Lab-Grown Vs Natural Diamonds
Understanding the Differences
I happily look at natural and lab-grown diamonds everyday and all day. I also sell both. In my personal jewelry collection, I own natural diamonds because of consistency and uniqueness.
Important Similarities & Differences & Considerations
| Natural Diamonds | Lab-Grown Diamonds | |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Looks Like A Diamond | Cannot Tell The Difference |
Both natural and lab-grown diamonds are visually identical to the naked eye. The main way I tell the difference is that lab-grown diamonds are usually more perfect, look at the inscriptions, or with a tester that shows how they reflect UV light differently. | ||
| Uniqueness | Have layers of color variation and unique inclusions | ~2/3 Seem Perfect |
Lab-grown diamonds can be more BORING because there is less variation. No weird inclusions or color variations. | ||
| Effort | Slowly formed over millions of years deep within the Earth | Created in ~2 weeks |
Our creator slowly formed natural diamonds over millions of years whereas lab-grown diamonds were made over a few weeks in India or China. | ||
| Price Point | Expensive | Affordable |
I love lab-grown diamonds because they mean we get to make jewelry with larger more visually appealing stones. The exact price difference depends. | ||
| Resale Value | Retains Some Value | I Won't Buy Them Back |
Natural diamonds have historically maintained their value better in the secondary market; however, with the lab-growns on the market, the prices for a large slice of natural diamonds has dropped dramatically. | ||
| Long-term Investment | No | No |
Neither type of diamond should be considered aninvestment where you will earn money. They are primarily purchased for their beauty and sentimental value. | ||
| Environmental Impact | Difficult To Answer | Lower Than Mined |
Understanding the source of the diamond is important to answering this question. Natural diamonds from mines probably have the most impact. Lab-growns still have some impact, but it is much lower. However, I would imagine that diamonds from alluvial deposits found centuries ago have the least environmental impact. | ||
| Certification | Recommended | Recommended |
Know what you are buying, and independant evaluations of the diamonds are helpful. I use GIA for natural diamonds. For lab-growns, I use IGI or GCAL. I want to stress that these reports do NOT include all the necessary information. Normally, the best option is a good quality lab report with a trained eye evaluation. | ||
| Consistency | Be Consistent | Be Consistent |
I never recommend and seldom make jewelry with lab-growns AND natural diamonds. Choose one or the other. | ||
Have More Questions About Natural vs Lab-Grown Diamonds?
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