Short answer: yes, a lab-grown diamond is a real diamond. A lab-grown diamond and a natural (mined) diamond are the same material: pure carbon atoms locked in the same cubic crystal structure, with the same hardness, the same sparkle and the same chemistry. What is different is where and how fast each one grew, how much it costs, and how it holds its value. This guide explains all of it in plain English, so you can choose an engagement ring, wedding band or tennis bracelet with total confidence.
What is a diamond, exactly?
A diamond is crystallised carbon. Each carbon atom is bonded to four others in a rigid, three-dimensional lattice known as the cubic (isometric) crystal system. That tight bond structure is what makes diamond the hardest natural material known – it scores 10 on the Mohs hardness scale – and what gives it its exceptional brilliance (a refractive index of about 2.42) and fire (the flashes of rainbow colour you see when a diamond moves in the light).
Crucially, none of those properties depend on whether the carbon crystallised deep inside the earth or inside a laboratory. If the atoms are arranged the same way, the result is diamond.
How natural diamonds form
Natural diamonds – sometimes called earth-mined diamonds or earth diamonds – formed roughly 150 to 200 kilometres below the surface, in the earth's mantle, where temperatures exceed 1,000°C and pressure is immense. Most gem diamonds are between one and three-and-a-half billion years old. They reached the surface in rare, violent volcanic eruptions through rock formations called kimberlite pipes, and are recovered today by mining.
Because conditions underground were never perfectly controlled, natural diamonds often contain tiny traces of nitrogen and small internal features (inclusions) that tell the story of their journey. Those features are part of what gemmologists use to grade them.
How lab-grown diamonds are made
Lab-grown diamonds (also called laboratory-grown, lab-created or man-made diamonds) recreate the conditions that make diamond, but in weeks instead of billions of years. There are two main methods:
- HPHT – High Pressure, High Temperature. A small diamond "seed" is placed with pure carbon inside a press that reproduces the crushing pressure and heat of the earth's mantle. The carbon melts and crystallises onto the seed, layer by layer.
- CVD – Chemical Vapour Deposition. A thin diamond seed plate sits in a vacuum chamber filled with a carbon-rich gas such as methane. Energy (often microwaves) breaks the gas apart, and carbon atoms settle onto the seed, building a diamond crystal atom by atom.
Both methods produce true diamond. Once a lab-grown diamond is cut and polished, it is graded on exactly the same colour, clarity and cut scales as a natural diamond.
Lab-grown vs natural diamonds: side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Natural (earth-mined) diamond | Lab-grown diamond |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical makeup | Pure carbon (C) | Pure carbon (C) |
| Crystal structure | Cubic (isometric) | Cubic (isometric) |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 10 | 10 |
| Refractive index (brilliance) | About 2.42 | About 2.42 |
| Fire (dispersion) | About 0.044 | About 0.044 |
| Looks the same to the naked eye? | Yes | Yes |
| Graded on the 4Cs? | Yes | Yes |
| Where it formed | Earth's mantle, over billions of years | A laboratory, over weeks |
| How to tell them apart | Only with advanced gemmological equipment in a laboratory | |
| Typical price | Higher | Usually a fraction of a comparable natural diamond |
| Resale value | Retains more value | Retains little resale value |
| Report / certificate | Natural diamond report (e.g. GIA, IGI) | Lab-grown diamond report (e.g. IGI, GIA), clearly marked as laboratory grown |
Are lab-grown diamonds "real" diamonds?
Yes. In 2018 the US Federal Trade Commission updated its Jewelry Guides and removed the word "natural" from its definition of a diamond, recognising that a laboratory-grown diamond is the same substance as a mined one. The same guidance also says sellers must clearly disclose that a lab diamond is laboratory-grown (or "laboratory-created", or "[manufacturer]-created") so shoppers are never misled about its origin.
In Australia, the Australian Consumer Law requires the same honesty: a lab-grown diamond must never be passed off as a mined one. At House of Honcho💎 every lab-grown diamond is described as lab-grown, and its certificate says so too.
Lab-grown diamonds are not "fake diamonds" – but simulants are
People often confuse lab-grown diamonds with diamond simulants – materials that only look like diamond. The two most common are:
- Cubic zirconia (CZ) – zirconium dioxide. Much softer (about 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale), heavier, and it becomes cloudy and scratched over time.
