Ethical Lab-Grown Diamonds

Important! We now provide any of our jewellery designs made with ethical lab-grown diamonds. Please contact us noting your chosen jewellery design for a tailored quote. 

Please note that our lab-grown diamonds typically result in a 50% - 75% reduction in the cost of the item compared to our natural diamond options.

 As a result, this service is in high-demand. We suggest clients contact us asap. and allow 4-6 weeks for commissions to be completed. 

We are currently in the process of adding a selection of designs to show you typical prices for lab-grown diamond jewellery designs. Please view the following sections or enquire based on any other design on our website. 

View a selection of Lab-grown diamond rings, diamond eternity rings and lab-grown diamond necklaces. 

Please look for the following enquiry button on any of our engagement ring design pages. 

What are lab-grown diamonds?

Lab-grown diamonds are synthetic diamonds grown in a laboratory to replicate natural diamonds mined from the Earth. The process uses specialists equipment to convert carbon atoms into the crystal form of a diamond. Most importantly, these cultured diamonds have the same optical, physical and chemical properties as natural diamonds.

Manufacturing processes recreate the natural conditions under which natural diamonds formed billions of years ago.

Browse our list of lab-grown diamonds, man-made and created by CVD and HPHT. All prices below exclude VAT. Enquire about any diamond and contact us for a quote to set any diamond into our jewellery range. We create lab-grown diamond engagement rings, earrings, necklaces and bespoke jewellery. Please specify your country location when you contact us for a quote including shipping, tax and duty.  

A list of ethical lab-created diamonds available to pre-order

In appearance and physical composition, lab-created diamonds look identical to natural diamonds. In fact, natural and lab-created versions look identical. Furthermore, they provide the same high-quality gemstone, traditionally set into engagement rings with identical physical properties including hardness.

Just like natural diamonds, polishers cut lab-grown rough diamonds into all diamond carat-weights, colours, and clarities. Lapidiarists cut lab diamonds into a variety of diamond shapes in exactly the same way as a natural diamond.

Until recently, lab-grown alternatives to natural diamonds were shunned by the jewellery industry. In fact, many jewellers stressed that they would never stock lab-grown alternatives. At the same time, many diamond merchants made similar statements.

In contrast, today many of our existing diamond suppliers now stock lab-grown inventories listed alongside natural diamond stock.

Are lab-created diamonds real diamonds?

Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds with the same physical, chemical and optical properties as natural mined diamonds. To both the expert and untrained eye, they are impossible to tell apart. At this point, we must emphasize that lab-created diamonds are not diamond simulants. To clarify, diamond simulants are natural or artificial gemstones with properties similar to diamonds. As a result, diamond simulants look like diamonds but are not diamonds.

Can you insure a lab-grown diamond ring?

Yes. You can insure a lab-grown diamond. Jewellery insurers provide protection for all types of jewellery including gemstones, natural and lab-created. Most importantly, expect to pay a much smaller premium compared to the equivalent natural diamond ring. Owing to the lower cost price, the resulting value means your premiums will remain low with the same level of insurance. We recommend T.H.March for jewellery insurance and provide all lab-grown diamond jewellery items with a detailed valuation suitable for insurance. 

Lab-grown diamonds vs natural diamonds

The significant difference between a natural diamond and lab-grown diamond involves trace amounts of nitrogen present in natural diamonds, but absent in created diamonds. Using specialised equipment, gemmologists can determine if a diamond is natural or created.

Why are man-made diamonds popular?

Lab-grown diamonds make a popular choice for consumers. Firstly, grown diamonds provide an ethical choice. But, a key factor comes from their (much) lower price. Both reasons support the use of grown diamonds for ethical diamond jewellery.

The market for 'made' diamonds and their interest continues to increase as seen in the following chart.

Are grown diamonds ethical?

Many buyers seek out man-made diamonds for two main reasons. Firstly, owing to inhumane acts surrounding conflict diamonds. Secondly, due to the environmental impact of mining diamonds.

In fact, many Millennials and Gen-Z buyers continue to move away from mainstream diamonds.

But what about the environmental impact from grown diamonds?

"A study comparing the environmental impact of grown diamonds and mined diamonds depicts that growing diamonds cause significantly less environmental impact as compared to mining diamonds. There are several aspects of environmental impact such as air pollution, water usage, energy usage, etc. There is also a significant level of human impact as well in the process of diamond production."(Source: Frost & Sullivan).

With new technology, some of the World's grown diamond manufacturers create diamonds with renewable energy with carbon-neutral credentials. Diamond are created using diamond seeds.

How are lab-grown diamonds created?

There are two main ways to create a diamond artificially. Both start the process with a seed diamond.

