Buying a diamond is a significant investment and, like everyone else, we always want to get the most for our hard-earned money. That is a big reason why many people are considering buying lab grown diamonds for their next diamond purchase.

Creating these types of diamonds for jewelry is a fairly recent trend, so many people do not know a lot about them and they wonder if a lab grown diamond is the right choice for them. Here are the things you need to know to make that choice.

Is a Lab-Grown Diamond Right for Me?

There is a lot of misinformation floating around about the diamond industry, making it difficult to discern what the truth is and make an informed decision. A lab grown diamond is not fake or an imitation like cubic zirconia. It is pure carbon put under tremendous pressure with sophisticated machinery that imitates the high heat, high-pressure environment in which diamonds naturally form.

Diamonds created in a lab are formed using one of two methods. The first is the High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) method which melts pure carbon around a small shard of diamond then cools it to form a larger diamond. The second method is called Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), which involves ionizing carbon-rich gases into a pure carbon plasma that crystallizes around a diamond shard to form a pure carbon diamond.

The most important thing to know is that lab created diamonds and natural diamonds are structurally and chemically similar. The only difference is how they are made, with one created by pressure in nature and the other created by pressure in a laboratory. With that being said, there are some differences between natural and lab created diamonds that may influence your decision on which type of diamond is right for you.

Pros of a Lab Grown Diamond

• Optimal Color And Clarity – Synthetic gems are created in controlled environments that do not allow impurities to get into the diamonds, making them clearer and brighter than the ones found in nature.
• Ethically Sourced – Lab created diamonds are made in a factory, leaving buyers secure in the knowledge that their diamond did not come from a conflict zone and wasn’t mined with child labor.
• Environmentally Friendly – Synthetic diamonds are produced using few natural resources and the labs creating them often do so with renewable energy.
• Budget-Friendly – The supply chain for diamonds made in a lab is much shorter than for mined diamonds, reducing the overall cost of lab created diamonds by a significant amount.

Cons of a Lab Grown Diamond

• Perception Of Cheapness – Some people do not consider synthetic diamonds “real” diamonds and perceive them as cheap or fake.
• Economic Impact On Struggling Economies – Many diamond mines that are run responsibly are situated in impoverished countries that rely on the income from the mines to support their economies.
• Uniform Similarity – While natural diamonds grow in unique ways that make them one-of-a-kind, synthetic diamonds are mass-produced under uniform design protocols that make them very similar.
• No Historical Value – Many natural diamonds have a history of being passed down from a family member or worn by someone notable, while lab grown diamonds have no such history.

Should I Buy a Lab Grown Diamond?

The decision of what type of diamond is best for you will largely come down to what diamond appeals to you visually and fits into your budget. As they say – diamonds are forever, so you will want to make a purchase that feels good to you and will make the person you are giving it to happy, regardless if it is an engagement ring, an anniversary band, or a simple I-love-you gift. Each person that looks at this list of pros and cons may come to a different conclusion based on the items on the list that speak to them the most.

How To Shop for a Lab Grown Diamond

When shopping for a lab created diamond, you want to be sure that the retailer you are considering is a reputable one that uses a reputable laboratory for grading the stones. Every diamond sold should come with a grading report from that laboratory, which could be the International Gemological Institute (IGI), Gem Certification and Assurance Lab (GCAL), European Gemological Laboratories USA (EGL), or Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Diamonds created in a lab are subject to the same grading and certification process as natural diamonds, with the focus being on cut, color, clarity, and carat.

While diamonds created in labs are available in a wide variety of sizes and cuts, some specific size and cut combinations may be difficult to find. If you are looking for something that is an exact fit to a predetermined idea, you may be looking for a long time or end up paying more than you planned. With synthetic diamonds, it is better to have a general idea of what you want, then see what is available in your price range.

Synthetic diamonds can be placed in any jewelry setting that would hold a natural diamond and since they cost less, you may be able to afford a more expensive or unique housing for the gem. If you are giving this as a gift to someone, keep their personal style and preferences in mind when choosing the jewelry design. Creating custom designs may be cheaper than you think, but if your budget does not accommodate custom jewelry, consider using an uncommon style of prongs, adding birthstones, or engraving the jewelry to make the piece more unique.

Bottom Line

Lab grown diamonds are comparable in quality and size with natural diamonds but can cost considerably less. As more people find out about the benefits of diamonds being created in a lab, their popularity will continue to rise and new sizes and styles will be created. Some are even calling lab grown gems “the future of engagement rings” as more and more of these diamonds are sold each year.