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Place an OrderReal diamonds, created in a laboratory. Here is everything you need to know before you choose.
A lab grown diamond is a real diamond. It is made of carbon, arranged in the same crystal structure as a diamond that formed deep inside the earth. The only difference is where and how it was created: in a modern laboratory, over a few weeks, instead of underground over billions of years.
Lab grown diamonds are made by two proven processes, CVD and HPHT. Both start with a tiny diamond seed, and both build a real diamond from pure carbon.
The seed is placed in a sealed chamber filled with a carbon-rich gas and heated. The carbon slowly settles on the seed, building the diamond atom by atom, layer by layer.
The seed is placed with pure carbon and held under the intense pressure and heat found deep inside the earth. The carbon crystallises around the seed into a diamond.
The rough diamond that results is then cut and polished by skilled craftspeople, just like any other diamond.
Lab grown diamonds are not imitations. Cubic zirconia and moissanite only look like diamond. A lab grown diamond is a diamond.
Place a lab grown diamond beside a natural one and you will not be able to tell them apart. Both have the same brilliance, the same fire, and the same hardness. A diamond's sparkle comes from how its facets are cut and polished, and from how light moves through the crystal. This is identical in both.
Lab grown diamonds are available in the full range of colours, from colourless to the rare fancy shades, and in all the popular shapes: round, oval, pear, emerald, cushion and more. Every stone is graded for clarity and colour in the same way as any other diamond.
Even trained jewellers cannot separate the two by eye or with a loupe. Only special laboratory equipment can tell where a diamond was grown, which is why each of our diamonds comes with a certificate that states what it is.
Lab grown diamonds are pure carbon, crystallised in the cubic structure that gives diamond its extraordinary hardness. Their chemical formula is simply C, exactly the same as a natural diamond.
Because the chemistry and crystal structure are the same, so are the physical properties that matter to you as a wearer:
| Property | Lab grown diamond |
|---|---|
| Composition | Carbon (C), 100% crystallised carbon |
| Crystal structure | Cubic (isometric) |
| Hardness | 10 on the Mohs scale, the hardest known gem material |
| Refractive index | About 2.42 |
| Thermal conductivity | Excellent, as in every diamond |
Tiny traces of other elements, such as nitrogen or boron, can be present in any diamond. They affect the colour and are the clues a laboratory uses to identify how a stone was formed. They do not change what it is or how it wears.
Lab grown diamonds cost significantly less than natural diamonds of the same size and quality. The reason is not quality. A natural diamond must be found, mined and moved through a long supply chain, and its supply is limited by what nature has produced. A lab grown diamond is made on demand in a controlled setting, so it costs less to bring to market.
This means you can choose a larger stone, a higher grade, or a more detailed design for the same budget, without giving up the beauty or durability of a real diamond.
The price of a diamond depends on its carat weight, cut, colour and clarity, and on its certificate. At Aries Jewels, every product shows a complete price breakup, so you can see exactly what you pay for: the gold, the diamond, the making and the taxes.
Every diamond in the world, natural or lab grown, is judged by the same four qualities, known as the 4Cs. They are the language of diamonds, and knowing them helps you choose with confidence.
Cut is the most important of the four. It is not the shape, but the quality of the angles, proportions and polish. A well cut diamond catches light and returns it as brilliance. A poorly cut diamond looks dull, even if it is perfect in every other way.
Colour is graded from D (completely colourless) to Z (light yellow or brown). The less colour, the more white and bright the diamond appears. Diamonds in the D to H range look colourless to the eye.
Clarity measures the tiny natural marks inside or on a diamond, called inclusions and blemishes. The scale runs from Flawless to Included. Most stones in the VS and SI range look clean to the naked eye and offer excellent value.
Carat is the weight of the diamond, not its size. One carat is 200 milligrams. Weight and size usually go together, but a well cut diamond can look larger than its weight suggests.
Every diamond is supplied with a certificate that states its grade and that it is lab grown.