04/28/2026
Diamonds: Choosing Lab Grown or Naturally Mined?
A diamond is forever, whether that’s a naturally mined diamond or one created in a laboratory. Laboratory created diamonds have been around for a few decades, but in 2016-17, commercially viable processes came online making large, high quality lab diamonds affordable. Coming out of the COVID shutdown, the jewelry market has been all about the affordability of lab grown diamonds.
So, what do you need to know?
Let’s first look at how lab grown diamonds are made. There are two processes, HPHT – known as High Pressure, High Temperature, and CVD – Chemical V***r Deposition. HPHT is how Superman turns coal into diamonds, by smashing it with his hands. In commercial diamond production, HPHT processes use graphite and small diamond seed crystals. The process heats this mix to over 1,300 degrees Celsius, about 2,370 degrees Fahrenheit, while applying 1.5 million PSI of pressure. It takes a few days to a week to grow diamond crystals.
The CVD process affords the grower more control of the growing crystal and generally creates better diamonds for the jewelry trade. The CVD process uses a small diamond seed crystal in a vacuum filled with carbon rich gases, usually methane and hydrogen, which are heated to 800-900 degrees Celsius – or approximately 1,650 Fahrenheit. Energy is applied to the gases to create a plasma which deposits on the seed crystal and grows large diamond crystals. In both processes, the rough, or untreated diamond crystals, will then be cut and polished into diamonds for the commercial jewelry market.
But is a Lab Grown Diamond a real Diamond?
Yes. In 2018, The Federal Trade Commission ruled that lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. However, they must be marketed as “Laboratory grown” or “Created” to differentiate for the retail customer from mined diamonds. If you take a lab grown diamond to a jeweler, there is no visual test that can be used to distinguish it from a mined diamond. If it is tested with a diamond probe, which tests thermal conductivity, it will test as diamond. Why? Because it is the same chemical composition and crystal structure as a natural diamond. There are much more expensive machines that test for phosphorescence and trace elements which usually differentiate lab grown diamonds from natural diamonds.
So, which one should I choose?
There are some environmental and ethical considerations that many people weigh. Laboratory grown diamonds don’t require heavy machinery and strip mining, but they do require a lot of power to run the crystal growing machines. Similarly, lab diamond labor is not linked to the history of “Blood Diamonds.” However, I think the deciding factor for most buyers is price. Naturally mined diamonds run 10-20 times more expensive than laboratory grown stones. A set 3.0 carat natural diamond certified by the Gemological Institute of America in F/VS would run about $50,300 in today’s market. A similar quality lab grown diamond in the same setting would cost you about $4,000. Well, it’s the thought that counts anyways.
By T.J. Shea
Owner, Fairfax Fine Jewelry
This article was published in the Fairfax Independent's May 2026 issue. I hope you find this helpful. Contact me with any questions.
