanic activity. Mined diamonds are geologically unique: a product of time, pressure, and chance.

Laboratory grown diamonds are created in weeks using technology that replicates those conditions. They're identical in structure, but they're reproducible. You can make as many as you want.

Scarcity

Natural diamonds are finite. Lab-grown diamonds are not.

That doesn't make one "better" than the other. But it does affect long-term value, resale, and how people emotionally connect to the stone.

Market Value and Resale

Lab grown diamonds don't hold resale value the way natural diamonds do. Lab-grown diamonds retain roughly 30–40% of their purchase price if resold. Natural diamonds, especially high-quality stones, can retain 50% or more.

The gap isn't about quality. It's about scarcity. You can't make more natural diamonds. You can make as many lab-grown as demand requires.

If you're buying a natural diamond, especially a high-quality one, there's a secondary market. If you're buying lab-grown, you're buying it to wear.

GIA Just Changed How They Grade Lab-Grown Diamonds: And It Matters

In 2025, GIA replaced the traditional 4Cs grading scale for lab-grown diamonds with a simplified two-tier system: "Premium" and "Standard."

Why? Because most lab-grown diamonds fall within a compressed quality range, and GIA determined that the granular grading system used for natural diamonds wasn't as meaningful for stones that can be engineered.

This is a quiet but significant shift. It signals that the industry sees lab-grown diamonds differently. Not as inferior, but as fundamentally distinct in how they're produced and valued.

Most lab-grown diamonds are certified by IGI (International Gemological Institute) rather than GIA. IGI uses the traditional 4Cs grading for lab-grown stones, which is why you'll often see more detailed reports from IGI than from GIA on lab-grown diamonds.

If you're buying a lab grown diamond, ask for certification or make sure it's documented on your appraisal by a GIA gemologist. Just understand that the grading framework has changed.

My Take: Choose Based on How You'll Wear It

At Demirjian, I work with both. I don't push natural on clients, and I don't push lab-grown. What I care about is whether the stone fits the piece, the purpose, and the person wearing it.

If you're commissioning something that's meant to be worn daily, something you want to feel good in without overthinking it, lab-grown is a smart choice.

If you're designing something with emotional weight, something you want to leave behind, something that connects to legacy, natural makes more sense.

Both are real. Both are beautiful. The question isn't which one is "better." It's which one is right for you.