Natural Diamond Vs Lab Diamond Engagement Rings

If you’re looking to buy a new engagement ring, you might be wondering whether to choose a natural diamond or a lab diamond. Although both diamonds look beautiful, the former holds more mystery, allure, and actual value. Also, mining for gemstones supports local communities, while the latter doesn’t. A natural diamond is the better choice for an engagement ring because the value and price will continue to decline.

Generally speaking, lab-created diamonds are Type IIb. Their composition is mostly carbon atoms, with some isolated boron atoms. However, these differences aren’t noticeable to the naked eye. Nonetheless, you’ll want to know what to look for before you decide. In this article, we will explain what makes a difference between natural and lab diamonds and how to identify the difference between them.

How does Natural Diamond Form?

Natural diamonds travel a long and challenging path to reach your finger. Natural diamonds originated billions of years ago under extreme heat and pressure deep inside the earth. They ascended a hundred miles in a column of molten rock, more than three times the depth of the ordinary volcano, to reach the earth’s surface in volcanic pipes.

For diamonds to develop in the ancient earth and be transported up to the surface, many things have to line up just right. Those circumstances no longer exist: the earth’s diamonds have already formed. These nearly unbreakable jewels made it through the journey somewhat undamaged. They include microscopic time capsules of the planet’s crust from a billion years ago, including crystals from the deep earth, tiny cleavages caused by pressure, and atoms from the mantle. The oldest thing you will ever touch is these magnificent billion-year-old crystals.

Most diamonds discovered are not gem grade due to their rough trip. Because of their rarity, natural diamonds have a high intrinsic value, which will continue to rise as the number of diamonds naturally available decreases. One London double-decker bus may hold all the gem-quality diamonds ever mined. Diamonds are incredibly uncommon.

The word “diamond” stems from the Greek word “Adamas,” which means “unbreakable.” The immense pressure and heat that a diamond must survive for billions of years to become magnificent are simply tremendous.

Here are Some Beautiful Natural Diamond and Lab Diamond Engagement Rings

Womens Princess White Natural Diamond Accent Vintage Style Wedding Engagement Ring 14Kt Solid Gold (I-J Color, I2-I3 Clarity, 0.07 Carat)

Amazon button

Features

  • This 14K gold ring with glittering white diamonds is a beautiful addition to any jewelry collection. The round faceted stone is set low on the hand for all-day comfort.
  • Princess Natural Diamond as a Gemstone With I2-I3 clarity, I-J color, and a prong setting, the total carat weight is 0.07 carat.
  • Our one-of-a-kind and fashionable diamond ring is the perfect gift for your mother, girlfriend, sister, or best friend, and it comes packaged in a gift box, ready to give to that special someone in your life.
  • Simple Design: It’s appropriate for every situation, including after-work gatherings, bars, dates, and concerts.
  • 100% Customer Satisfaction: Please do not hesitate to contact us if a problem arises.

Women’s IGI Certified Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Plus Engagement Ring 14k Gold(1/2 – 1 CT.TW, I-J Color, SI1-SI2 Clarity)

Amazon button

Features

  • Lab-Grown Diamond Solitaire “Plus” Engagement Ring: 0.50-carat diamond engagement ring in a semi-solitaire style. The center diamond on this classic engagement ring is 0.25 carats, with a total weight of 0.30 carats from the accent stones.
  • Lab-grown diamonds are a more environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and cost-effective alternative to diamonds mined. On the other hand, lab-generated diamonds have fewer environmental and human repercussions while retaining the same physical and optical qualities as earth-mined diamonds at a fraction of the cost.
  • Quality: You can rest easy knowing that your diamond engagement ring is branded and crafted of 14k white gold. All diamonds have an I-J color grade (or greater) and an SI1-SI2 clarity grade (or better).
  • Amazon’s Brand

How are Lab Diamond Manufactured?

Man has been producing diamonds for decades, but it has only been that they have become feasible to market in jewelry in the last five years. Until that time, most diamonds were made for industrial usage and lacked the size, clarity, and cost that made them desirable for jewelry.

HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) or CVD (chemical vapor deposition) are the two methods used to create synthetic diamonds (chemical vapor deposition). HPHT simulates the environment within the ground that produces diamonds by using intense temperature and pressure. CVD feeds energized vapors onto a substrate in a vacuum chamber comparable to a microwave.

Marketers claim that these stones are “developed” in a “laboratory,” but it’s more likely that they are precision made in a high-tech factory. In Singapore, a single diamond-producing factory covers 200,000 square feet and generates 300,000 carats of lab-grown diamonds annually.

In just a few weeks, diamond crystals develop under these carefully controlled settings. They have documentation of the industrial settings in which they were created on the inside. Color zoning, metallic inclusions, weak strain patterns, and UV fluorescence colors are all seen in lab-grown diamonds.