- Moissanite – silicon carbide. Very hard (about 9.25) and beautiful, but it is a different mineral with stronger rainbow fire and double refraction that a jeweller can spot with a loupe.
A lab-grown diamond is neither of these. It is diamond, and it will pass a standard diamond tester just like a mined stone.
Can you tell a lab-grown diamond from a natural diamond?
Not with your eyes, and not with a jeweller's loupe or an ordinary handheld diamond tester. Gemmological laboratories identify origin using specialised instruments – spectroscopy, ultraviolet fluorescence imaging and analysis of tiny growth patterns – because HPHT and CVD crystals grow in subtly different shapes from diamonds formed underground.
That is why a certificate matters. A lab-grown diamond graded by the International Gemological Institute (IGI) usually carries a microscopic laser inscription on its girdle (outer edge) reading "LABGROWN" plus its report number, and the report states the growth method. Read our guide: What Is an IGI Certified Diamond? How to Read an IGI Report.
Price and value: the honest truth
The biggest practical difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds is price. Because lab diamonds can be produced to order, a lab-grown diamond typically costs a fraction of a natural diamond of the same carat, colour and clarity. That means you can choose a larger, whiter or cleaner stone for the same budget.
The trade-off is resale value. Lab-grown diamond prices have fallen as production has grown, and there is very little second-hand market for them. If you are buying a diamond as a financial investment, a lab-grown diamond is not the right choice. If you are buying a ring to wear, love and pass down for its beauty and meaning, a lab-grown diamond gives you exceptional value.
Ethics and sustainability
Many couples choose lab-grown diamonds because their origin is known and traceable – there is no question of where the stone came from. It is worth being careful with broad "eco-friendly" claims, though: growing diamonds uses a lot of energy, and the environmental footprint depends heavily on how that energy is produced. The natural diamond industry, for its part, supports many communities through regulated mining. Both choices can be responsible ones; the best approach is to buy from a jeweller who is open about origin and certification.
Lab-grown or natural: which should you choose?
- Choose lab-grown if you want the biggest, brightest diamond for your budget, a guaranteed-traceable origin, and a stone that looks identical to a mined diamond.
- Choose natural if the rarity and billion-year geological story matter to you, or if you want a diamond that holds more of its value.
Whichever you choose, focus on the 4Cs – cut, colour, clarity and carat – and insist on an independent grading report.
Shop lab-grown diamond jewellery at House of Honcho💎
Every House of Honcho💎 centre stone is a certified lab-grown diamond (natural diamonds are available on request), set in genuine solid gold – never plated. Explore our lab-grown diamond engagement rings, diamond wedding bands and lab diamond tennis bracelets, or learn which metal suits you in 10K vs 14K vs 18K gold.
Frequently asked questions
Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?
Yes. They are made of the same carbon crystal as mined diamonds and have the same hardness, brilliance and fire. They must be sold as "lab-grown" so buyers know their origin.
Do lab-grown diamonds look different from natural diamonds?
No. Even an experienced jeweller cannot tell them apart by eye. Only a gemmological laboratory with specialised equipment can identify the origin.
Will a lab-grown diamond pass a diamond tester?
Yes. Standard thermal and electrical diamond testers identify both lab-grown and natural diamonds as diamond.
Do lab-grown diamonds get cloudy or change colour?
No. A lab-grown diamond is as durable and stable as a natural diamond. Like any diamond, it may look dull when dirty – a gentle clean with warm soapy water and a soft brush restores its sparkle.
Are lab-grown diamonds cheaper than natural diamonds?
Usually yes – often significantly – for the same size and quality. However, they hold much less resale value than natural diamonds.
What does IGI certified mean?
It means the diamond has been independently graded by the International Gemological Institute, which issues a report listing its carat, colour, clarity, cut and origin. See our full IGI certificate guide.
Image credits: polished diamonds by Bilovitskiy (CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons); natural rough diamond courtesy USGS (public domain); lab-grown CVD diamond by Steve Jurvetson (CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons). Ring photo: House of Honcho💎.
