This is probably the most common question we get, and the honest answer is that less changes than most people expect. Here is what is actually different, and what is not.
What's identical
Lab grown diamonds are chemically, physically and optically the same as mined diamonds. Same carbon structure, same hardness, same fire and brilliance. A jeweler needs lab equipment to tell the two apart, not the naked eye, because there genuinely is not a visible difference to look for.
Lab Grown Diamond Stud Earrings, 0.52 ct
What's different
- Origin. Mined diamonds form underground over billions of years. Lab grown diamonds are grown in controlled conditions that replicate that same process in a fraction of the time.
- Price. This is the real difference that affects buyers. Lab grown diamonds typically cost significantly less than a mined diamond of the same size and quality, which is why pieces like our diamond hoop earrings carry a real 0.60 ctw total without the price of mined stones.
- Nothing about durability. Lab grown diamonds score the same 10 on the Mohs hardness scale as mined diamonds, so day to day wear holds up exactly the same.
Why we build everything around lab grown
Every piece in the Diamond Circle collection uses real lab grown diamonds set in solid 14K gold, from stud earrings to pendants. It lets us use a genuine diamond in every piece instead of cutting corners with cubic zirconia or other simulants that look duller and do not hold up the same way.
Our take
If the only thing that matters to you is how the diamond looks and wears, lab grown gets you there for less. The one thing to actually check when buying any diamond, lab grown or mined, is that it is a real diamond and not a simulant, and that the metal it is set in is solid gold rather than plated.