Lab Grown vs. Natural Mined Diamonds?

I have one and I love it! It’s beautiful, cheaper, and more ethical (in my opinion) than getting a mined diamond.

I have a lab diamond and I love it! I didn't want a mined diamond for ethical reasons, and it significantly more cost effective.

A lot of couple's go this route because it's more cost efficient and ethical than a mined diamond! Honestly, most people can't even tell the difference.

My ring is made of real diamonds, but that's just because we used the diamonds from mine and his mother's old wedding rings to create it, so all we had to pay was the customization fee!

It’s really down to personal preference and what you value. A lab grown diamond is the same *material* as a diamond, but can you really replicate something in a lab in a matter of hours compared to something that takes billions of years to naturally form? It is also very uncertain what the future looks like for value retention with lab grown diamonds. As technology continues to evolve, the quality of the lab grown will as well. If you want something that can be an heirloom and pass down, I’d recommend a true diamond. You can get a lot more finger coverage (bigger) for you money with lab grown, however. Again totally personal preference.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much for your insight!

View Quoted Comment It’s gorgeous! Thank you so much for your opinion I completely agree with you!

View Quoted Comment That’s an incredible way to go about making a ring and thank you for the feedback!

View Quoted Comment I think we’re going to go with a 1.5 carat lab grown diamond. I’m not too worried about the value retention or ability to pass it down as an heirloom since that isn’t a common thing done in my family or his. Thank you so much for your response and I will keep those things in mind!

View Quoted Comment I’m sure you’ll love it!

View Quoted Comment Thanks again!

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Thank you, and you're welcome!!

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The answer to "can you really replicate ...." is yes! Lab grown diamonds are genetically identical to earth grown diamonds. Unfortunately the underlying reason lab grown diamonds are seen as "less valuable" is because the diamond industry is REALLY good at marketing and producing smear campaigns to boost the value of their controlled diamond supply. There is a great episode of the tv series "Explained" on Netflix that deals directly with this topic. I highly recommend that everyone who is interested in diamonds watch this episode (approx 20 minutes).

View Quoted Comment Thanks for the input I’ll go watch that!

Highly recommend moissanite (pic of my ring): lab made, second strongest material after diamond, even more reflective than diamond, cost-effective. You cannot tell that my ring isn't diamond and it's even clearer than some of my friends' diamond rings.

View Quoted Comment I did watch this episode. They are genetically the same. What I’m saying is there is a difference between something that take centuries for nature to create vs something grown in a lab in a matter of hours. As far as value, yes, this has to do with the diamond marketing industry. But like I said before, also discussed in that episode is how technology will evolve for these manufacturers and with it the “older” man made diamonds are bound to decrease in value. IM NOT SAYING THEYRE BAD! OR WRONG! Just different from a mined diamond created by the earth.

View Quoted Comment I completely understand what you’re saying and it’s a valid point to make

View Quoted Comment Thank you! I will keep your fiancé’s business and moissanite in mind. I’m looking at having the surrounding gems be cubic zirconium so we could go with a diamondless ring, we’ll see.

I personally think people should do whatever allows them to have the diamond and end-result they want, within their budget. If this means lab, then who cares? I certainly wouldn't judge someone with a lab diamond over a naturally formed diamond - I likely wouldn't even know.

There are SO MANY diamonds, and the grading of them is so specific and structured, so to me, it seems foolish to spend 3 times as much (or whatever) to get something that looks literally exactly the same to the naked eye.

That said, I have a natural peach sapphire ring and part of what makes it special to me is that something that colour literally came out of the earth, which just blows my mind. And when you look deep into the stone, it has swirls/ribbons of orange in its centre, it's not just a uniform colour. That imperfectness is what makes it so beautiful and special to me. No one can have a sapphire exactly like mine because none will have formed exactly the same way. It is unique. If we'd bought a lab stone, it would have been uniform, perfect, and beautiful in it's own way, but less meaningful to me.

So, I think there are circumstances where it makes sense to pick lab, and others where I can completely understand the appeal of a natural stone.

I fell crazy in love with a ring that had a lab-grown diamond. The sparkle snagged my eyes from across the store, it was astonishing, MUCH more beautiful than any other gems in the shelves. When I saw the price, I was utterly thrilled. Also, for ethical reasons, I didn't want a "real", mined diamond. You absolutely cannot tell the difference between this ring and the 1950s-era hulking diamond engagement ring my great aunt had. I'm all for lab-grown.

View Quoted Comment That's really beautiful!