Choosing to include lab grown diamonds over mined diamonds in your jewelry or engagement rings is a choice that many couples are making in 2022! Many couples are choosing to move away from natural diamonds, as they are opting to use other gemstones or move towards an untraditional option. In our opinion, if you are looking to include a gemstone in your engagement ring that looks like traditional natural diamonds but does not have the heavy price tag a natural diamond has, than a lab grown diamond may be the perfect option for you! In this article we will look at the differences between lab created diamonds and natural diamonds.

What Are Lab Created Diamonds vs. Natural Diamonds?

Let's start by defining what exactly a lab grown diamond is in comparison to a mined diamond.

Lab Grown Diamonds: in basic terms, lab created diamonds, such as Moissanite or cubic zirconia, are diamond simulants which are laboratory grown in a strict, controlled environment under high pressure and extreme heat. These engineered diamonds are grown in an environment similar to how real diamonds are created, which therefore creates synthetic diamonds that are so similar to natural diamonds. In fact, they are so similar to a natural diamond, that they are chemically identical and have the same physical properties and optical properties as one another. They also share the same fire and optical characteristics, and are often mistakenly identified as one another. The only difference between lab created diamonds and mined diamonds is that one is grown in a lab, and the other is formed under the earth's crust.

Natural Diamonds: Natural diamonds occur deep under the earths surface, when carbon deposits are put under extreme pressure mixed with high heat. It takes some natural diamonds days to form, while it can take others millions of years. Most naturally growing diamonds are clear and colourless, while in some instances natural colored diamonds form. In order for the diamonds to be extracted, three methods of diamond mines are extremely popular: Alluvial mining (which involves building walls or diverted rivers and then sifting through the diamonds that rise to the surface), open pit mining (process of removing layers of sand and dirt just above the kimberlite rocks) and closed pit mining (tunnels are connected, and then miners in the top tunnel blast the ore and then sift through the debris that falls). It is important to note that there have been concerns over the diamond industry as it is not very eco friendly, and there have also been concerns about human rights violations. Because of this, many people are choosing to shop for conflict free diamonds.

Price

There is a bit of a difference in price between lab created diamonds Toronto and mined diamonds. Naturally grown diamonds are more expensive than its counterpart, as they have to be manually extracted from the earth. There is usually a large cost and labour required within the diamond industry so therefore the cost will naturally go up. Mined diamonds are also extremely rare, as no two diamonds are going to be the same and the conditions have to be just right in order for them to be created.

Man made diamonds, on the other hand, are more affordable for a few different reasons. As lab created diamonds are more easily accessible and are less rare than natural diamonds, their price is significantly less. The lab created diamond industry is also regulated differently from its counterpart, making its price point slightly less.

Value

Another difference between a lab grown diamond and a natural diamond is the difference in their value. When purchasing even the best lab grown diamonds, they may not hold the same value as a natural diamond ring years down the line.

When purchasing natural diamonds, you can almost rest assured that the value of the diamond ring will not be lost in years to come. In fact, the value of diamonds have been slowly increasing, therefore reassuring those who choose to purchase diamond rings as the resale value will not have changed much from when they first purchased the ring. Another important factor is that diamond engagement rings make a beautiful heirloom piece of jewelry, so you can rest assured it will still be in great condition when you decide to pass it down.

A lab diamond on the other hand, does not hold the same value or resale vale as its natural diamond counterparts. Although just as beautiful and visually identical to its counterpart, because it is created in a man lab with specialized equipment it does not hold the same value over time.

Sparkle and Brilliance

A common question is if there is a difference between lab diamonds and naturally grown diamonds in terms of sparkle. The answer is no! To the naked eye, there is hardly any difference between the two types of stones. Both stones are made under high temperature, have the same sparkle and brilliance, and look the same when side by side. When looking at the two stones side by side, the only difference is how the light hits the stone and the colours that are reflected, but this is not obvious. The stones have different trace elements, however this is only noticeable with specialized equipment conducted by professionals.

Are Both Types of Diamonds GIA Approved?

When purchasing a gemstone for your engagement ring, is it always important to receive a gem certification. A gem certification will you tell you that the diamond you are buying is authentic, and will include the scores for cut, colour, clarity and carat by an independent grader. It will also include any marks on the diamond, and will let you know the value of the said diamond. You can rest assured that the GIA has been providing the same gem certification, identifying and providing colour and clarifying grades, as well as broader category terms like colourless, near colourless, etc for lab created diamonds. This is an important tool as you look to buy the most important piece of jewelry in your life, as you need to know what exactly it is that you are buying.