Same carbon, same sparkle, very different price. What separates a lab diamond from a mined one.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?
Yes. They are crystallised carbon with the same chemical, physical and optical properties as mined diamonds, and the US Federal Trade Commission has treated them as diamonds since 2018, as long as their origin is clearly disclosed. They are not simulants like cubic zirconia or moissanite, which are different materials.
How are they made?
Two ways. HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) recreates the crushing heat of the Earth’s mantle in a press. CVD (chemical vapour deposition) grows a crystal layer by layer from carbon-rich gas in a vacuum chamber. A stone can be grown in weeks rather than formed over a billion years.
Can you tell them apart?
Not by eye, and not with a jeweller’s loupe. Gem labs use specialist equipment to read growth patterns and trace elements, and they issue separate reports for lab-grown stones, which are often laser-inscribed to say so. That is why buying with a certificate matters.
Why are they so much cheaper, and do they hold value?
Production has scaled up fast and prices have fallen year after year, so a lab stone now costs a fraction of a natural one of the same grade. That also means resale value is very low. Natural diamonds sell on rarity and story; lab-grown sell on size for the money. Pandora switched its diamond jewellery entirely to lab-grown in 2021, while the big Place Vendôme houses still use only natural stones.
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