Natural vs. lab-grown diamonds for a custom ring

Clients ask me about lab-grown diamonds at nearly every engagement ring consultation now, and they should. It is a real choice with real tradeoffs. I will give you the same answer here that I give in the studio: what is genuinely the same, what is different, and why I lean the way I do.

What is the same

A lab-grown diamond is a diamond. It is crystallized carbon with the same hardness, the same refractive properties, and the same potential for brilliance as a natural stone. It is not a simulant like cubic zirconia or moissanite. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Jewelry Guides, revised in 2018, define a diamond by its composition rather than its origin, and expect a lab-grown stone to be clearly disclosed as laboratory-grown so no one mistakes it for a mined diamond.

You cannot tell them apart by eye. A trained gemologist usually cannot either without laboratory instruments. Both can be cut well or badly, and both are graded on cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.

What is different

Origin and rarity

A natural diamond formed deep in the earth over an immense span of time and reached the surface through geological events. Each one is a finite thing. A lab-grown diamond is produced in weeks, using high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and production can be increased as demand requires. Neither fact makes one stone prettier than the other. They do make them different kinds of objects.

Price

Lab-grown diamonds cost considerably less than natural diamonds of the same size and grade, and their prices have fallen substantially as production has grown. For someone who wants a large stone within a fixed budget, that is a real advantage, and I will say so plainly.

Value over time

No diamond should be bought as an investment. Resale prices for any diamond are generally well below what was paid at retail. But the falling price of lab-grown stones makes their long-term value harder to predict. A natural diamond's rarity tends to support its value over decades, which matters if the ring is meant to pass to the next generation.

Environmental and ethical considerations

This question deserves more nuance than it usually gets. Lab-grown production avoids mining, but it is energy-intensive, and its footprint depends heavily on how the electricity is generated. Natural diamond sourcing varies widely too. For either kind, it is fair to ask your jeweler where a stone came from and what they know about its path to you.

Why I work primarily with natural diamonds

My work is fine jewelry intended to be worn for a lifetime and handed down. For that kind of piece, most of my clients want a stone that is rare and natural, and so do I. There is something about a diamond that existed long before any of us, chosen for one person, that suits an engagement ring or an heirloom. I have spent four decades learning to judge natural stones, and sourcing them well is a large part of what I offer.

That said, I offer lab-grown diamonds on request, and I will never make anyone feel awkward for asking. If a lab-grown stone is right for you, I will help you choose a well-cut one and design a setting that does it justice. The craftsmanship of the setting is the same either way.

Questions to ask about any diamond

• Is there an independent grading report, and from which laboratory?
• How is the cut graded? Cut has the greatest effect on how a diamond looks.
• Is the origin, natural or laboratory-grown, stated in writing on the invoice?
• What does the jeweler know about where the stone came from?

The GIA's guide to the four Cs is a clear, neutral reference for how diamonds are graded.

Making the choice

If you are weighing the two, come and see them. Looking at stones side by side tells you more than any article. You can learn how a commission works on the custom engagement rings page, or book an appointment to look at diamonds with me.