Lab-grown diamonds are cut and polished like natural diamonds are when the rough is created. Because lab-grown diamonds aren’t subjected to the same rigorous cut grading as natural diamonds, they aren’t cut to the same standards and proportions for maximum light performance.

What is the Difference Between Natural Earth-Mined Diamonds and Diamonds Created in a Lab?

So, how do you tell the difference between the two? The difference is invisible to the human eye and even antiquated technologies. Because lab-grown diamonds are formed of the same compounds as natural diamonds, distinguishing between the two is difficult. The GIA has incorporated new technology, instructional seminars, and other initiatives to keep the gem-buying public informed. According to Dr. Shigley, the main distinction is that lab-grown diamonds have a different growth morphology, simply the difference between how the earth shapes the diamond and how the lab shapes it.

The GIA is constantly doing research, and new methods for telling the difference are being developed daily. GIA has developed a piece of screening equipment called the GIA iD100 to help identify lab-created diamonds. To detect natural diamonds from lab-generated (HPHT and CVD) diamonds and diamond simulants, this $5,500 equipment combines sophisticated spectroscopic technology with GIA’s 60 years of diamond identification research.

What is the Price Difference Between the Natural Diamond and Lab Diamond?

You can see why the price of a naturally found diamond is significantly higher than that of lab-created diamonds in this modern era where technology has entirely taken control. Nowadays, anything can be duplicated and reproduced, and we are immersed in a virtual world. Because of their rarity and geological origin, natural diamonds bind us to Mother Nature. Consider this: would you want to eat GMO or organic foods? The answer is straightforward, although the price disparity is undoubtedly a role.

Natural diamond prices increased by 15% to 30% between 2021 and 2022. During the same period, the price of lab-grown diamonds dropped by 20% to 40%.

According to Paul Zimnisky (a diamond industry expert), the average internet price for an F–H, VS-clarity is 1.5 ct. Round lab-grown diamond in the second quarter of 2016 was $10,300. After five years, the price of a stone with the exact specifications dropped by roughly two-thirds to $3,975.

According to JCK, there are a variety of causes for these price drops, including greater competition, inflated margins, and the seemingly unbreakable law that tech things grow less expensive to manufacture over time.

“Of course, their price will go down; it’s a produced product,” Zimnisky says, adding that growers are partly to blame for the fall.

So, What Should I Choose Between the two?

If you can afford a genuine diamond from a natural source, go that route. If money is tight and your wife isn’t concerned about the rarity of the diamond, a lab-grown diamond will suffice. Remember, the difference isn’t visible to the untrained sight or even to the untrained eye.

It’s not about the diamond at the end of the day, and it was never about the diamond in the first place. It’s all about the meaning of the diamond. A diamond set in an engagement ring, wedding band, or another jewelry item symbolizes love, commitment, and accomplishment, among other things. A diamond symbolizes progress, stability, and a bright future.

Are Lab-Created Diamonds Genuine Gems?

Yes, lab-grown diamonds are entirely genuine diamonds with the same qualities as natural diamonds. Natural diamonds and lab diamonds have no physical distinctions, and it is difficult to tell them apart without specialized laboratory equipment. Price and ethicality are the only two variations between lab diamonds and natural diamonds.

The popularity of lab diamonds has skyrocketed. Lab diamonds were first developed over 70 years ago. Still, it wasn’t until recent advances in the efficiency of their manufacture that secured high-quality diamonds that they made their way into the jewelry industry.

For most individuals, the decision between a lab diamond and a natural diamond is obvious: lab diamonds are less expensive, guaranteed to be ethical, and have more sustainable origins. Others are apprehensive since little is known about their future value or whether anything created in a lab can be as romantic as something grown in nature.

As a result, the issue is more minor about lab vs. natural diamonds because both mined and artificial diamonds are genuine diamonds. Which do you prefer: price and ethics vs. romance?

Conclusion

While natural diamonds are rare, lab-grown diamonds are cheaper than their natural counterparts. The lab process duplicates the formation of diamonds in the earth. It is nearly impossible to distinguish a lab-grown diamond from an earth-mined diamond compared to natural diamonds. They are certified to the same standards as mined diamonds and come in an enormous variety of shapes. Unlike the diamonds mined today, a lab-grown diamond is more affordable and available in an infinite range of shapes.

Another difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds is the resale value. While a natural diamond will not appreciate over time, a lab-grown diamond will not. The difference in value between mined and lab-grown diamonds boils down to supply. Lab-grown diamonds take months to mine, whereas mined diamonds gain value over time. In addition, the supply of lab-grown diamonds is infinite, driving the price down even more.