Lab-Grown Diamonds: What to Know

Lab-grown diamonds have changed the jewelry industry dramatically—and with all the conversation surrounding them, they’ve also created quite a bit of confusion.

Are they real diamonds? Yes.

Are they the same as natural diamonds? Not exactly.

And is one automatically better than the other? That depends entirely on what matters to you.

At Brilliance Fine Jewelry by Suzanne, I believe you should understand what you’re buying before you make the investment.

First: a lab-grown diamond is a real diamond.

One of the biggest misconceptions about lab-grown diamonds is that they are somehow imitation stones.

They aren’t.

A lab-grown diamond has essentially the same chemical composition, crystal structure, physical properties and optical properties as a naturally formed diamond. To the naked eye, a high-quality lab-grown diamond can look indistinguishable from a natural diamond.

It is very different from a diamond simulant, such as cubic zirconia.

The difference is where—and how—the diamond formed.

Natural diamonds formed deep within the earth over an extraordinary amount of time. Lab-grown diamonds are produced in controlled environments using technology designed to recreate the conditions under which diamonds grow.

Today, the two primary methods are HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition).

The result is still diamond.

So why are lab-grown diamonds less expensive?

This is where the conversation gets more interesting.

A natural diamond is a finite geological material that has to be discovered, mined, sorted, cut and brought to market. A laboratory-grown diamond can be manufactured repeatedly as production technology and capacity improve.

That difference in supply has changed what consumers can buy for their budget.

For someone whose priority is size, sparkle and appearance, lab-grown diamonds can offer an opportunity to purchase a larger or higher-specification stone at a significantly more accessible price than a comparable natural diamond.

That can be very appealing.

But price and long-term value are not the same thing.

Lab-grown diamonds should not be purchased under the assumption that their future resale value will behave the same way as that of a natural diamond. They are a manufactured product, and the economics surrounding their production continue to evolve.

That doesn’t make them a bad purchase.

It just means you should purchase one because you love the jewelry and understand what you are buying, rather than because someone has presented it as an investment.

Natural or lab-grown? There isn’t one answer for everyone.

There are customers who love the history and rarity of a natural diamond.

There are customers who would rather put their budget toward a larger stone and choose lab-grown.

And increasingly, there are customers who own and wear both.

That is one reason you’ll find lab-grown diamonds incorporated into some pieces within the demi-fine collection at Brilliance Fine Jewelry by Suzanne. They allow us to create beautiful pieces using real precious materials while reaching a different price point.

The important thing is transparency.

The FTC requires sellers to clearly identify laboratory-grown diamonds as laboratory-grown or laboratory-created so consumers understand that the stone is not mined.

You should never have to guess what kind of diamond you’re purchasing.

And yes, professionals can tell the difference.

Because natural and laboratory-grown diamonds have essentially the same optical and chemical properties, distinguishing between them isn't necessarily something that can be done simply by looking at the stone.

Their different growth environments leave characteristics that trained gemological laboratories can identify with specialized equipment.

That is also why documentation and buying from someone you trust matter.

My advice? Buy the jewelry, not the sales pitch.

Jewelry is personal.

Sometimes you want a natural diamond because the rarity, history and tradition behind it matter to you.

Sometimes you want a beautiful pair of diamond studs, a pendant you can wear every day, or a larger engagement ring without putting the same amount of money into the center stone.

A lab-grown diamond may make perfect sense.

There is room for both.

What matters is knowing the difference, understanding the value of what you’re purchasing, and choosing a piece that makes sense for you.

That’s where a good jeweler comes in.

At Brilliance Fine Jewelry by Suzanne, we can help you compare your options, understand what you’re looking at, and create or choose jewelry you’ll actually be excited to wear.