Diamonds are a big purchase. You want to be confident that you’re making the right choice.

It costs less to grow a diamond in the lab than to mine one from the ground. These savings are passed on to consumers.

Many couples are drawn to lab diamonds for their price point and sustainability. To the naked eye, they are indistinguishable from diamonds that took millions of years to form under the Earth’s surface.

Color

Regarding diamonds, color is one of the most important aspects to consider. The color of a diamond is determined by its concentration of impurities, primarily nitrogen, and boron. Both natural and lab-grown diamonds have these impurities in their crystal lattice, but the levels vary. In lab-grown diamonds, these levels are lower; therefore, the stones can be sold at a more affordable price than their naturally-occurring counterparts.

For this reason, most people choose to buy lab diamonds in the near-colorless range (D-K). 

As a result of recent technological advancements, the manufacturing process for lab diamonds has become even more cost-effective. This has led to a significant drop in the price of lab diamonds compared to their natural counterparts. However, as a new product, it’s hard to say what the resale value of a lab diamond will be in the future. They are predicted to continue to be less expensive than natural diamonds.

Clarity

Diamonds have always been a symbol of love and loyalty. The fact that they’re rare and precious only adds to their appeal. However, the diamond industry faces an existential threat in the form of lab diamonds that are becoming quality jewelry. If this trend continues, it could devalue natural diamonds and deter consumers from spending money on them.

This is why the diamond industry has adapted to counter the threat from lab diamonds by encouraging consumers to buy ethically produced diamonds. 

The crystal is exposed to heated gases, which causes layers of carbon to build up over the surface. The result is a natural-looking diamond with flaws and inclusions similar to those found in naturally occurring diamonds. However, these flaws and inclusions can only be seen under 10x magnification. Even experts cannot tell the difference between a natural and a lab diamond.

Carat

Carat weight is the universal unit used to measure the size of precious gemstones. One carat equals 200 milligrams. Moissanite has become a popular diamond alternative due to its beauty and affordability. However, some people need clarification about how moissanite compares to diamonds regarding their carat weight.

A diamond’s carat weight is based on size and density, while moissanite’s is based on the gem’s brightness and fire. Moissanite is brighter and whiter than a diamond. It is also available in a variety of colors, including colorless. While diamonds have a natural sparkle, moissanite has a sparkly, ethereal quality that is beautiful.

Moissanite is sized in millimeters, not carats because it is around 15% lighter than a natural diamond. 

The lab diamond industry needs to be clarified. It is often referred to as synthetic, cultured, or even man-made, but all refer to the same thing: a diamond created in a lab. It is not the same as a mined diamond, but it can be the same size, shape, and quality as found on the Earth.

The most important advantage of a lab diamond is that it circumvents the many environmental and ethical issues of mining natural diamonds. By avoiding the mining process, lab diamonds have touchless hands along the supply chain and can be priced competitively with their natural counterparts.

There are two main ways to create a lab-grown diamond. The first, a CVD method, starts with a slim slice of a diamond called the “seed.” This is placed in a chamber with carbon-rich gases and heated to 800C. These gases “stick” to the seed crystal and build a diamond, atom by atom.

While this process can produce high-quality lab diamonds, the resale value of these stones will be lower than their naturally-occurring counterparts. This is mainly because most people don’t buy diamonds for investment value but purchase them because of their emotional connections to the piece.

Resale Value

It’s a common misconception that lab diamonds don’t have resale value. This is simply untrue. While lab-grown diamonds may not have the same resale value as naturally mined diamonds, they still hold resale value and can be sold back to a jeweler at full price. This allows for a more sustainable alternative to purchasing a natural diamond and can help if you ever upgrade your center stone.

When comparing apples to apples, lab-grown diamonds typically hold about 60-80% less of an appraised resale value than a similar earth-mined diamond of the same 4C’s quality evaluation. This is a significant cost saving and is typically more than enough to justify the switch.

However, if you are primarily looking for an investment opportunity, there are better choices than a lab-created diamond. Jewelry is a discretionary luxury product meant to be enjoyed and cherished, not necessarily a place for “parking your money.”

The good news for the industry is that millennials are more open to lab-created diamonds than previously. The natural diamond industry is doubling down on its marketing efforts to appeal to this new generation of consumers, and they’re working hard to ensure that lab-grown diamonds can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the real thing.

Steven Killian