Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?

Yes. They have the same chemical makeup, hardness and optical properties as mined diamonds. Only where they formed is different.

Can a jeweler tell a lab-grown diamond from a mined one?

Not by eye or with a loupe. Specialized testing equipment can, and many lab-grown diamonds are laser-inscribed and sold with a grading report that says they are lab-grown.

Do lab-grown diamonds pass a diamond tester?

Yes. Standard handheld diamond testers read lab-grown diamonds as diamonds, because they are.

Do lab-grown diamonds hold their value?

Not well. Lab-grown diamonds have little resale value, so buy one to wear rather than as an investment. Mined diamonds also resell for less than retail.

Are lab-grown diamonds cheaper?

Usually much cheaper than a mined diamond of the same size and grade.

Lab-grown vs. mined diamonds: what is different, and what is not

Updated October 16, 2026

A lab-grown diamond is a diamond. It is made of the same carbon crystal as a mined one, with the same hardness and the same sparkle. The differences are where it came from, what it costs, and what it is worth later.

What is the same

Both are crystallized carbon, with the same hardness (10 on the Mohs scale) and the same way of bending light.
They cannot be told apart by eye or with a jeweler's loupe. It takes specialized lab equipment.
Both are graded on cut, color, clarity and carat weight, by labs such as IGI and GIA.
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission treats lab-grown diamonds as diamonds. They must be described as lab-grown, laboratory-created or similar, so the label tells you which you are buying.

How lab-grown diamonds are made

There are two methods. HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) recreates the conditions deep in the earth around a small diamond seed. CVD (chemical vapor deposition) grows the crystal layer by layer from a carbon-rich gas. Either way, it takes weeks rather than billions of years.

What is different

Price: a lab-grown diamond usually costs much less than a mined diamond of the same size and grade, so the same budget buys a larger or higher-grade stone.
Resale: lab-grown diamonds have little resale value. Mined diamonds also resell well below what they cost, but for more than lab-grown.
Origin: a mined diamond formed over billions of years, which matters to some people. Others prefer lab-grown because no mining is involved.
Paperwork: grading reports say whether a stone is lab-grown, and many lab-grown stones carry a tiny laser inscription on their edge saying so.

Choosing for someone else

Some people feel strongly either way, and it is hard to guess which way. If your partner has opinions, they are worth knowing before an engagement ring especially. If they would rather a larger stone for the budget, lab-grown is the obvious choice; if the stone's origin matters to them, it may not be.

Or let them show you

On The Perfect Hint, your partner marks the pieces they would actually wear as hints, and you browse a catalog ranked by their taste. You still choose the piece and the moment, and they never see what you bought.

How it works

Questions people ask

Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?: Yes. They have the same chemical makeup, hardness and optical properties as mined diamonds. Only where they formed is different.
Can a jeweler tell a lab-grown diamond from a mined one?: Not by eye or with a loupe. Specialized testing equipment can, and many lab-grown diamonds are laser-inscribed and sold with a grading report that says they are lab-grown.
Do lab-grown diamonds pass a diamond tester?: Yes. Standard handheld diamond testers read lab-grown diamonds as diamonds, because they are.
Do lab-grown diamonds hold their value?: Not well. Lab-grown diamonds have little resale value, so buy one to wear rather than as an investment. Mined diamonds also resell for less than retail.
Are lab-grown diamonds cheaper?: Usually much cheaper than a mined diamond of the same size and grade.