High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT)

The seed diamond is a sliver of diamond. The first known technique used High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) with the seed added to pure graphite carbon, subjected to high temperatures around 1,500 degrees Celsius, with pressures of approx. 1.5 million pounds per square inch.

Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD)

Another, more recent technique uses Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). Firstly, a technician places a seed diamond into a sealed chamber filled with carbon-rich gas heated to around 800 degrees Celsius.

Next, the gases “adhere” to the seed. Carbon atom by atom, the seed grows into a rough diamond.

Finally, the grown diamond goes through cutting and polishing in much the same way as a natural diamond.

How much do lab-made diamonds cost?

To begin with, grown diamonds cost considerably less than natural diamonds. As a result, the growth of laboratory-grown diamonds posed a serious threat to natural diamond producers DeBeers. For this reason, DeBeers entered the lab-grown market.

De Beers maintains its participation aims to create a clear divide between lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds.

But, like natural diamonds, man-made diamonds vary in cost depending on the size, colour and clarity of the diamond. Also, prices vary from supplier to supplier. Also, prices vary from retailer to retailer.

Comparing the price of lab-grown and natural diamond engagement rings.

Recently, we compared the average price of an engagement ring (£2000) between different retailers.

At the same time, we compared two diamond solitaire engagement rings, both in 950 Platinum. One set with a natural diamond and one set with a lab diamond.

Platinum, single stone 0.40-carat diamond ring. G colour. SI1 clarity. Very Good Cut. GIA certified. £2000.

Platinum, single stone 0.90-carat lab-grown diamond ring. F colour. SI1 clarity. Excellent Cut. GIA certified. £2000.

In summary, the lab-created option worked out to be approximately 45 - 50% cheaper than a natural diamond.

Where to buy a man-made diamond?

The popularity of lab-grown diamonds means that consumers now have a fantastic choice when it comes to sourcing their diamonds. In fact, some organisations grow a diamond to order!

Most organisations provide information on the process of manufacture. For example, CVD or HPHT.

Example of a lab-grown diamond engagement ring.

The following video shows a lab-grown diamond set into a simple ring design. A real diamond shows no visible difference with the same optical properties.

The size, colour and clarity of lab-grown diamonds.

Lab-created diamonds exist in a wide range of colours. In addition, polishers cut diamonds into all shapes and sizes ranging from 1mm sizes up to 5-carat sizes.

Typically, diamonds above 0.30 carats include a diamond certificate from the International Gemological Institute (IGI). At the same time, most include excellent or even ideal proportions as standard.

Lab-made diamonds laser inscribed with the certificate number provide an easy route to identification.

Do lab created diamonds have inclusions?

Lab-created diamonds sometimes feature inclusions that resemble crystals. Such 'inclusions' occur as remnants of the growth process. For this reason, the term “Growth Remnant" is used instead of inclusion. Lab diamonds created through Chemical Vapour Deposition often appear with a dark, graphitized appearance. Conversely, In HPHT diamonds, the inclusions can be visible as metallic spheres or rods.

Other types of inclusion characteristics of natural diamonds include twinning wisps and feathers. Inclusions in lab-created diamonds often bear similarities to those in natural diamonds but are often formed through differing processes. More often than not, lab diamonds have very high clarity grades. After all, the lower cost of a lab-grown diamond means that buyers don't have to choose low-clarity diamonds to meet their budget. 

How to identify a lab-grown diamond from a natural diamond?

Photograph showing the lab-grown diamond inscription on the side of a recent commission.

Under a lens, our lab-grown diamonds reveal a unique laser inscription. Applied to the outer girdle, the certificate number and reference appear.

To the naked eye, this inscription remains invisible. But this appears under the lens of an inscription reader, loupe, or magnifying lens.

Fancy coloured lab-grown diamonds

Following the growing popularity of lab-grown white diamonds, we recently introduced fancy coloured lab-grown diamonds in various colours, hues and shades. These include lab-grown blue diamonds and lab-grown pink diamonds. 

In addition, we support a wide range of diamond shapes including the ever-popular round brilliant cut, Princess cut, Emerald and Cushion cut to name just a few shapes. 

The addition of specific gaseous elements during the diamond's growth will result in specific colours in the final diamond. For example, Boron is responsible for the hues of blue. Fancy-coloured lab-grown diamonds cost a fraction of the price compared to natural fancy-coloured diamonds owing to the rarity of naturally occurring colours. 

We source fancy coloured lab-created diamonds specifically for client requests and quote prices based upon availability to avoid disappointment. Owing to a fast turnover of lab-grown diamonds we prefer to secure diamonds to guarantee availability for our clients. 

Frequently asked questions