Lab-Grown vs Natural Diamonds: What's Actually Different?

Q: Are lab-grown diamonds the same as natural diamonds?

Lab-grown and natural diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically identical. Both are pure carbon with the same crystal structure, hardness (10 on the Mohs scale), and refractive index. The only difference is their origin — one formed over billions of years underground, the other grown in weeks in a laboratory.

Q: Can you tell the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds?

No — not visually, and not with standard gemological equipment. Even expert gemologists cannot tell them apart by looking at them. Only specialised spectroscopic equipment can identify trace differences in crystal growth patterns.

Q: Are lab-grown diamonds cheaper than natural diamonds?

Yes. Lab-grown diamonds are typically 50–80% less expensive than natural diamonds of equivalent quality. This price difference has widened in recent years as production technology has scaled.

Q: Are lab-grown diamonds a good choice for an engagement ring?

Yes. Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds — they are not simulants like cubic zirconia or moissanite. They are IGI and GIA certified, last a lifetime, and offer significantly better value than mined diamonds of the same quality.

If you've been shopping for an engagement ring recently, you've almost certainly come across lab-grown diamonds. And if you're anything like most buyers, your first question was probably: are they actually real diamonds?

The short answer is yes. Both are carbon, and in both the carbon sits in the crystal structure that makes a diamond hard and bright. What differs is where it grew. The longer answer is worth understanding before you spend thousands of dollars on a ring.

What makes a diamond a diamond

A diamond is pure carbon arranged in a particular crystal lattice. That lattice is what gives a diamond its hardness (10 on the Mohs scale), its light refraction and its sparkle.

Lab-grown stones have that lattice. They're not simulants like cubic zirconia or moissanite. They're diamonds. What differs is where they formed: underground over billions of years, or inside a laboratory over a few weeks.

Grading

Lab-grown diamonds are graded on the same four Cs as mined diamonds: cut, colour, clarity and carat. IGI and GIA both certify them. Because the growth process is controlled, it's often easier to produce a lab-grown stone with fewer inclusions.

At Una Diamond, centre stones of one carat and up are IGI certified. IGI sets that threshold, not us.

Price

This is where the two diverge most. A lab-grown stone costs considerably less than a mined stone of comparable grade, which means a larger or better-graded diamond for the same budget, or the same diamond for less.

Can you see a difference?

Not by eye. Distinguishing the two requires equipment that reads trace elements left by the growth process, and that equipment isn't sitting in a jewellery store.

Which should you choose?

For most buyers the practical case favours lab-grown: you're buying the same material for less. The reasons to choose mined are sentimental preference, or buying specifically as a long-term financial holding, which an engagement ring generally isn't.

If you're ready to explore, browse our lab-grown diamond engagement rings, all handcrafted to order in solid 18K gold or platinum with a six-week turnaround.

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