Lab-Grown vs Natural Diamonds

Both are real diamonds. The difference is where they formed — and what that does to the price.

Loose round diamonds photographed on a dark reflective surface. — Both lab-grown and natural diamonds can look like this; a photograph cannot establish origin.Photo: Edgar Soto. Unsplash licence. Resized.

Reviewed by Adnan Ali, Graduate, GIA Diamond Grading · Updated 2026-10-24

A lab-grown diamond is not an imitation. It is carbon crystallised in the same cubic structure as a diamond from the ground, with the same hardness, the same way of bending and splitting light, and the same durability in everyday wear. What differs is its origin: a natural diamond formed deep in the earth over an immensely long time, while a lab-grown diamond is grown in a controlled environment over a matter of weeks.

Real diamonds, not simulants

Simulants only look like diamond. Cubic zirconia and moissanite are different materials with different hardness and optical behaviour, and a jeweller can tell them apart from diamond with simple tests. A lab-grown diamond passes those tests because it is diamond; separating it from a natural stone takes specialist laboratory equipment.

	Natural diamond	Lab-grown diamond	Simulant (e.g. cubic zirconia)
Material	Diamond (carbon)	Diamond (carbon)	Not diamond
Hardness and durability	Diamond	Diamond	Softer — scratches and wears
Fire and brilliance	Diamond	Diamond	Different — often more rainbow flash
How it formed	In the earth	Grown in a laboratory	Manufactured material

Are they graded the same way?

Both are assessed on the same qualities — cut, colour, clarity and carat weight — by independent laboratories. A grading report for a lab-grown diamond states clearly that the stone is laboratory-grown, so there is never any doubt about what you are buying. Each centre diamond weighing 1.00 ct or more is supplied with an individual grading certificate. The threshold applies to each centre diamond, not the combined diamond weight. Smaller diamonds are graded in groups without individual certificates. Ask us for the relevant product’s certificate information before ordering.

The real difference: price

For the same size and quality, a lab-grown diamond costs considerably less than a natural one. In practice that means the same budget buys a larger or cleaner lab-grown stone. Natural diamonds are rarer and priced accordingly, and for some people the fact that a stone came out of the ground is exactly the point.

How to choose

If you want the most visible diamond for your budget — a bigger or whiter stone — lab-grown usually gets you further.
If a stone's natural origin matters to you, or to the person you are buying for, choose natural.
If you are unsure, compare the quality options on a piece of diamond jewellery: the product page shows the price of each before you commit.

Neither choice is the wrong one, and we will never push you towards either. Where offered, choose from one lab-grown diamond quality option or three natural-diamond quality options. The available choices and their colour and clarity grades are shown on each product page. On an engagement ring you choose the centre stone yourself: configure a lab-grown one on the page, or ask us to price a natural one.