What are Lab Grown Diamonds?

The Diamond Guide

What is a diamond?

Over a billion years ago, deep beneath the Earth's surface, carbon atoms bonded tightly under high temperatures and extreme pressure, resulting in the world's hardest natural mineral: diamond.

Hidden for millions of years, diamonds only reached the Earth's surface after volcanic activity transported them upward in magma. Then, in the 4th Century BC, the first diamonds were found in India. Today, as they have been for centuries, diamonds are one of the most beautiful and coveted objects on Earth.

Natural Diamonds

Natural diamonds form deep within the Earth under extreme conditions of heat and pressure over billions of years. They are comprised of nearly 99.95% carbon—making diamonds the only gemstone constructed of a single element. They are the hardest naturally occurring materials found on Earth and gemstone-quality diamonds are one of the most sought-after. Because of their limited quantity, natural diamonds have been cherished for their enduring value and passed from generation to generation.

Lab Grown Diamonds

Lab diamonds are optically, chemically, and physically the same as natural diamonds. In other words, they look, feel, and are identical. Their difference lies only in their origins — natural diamonds form within the Earth, and lab diamonds are grown by professionals with specialized equipment. Another difference relates to cost; as lab grown diamonds are less rare than natural diamonds, they often come at a much more accessible price.

The 4 C's

If you're wondering what to look for in a diamond, the best place to begin is by understanding the 4 C's: cut, color, clarity, and carat. Created by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in the 1940s, the 4 C's act as a universal scale to describe and determine the quality of diamonds.

Cut

Cut is the proportion and arrangement of facets that determine a diamond's brilliance, sparkle, and fire. The scale ranges from Excellent to Poor.

Color

Color references the absence of color within a diamond. The scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z. Diamonds outside this range are considered 'fancy colored.'

Clarity

Clarity references the absence of internal inclusions and surface blemishes on a diamond. The scale ranges from Internally Flawless to Included.

Carat

Carat is a measurement unit that describes a diamond's weight, not its size. One carat is roughly the weight of a paperclip.

Certifications

Many diamonds are certified by independent institutions such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the International Gemological Institute (IGI), HRD Antwerp, and the Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL). To grade a diamond, trained professionals use specialized equipment to assess cut, color, clarity, and carat. They may also plot a diagram of its clarity characteristics and graphic representation of its proportions. Certifications may also include notes on symmetry, polish, fluorescence, shape, or measurements.

Certifications are essential as they detail not only the quality characteristics of your stone but also its authenticity. During the certification process, most diamonds are laser inscribed with a unique number that correlates to the number on its certification — meaning that, under magnification, you'll always be able to visually confirm that the diamond you have is the same one that was certified. We digitally deliver to customers with their purchase. Providing digital certifications in lieu of paper certifications decreases our paper use, the size of our packaging, and our shipping emissions, therefore reducing our carbon footprint.